And of course there's so much music in and around our family. I had a piano during Christmas because it's obviously useful through the season. There are so many people songwriters who are around.

I probably wouldn't be a songwriter if I didn't grow up the way I did. It was difficult and it was at times very scary to grow up in a household so unsettled and at times very violent. But it also I guess it earned me a sort of wisdom at a young age that's served me well.

As a songwriter I hate this whole 'If it's a sad song it has to sound like a sad song thing.' And that goes all the way back to my days with the Format. I'm an insane narcissist so if I have to get something off my chest I'll get something off my chest.

I've only been to Ireland once and I felt I would wake up with voices in my head almost like music and that if I were a songwriter I would be very inspired.

I feel I want to grow as an actress and be better. I want to progress as a singer and songwriter and produce movies and everything. So there'll be no time when I feel I've done it all.

Even in the beginning when we knew there was a legal argument about how much our song sounds like his song as one songwriter to another I wasn't sure that Cat Stevens would take that as bad.

I do remember actually learning chords to Beatles songs. I thought they were great songwriters.

I don't think I'm a great songwriter but I think I've learned a lot about it and I don't think there's any one way to do it. I don't think I can control it at all. I can just kind of hope that it happens.

There's so much fear involved in trying to do something you don't know how to do that drugs and alcohol can become a big part of your life if you have an addictive personality or are very unsure which most songwriters are.

I may not be the most famous songwriter in the world but you know a David Friedman song when you hear it. It took me a long time to appreciate that.

Nashville is one of the greatest places for the best songwriters in the world. It's been fantastic to live there and to raise our family there. It's a great town.

It may not be the most popular but there is a place for it. I think about the kind of music I love acoustic melodic and I guess it kind of took a bit of courage on my part to think I could be one of those songwriters.

L.A.'s cool I had a run with it to where it just pretty much wore me out. I love the weather and I have great friends there great family but I really cannot take a lot of the culture. Like Nashville where everybody's a songwriter everybody out there is an actor.

Melanie Fiona is a singer a songwriter she's a super-girl. I can be silly goofy really chilled. She's like your cool chill girlfriend sister-friend. I'm just like everybody else.

The cool thing about being a songwriter or a writer I guess in general you can take on a lot of different things experience a lot of different things just by writing about them.

I think people appreciate a songwriter who shows different sides. The whole angst thing is cool but if that's all you've got it's just boring. Everything I write whether it's happy or sad has a sense of humor to it.

The stores and the things like that the business side of things came out at the point when I'd say probably in the early '70s it looked like the year of the singer-songwriter was over 'cause music changed in our time and the spotlight was out.

Townes van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.

I know I'm not the best. I'm not the best singer I'm not the best songwriter I'm not the best player.

I would love to work with Paolo Nutini because he is so soulful and an amazing songwriter.

I kicked the door open and I'm gonna hold my leg in there. I'm keeping the door open for all these amazing female singer-songwriters that are coming out.

I like singer-songwriters and I find sad songs comforting rather than depressing. It makes you realise you're not alone in the world.