The people who have the strongest opinion about everything have never left their city, their town, haven't left their 'hood, haven't left their area, their corner of the world. They don't read. They've never left their house.
I try not to judge because I've been judged a heck of a lot, and it don't feel nice.
Americans have their issues with skin colour, even within the black community, with light and dark skin; it's crazy - but no one's oblivious to it.
Basically, if you go looking for trouble, it'll come find you.
Lesson one, introduce yourself to everyone when you walk into a room. Don't act like you're too bougie to say, 'Hello.'
I feel like it's not a bad average for every album I've got in the United States to be nominated for something off the album.
A lot of big whoever producers, they come with a song and they say, 'Sing this,' and I'm not that girl.
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.
I am a black British female artist, so I must be like Ms Dynamite, I must be like Shystie, I must be like Jamelia, but we're all different.
I always thought that if record companies didn't understand me, fine - I'd go and do it by myself.
I believe in illusion - I don't believe in magic.
I will test a guy to within an inch of his sanity because I've been through too much drama. He has to be 100%.
My songs are always about overcoming things, whether it's breaking up with a guy or just trying to be happy. They're always about being better.
I can get a call at 2 A.M., and the person on the other end is like: 'Sorry, did I wake you?' and I'm like: 'No, I'm wide awake.'
I think the one group I am trying to appeal to is the world. That would be big enough.
I never feel that far away from the tabloids.
I want a TV series, I'm gonna do some acting jobs, I'm gonna do some Broadway jobs, everything!
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 just have a way about me where people know that they don't tell me what to do, they kind of just wait for me to do it.
I wear what I feel and what makes me feel happy.
I think every artist strives for a record that crosses all energy, lines, boundaries or languages or barriers.
