I have to live authentically at all times. And that's part of what makes me an artist. I'm not scared to do that.

I've always dug Audrey Hepburn. I think she's one of the classic beauties.

The only thing I don't have is hips.

If you think about where I'm from, I'm not supposed to be singing in the first place. I'm not supposed to be alive right now.

Law became boring, but like every job I've done, it helped prepare me for a career in music.

If you cannot smile when you listen to music, then do not listen to it!

I went to New York and Miami and hung out by the beach, and I love the American boys, so I wrote a song about it.

Luke James has this mystique about him that's not something you can explain; you can only experience it. He's got a whole D'Angelo feel to him as well.

I'm so, so full of joy that America elected Obama. He didn't win because he was black - people voted for him because he had a plan and because he talked sense and because you believed him.

My style is Edie Sedgwick meets Grace Jones, or Audrey Hepburn meets Salt 'n' Pepa. Strong and feisty but still classic.

People like the shows I do. I want to be real, to have fun, even when I dance on stage... it's a buzz.

My mum is West African, from Senegal; my dad is from Grenada. There was a huge controversy about them getting together.

I feel like I'm beautiful, and every woman should feel like that.

BMG has been an awesome partner throughout my career, and with New London, we plan to continue bridging the gap between soul, pop, London, and New York - uniting them through music.

I can sit in my room and write a song that I think might be a hit. I can sort of make myself do that, and then I'll play it to a friend, and they'll say, 'Oh, that's nice.' But when something happens to me, and I sit down and write a song to get rid of my emotions, they'll turn around and say, 'Wow, that's great.'

I've still gotta come across as happy when inside I feel crap!

I couldn't just hand in any old rubbish - I can't go on tour and sing something for three years if I don't believe in it.

Reality really isn't as dull as it's cracked up to be.

My mom, for all intents and purposes, was a single parent.

I always have to get my U.K. fix, and 'Downton Abbey' is definitely that. I absolutely love period dramas, but this one is particularly appealing - following the ins and outs of aristocracy as well as the interaction between the rich and the poor.

This fame is a juggernaut: It slaps you in the face, and you don't know what you're doing. You don't know who has your back, who is your support system.

With the first album, I wanted to do so many different things, and I was fighting with myself to try and see if I was worthy enough to do it.

A lot of big whoever producers, they come with a song and they say, 'Sing this,' and I'm not that girl.

The Americans love me because I'm so completely unwilling to change my whole Britishness.

Lesson one, introduce yourself to everyone when you walk into a room. Don't act like you're too bougie to say, 'Hello.'

I got to the point where I was fed up with so many people telling me how and who I was supposed to be.

The people at my label are always endorsing what I say. They say, 'You see the truth, so speak it.' They believe in me. They respect my opinion. At least I have an opinion, and I'm not trying to play it safe. I don't go around saying, 'I think everyone is great, and the world is fantastic.' Everyone has opinions. They just don't say it.

I'm so sick of hearing that U.K. hip hop doesn't get credit and success when I'm working to get it - for me and for others, too.

I'm signed to a U.S. label, and I didn't enjoy the 3 A.M. phone calls. I'm not a great sleeper, so I didn't enjoy being woken up.

If there is enough space on radio for Busted and McFly, who are basically the same band, or for 50,000 versions of Stereophonics and Coldplay, there must be enough room for all of us.

I'm so, so full of joy that America elected Obama.

I never feel that far away from the tabloids.

I think every artist strives for a record that crosses all energy, lines, boundaries or languages or barriers.

Collaboration is the way to go. It's very timely and fun to do.

Conservatives, they're like the Republicans to me. They don't do much. They have this whole hierarchy and boys' club thing going on. That doesn't help the regular person.

When I was growing up, hip-hop was still a pretty specialised thing.

I love rom-coms. Any will do. Films such as 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' or 'Funny Face' with Audrey Hepburn.

When I'm full, I stop eating.

Success is based on music, not where you're from.

I, for one, want to make sure we give every young person the chance to find the fuel for their confidence, something that will power their ambition.

Universal Credit claimants who refuse to accept a zero hours contract job offer, without good reason, can be subject to a sanction.

For too long, people have had to neutralise or lose their accent out of fear of prejudicial treatment or to fit in. This has then led to a lack of regional accents, which has allowed this lazy stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes to prevail.

Growing up with a bold feminist in my mother, I witnessed her march magnificently from mini to maxi, fashions so obviously linked to powerful statements of female progression, equality and recognition. I knew no other than freedom of expression in all the forms it came in; art, theatre, fashion, literature and music.

Only three per cent of people are born with a disability; the rest acquire it through accident or illness, but people come out of it. Thanks to medical advances, bodies heal.

Outside Westminster, political debate must seem like white noise that bears little relevance to people's everyday lives. But political choices made by the governments we elect have a real impact on how we live.

David Cameron, and before him Iain Duncan Smith, went out of their way to attract women into the party. Yes, we need to sell politics to more women, but quotas are not the way forward. You set a quota, what is the right quota? What is the wrong quota?

If feminism was a dress, it would be that essential little black number, reached for in times of need; different for everyone but a steady constant in a woman's life. Outspoken or understated, demure or provocative, worn to reflect the mood, the personality, the time.

Not only does work experience provide the opportunity to sample a potential career, but it also builds the essential skills often regarded as 'soft skills' that are needed to thrive in work.

If people are coming into the country to add an extra dimension, to bring skills and expertise with them, we have always been open to that.

My dissertation focused on the character traits and personality types of successful women.