The Christian community latched onto a lot of my music because there were a lot of things about my struggle they related to. But I didn't really want to come out and be identified as a Christian because I didn't want to be a hypocrite because my life wasn't right.

It's a really unfair world because life is where I am all day long we listen to American music. So I don't see why the radios in the U.S. cannot even put aside one hour a day just to play music that is not American.

Music for me is an emotional thing and it really does make me happy. It's not a tool for me to get fame or see my face in the papers or anything like that. It's about the fact that I really do enjoy it.

It's really hard for me to sometimes put myself out there like 'Hey how do you feel about making music together?' because maybe I'm afraid of rejection or I don't want to put anybody out. It's the Southerner in me like 'I don't mean to bother you but do you mind making a song?'

I love sad songs. They say so much. I love country music but even the happy songs sound really sad.

Starting out really punk came from not knowing any better and listening to music like that not knowing how to play music - well still not knowing how to play music.

The problem for me still today is that I write purely with one dramatic structure and that is the rite of passage. I'm not really skilled in any other. Rock and roll itself can be described as music to accompany the rite of passage.

It was stumbling on to really the bible of the blues you know and a very powerful drug to be introduced to us and I absorbed it totally and it changed my complete outlook on music.

The thing about my music is there really is no point.

People think our music's very aggressive or angry or whatever and it's just the opposite really... I like laughing. And I like being really calm before a show and smiley.

Well I'll tell you I don't know how aware teenagers are of me. I think it really depends on the teenager and how well-versed in music they are and what kind of music they like.

Before I settled on music I wanted to be an archaeologist an astronaut all sorts of really diverse things.

So it was out of necessity that Blackheart was born. I think it's great that now 25 years later we're not only putting out our own music but are able to put out music by other bands. That's really exciting for us.

Music is really something that makes people whole.

Music never dies. Do we really need another Madonna tour? Does she have to compete with women performers 25 years her junior?

I start really missing London when I go away. I have a little flat but very central. I live above a pub and you'd think it'd be a nightmare but I like hearing the music and it's quite comforting.

I don't really have a style icon but I really admire the way people dress like Gaga Rihanna and Gwen Stefani. It's good to be inspired by singers who write music and dress incredibly - rather than models and people in the fashion industry who dress immaculately anyway because it's their style.

I'm obsessed with the countryside: woods forests fields lakes mountains. I'm really into folk music and folklore. But more so I'm into electronic music. I'm into bands that have both aspects like Boards of Canada is a perfect example. You could listen to that type of music running through a woods. It's kind of what I wanted to achieve.

Since I met Starsmith my producer I really feel like I'm making music because we write it together and produce it together. I've got a proper involvement in the end product as opposed to just writing a song and finding someone else to produce it.

People always try to find my agenda but I don't really have one. It's safe to say that I make pop but I think that I'm doing important music too. I've just always done what I wanted to do.

I'm quite private. And I never wanted to be the biggest star in the world really. So in that sense I've got a good balance of doing great shows of making an appearance every now and then and writing music and I don't really have to do much else.

Mumford & Sons' music appeals to a lot of America. I'm really proud of them.

I'd call what I do pop music but it's folky and electronic and it doesn't really sound like much else.

To be able to put your arms around 24 years of music it's really fun.