Schoolwork was always suffering! I hated school!

I've never been massive on rap, but there's that whole kind of culture of U.K. rap.

The industry has always been accepting of gay artists, but a particular thing for me is to see gay artists of color.

In reality, my parents knew that I was a vegetable outside of music. They have fears, they know how tough and competitive it is, but they're happy that there are a lot of people backing me.

I really love being an artist, but I make my money from songwriting.

'Correct' is a song and an exercise for me where I've been able to reclaim who I am and the good that I've done when in real life sometimes I struggle with that.

I always knew I wanted to work in music. There was no plan B.

We have a lot of black British men who are killing it: John Boyega, Stormzy, Anthony Joshua, Tinie Tempah, and Idris Elba, of course. I see them as people I really admire and that's empowering for me because it means I am not alone in this.

Some of white middle America haven't seen a black gay guy in a music video before.

If you go to America, so many club nights finish at 1 A. M. and it's so lame.

When I'm doing a session for another artist, it's a very scheduled thing, and it's kind of imperative that I write a song in that time. But if I'm trying to write a song for myself and I don't have an idea that day, I just can't force it.

If I'm writing a song for Karen Harding, I know I can't impose what I want to say onto her. I literally have to get into her headspace and think, 'what does she want to say?' When it comes to my stuff, it's the same. What can I write that's true to me?

I signed my first publishing deal when I was 14, and it was from two records I put on MySpace.

I'm a massive Mariah Carey fan.

I think 'Girlfriend' in particular is definitely one of the songs that is angled towards early 2000s, late '90s, R&B pop and those kinds of songs that were prevalent in that time. I don't think I was conscious of those songs in particular, but I'd say I definitely wanted a song that had that kind of vibe era wise in tone and all the writing.

The perspective that I come from when I sing, when I perform, is of who I am as a black gay man.

I've always been interested in fashion.

This constant feeling of, 'I have to have everything figured out' is not going to get anyone anywhere.

I was someone who knew what they wanted to do for so long. I was always fascinated by music, always a student of pop.

I started making beats when I was nine in my bedroom and garage.

I've always liked discovering things.

I think every song I do is specifically tailored to what I would say and how I approach situations.

When it comes to me and alcohol, I have special drinks everywhere.

I keep quiet and let the music do the talking.

I love '90s and '00s R&B, and those songs go on for ever.

For me personally, I've always tried to exude positivity and I feel that it's important for all types of experiences of black men to be seen.

I am empowered by my friends in the music industry who are other fellow black men because I see them as my brothers; we have similar experiences and relate to each other.

I've been so blessed to work with all my favorite artists as a gay man.

Everyone's journey as a gay man or woman is different; it's personal.

I didn't always see someone that I could relate to, that would tell me that being Black and gay is okay.

I think it's exciting, working with new people. There's something refreshing about not knowing what's going to happen. It's like an open sky of possibilities.

I think the most radical thing you can do is be yourself.

I tend to learn from mistakes that I've made. Even though it sucks to make bad choices, sometimes it's good to fail.

I love having short hair - that means I can wear big earrings and even dresses sometimes without me feeling too feminine.

The worst present I got was when I was 10. I had specifically wished for a Barbie horse. My dad got me a cheap, poorly made version of it and I cried all evening.

The biggest lie about getting older is that excitement and growth end with youth.

Nostalgia has always been a key player in my songwriting cause within that space I find a great deal of inspiration.

Linking With You' is about being in love with somebody and obsessing about 'playing the game' right.

You cannot just be the feature act, not that that's a bad thing, because that's a good thing, especially nowadays. But as an artist, you want to express yourself and you want to know what you want to express.

I guess after the whole success with 'Lean On' - me being introduced into this more mainstream audience - I was a little scared of being my true self, and being vulnerable and being gritty.

It's so important that you are constantly moving. And when things are hard, it will just make you fight harder - that's what you need to develop as a person, I think.

I had everything you could collect. I had these Spice Girls postcards. I also had the stickers and Barbie girls. I had all five of them. I was a real fangirl. They were actually preaching some cool stuff, the thing about girl power and sticking together with your best girlfriends.

Ever since I was a little kid, there was something about change that scared me so much, but, at the same time, I've always been terrified of being stuck, so it's kind of like a paradox that I'm living.

Blur' is about feeling lost, and on a personal level I would be lying if I didn't mention that this song, for me, was about feeling creatively and artistically lost in the city of all great opportunities, Los Angeles.

I got into music around the age of eight years old, and I think the reason why was because I discovered the Spice Girls. I fell in love with them, and it was the first time I ever felt like the music was just directed to me.

Kim Gordon is my biggest style icon.

People find it hard to place me. I'm doing pop, but I'm this weird quirky Dane that used to be in a punk band. And she's singing about being messed up but at the same time she seems normal? I don't know.

I want to be sure I'm being myself. I don't want to follow something because someone's like 'do this, it's popular.'

Sometimes I like to write the lyrics while I'm on the road, because then you get even more melancholy.

When I wrote my first album, I was reading Joseph Campbell - he's this philosopher who writes about mythology. That inspired the title, 'No Mythologies to Follow.'