NEW YORK (CNN) -- He performed at Ellen DeGeneres' wedding this past summer, and he's as quick-witted as Adam Sandler. Could Joshua Radin be the next great wedding singer?





Joshua Radin got a push from old friend Zach Braff, but has been making his own fans.





"No, don't say that," the singer-songwriter says good-naturedly. "Wedding singers play covers and they're usually Motown songs. I don't know any Al Green."





Maybe not -- and Al Green didn't record for Motown, either -- but Radin hopes to put a little love in your heart with his sophomore album, "Simple Times."





"It's about my whole life. Every song I write is an honest account of my life. They're sort of like journal entries," he says. "So this one's about falling in and out of love, it's about my friends, it's about my family. It's about the world we live in."





Radin's world has been anything but simple these past few years. Since actor Zach Braff -- a buddy from Northwestern University -- promoted the Cleveland, Ohio-born musician's tunes on the TV sitcom "Scrubs," Radin's vulnerable lyrics and whispery delivery have caught on. Primetime programs like "Grey's Anatomy" and "American Idol" also used his music, and before long Radin had a debut album -- 2006's critically acclaimed "We Were Here" -- and a reason to hit the road.





Radin (who has a loud, hearty laugh for a guy whose songs are pretty melancholy) dropped by CNN's New York offices to talk about how he landed that wedding gig, and some of the unusual surfaces he uses to jot down lyrics. The following is an edited version of the interview.  Watch Radin cause hearts to melt »





CNN: A lot of your songs are about heartache and heartbreak. Are you sad all the time?





Joshua Radin: No, not at all. Just tired.





CNN: Why so tired?





Radin: Because I play a lot of shows all the time. When you're trying to get your music out to as many people as humanly possible, you gotta go places ... all the time, and talk about it and play songs and you get a little less sleep than you might like. It's cool. But in terms of the heartache I guess I get my sad out by writing songs.





CNN: How do you get your happy out?





Radin: Hanging out with people I like.





CNN: Speaking of people you like, Zach Braff [is] a big buddy of yours ...





Radin: Never met him.





CNN: Liar!





Radin: He's a very close friend and he's been very supportive.





CNN: Some might say that without Zach Braff's support you might not have come to the fore as you have ...





Radin: I wouldn't even be born.





CNN: Do you sort of feel like you are going to be indebted to him for the rest of your life?





Radin: No, he's pretty much indebted to me. I mean he got to launch my career (laughs). I'm just kidding.





CNN: You sang at Ellen DeGeneres' wedding. How did that come about?





Radin: I played her show in January and she came up to me after we soundchecked the song ["Today"] and said, "That's the song I want to walk down the aisle to." And I thought she was just being nice, really.





And then about two days before the wedding -- I was on tour -- I got a call saying she wanted me to come in and she was going to have her wedding for a very intimate gathering at her house. And she wanted me to play about five or six of my songs ...





CNN: The happy ones, I hope.





Radin: Yeah, I only have about five or six songs about falling
What is Josh radins new album called What wedding did he play at? What is the name of the album? Who is a friend of Zach braff What show were his songs on?
"Simple Times." Ellen DeGeneres' "Simple Times." Joshua Radin "Grey's Anatomy" and "American Idol"
question: What is Josh radins new album called, answer: "Simple Times." | question: What wedding did he play at?, answer: Ellen DeGeneres' | question: What is the name of the album?, answer: "Simple Times." | question: Who is a friend of Zach braff, answer: Joshua Radin | question: What show were his songs on?, answer: "Grey's Anatomy" and "American Idol"