Hmm, sounds familiar

So, (apparently like every other human) I enjoy Michael Jackson's singing and dancing. I didn't know that much about how he approached his art until the recent onslaught of publicity in the wake of his death. In interviews, I heard three things that in retrospect don't surprise me at all - because I've heard the same three things from almost every great artist that I've heard discuss it. The first two are things they more or less say directly
1) Believe in the music, believe in yourself, and put your whole self into every note
2) Work extremely hard, spending hours on every detail. Study the people that came before you.
The third, you pick up when they do a little a capella or hum a backing part.
3) Execute an astoundingly crisp sense of rhythm and know how the pieces of a band fit together rhythmically.