To me John Lennon and Elvis Presley were punks because they made music that evoked those emotions in people.

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?'

What I took back because of my exposure to the Jewish music of the 30s and the 40s in my upbringing with my father was that kind of theatrical songwriting. It was always a part of my character. This desire to make people laugh.

I write the vocals last because I wanted to invent the music first and push the music to the level that I had to compete against it.

I only want to make music because I have a passion for it.

I think it's important for people who love music to retain physical CDs or even vinyl because it sounds so great and so much warmer than music over the internet.

Do I listen to pop music because I'm miserable or am I miserable because listen to pop music?

People are going deaf because music is played louder and louder but because they're going deaf it has to be played louder still.

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 never gave up on country music because I knew what I was doing was not that bad.

Because of the Thames I have always loved inland waterways - water in general water sounds - there's music in water. Brooks babbling fountains splashing. Weirs waterfalls tumbling gushing.

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.

Men are wary of me because they know by listening to my music that a relationship with me will be quite deep.

To re-embrace what I once loved about music has been a warming process for me because it's a good earned feeling now.

Lyrics are always misleading because they make people think that that's what the music is about.

Pop is actually my least favorite kind of music because it lacks real depth.

I'm just lucky because my kids are grown-up - I love them very proud of them and we are in close contact as big-time friends but they don't need me that much now and I can actually enjoy this wonderful world of music.

That was a time when I did love music I couldn't get enough of what was going on. Maybe it was Nirvana that brought me back. I guess it was a comfort because something that sounded so right - and non-commercial - had become so influential so immediately.

Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence and silence is full of music.

I don't think I'd ever make an album of just covers because I love writing my own music.

Music is the effort we make to explain to ourselves how our brains work. We listen to Bach transfixed because this is listening to a human mind.

It's not just the 'Grammys' that I've pulled out of. I also pulled out of the English awards as well. The reason that I wanted to pull out was because I believe very much that the music industry as a whole is mainly concerned with material success.

Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity. So it's like just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again. You'd better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that's really the only unique situation that's going to be left.

I think older people can appreciate my music because I really show my heart when I sing and it's not corny. I think I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with me.