Singing was always quite a private thing... I don't think my own mum even heard me sing until after I signed with Sony just out of high school!

You don't normally think of Los Angeles as a place to go to get away.

I began dabbling in writing when I was 12, and there was never an official start to singing... I just sang my songs because there was no one else to sing them and no one told me to shut up!

David Bowie is the quintessential English gentleman and, of course, a musical and generational institution. I only played support for him for one night (not a whole tour) but he was incredibly gracious and generous toward me and I've certainly never forgotten it.

I had received some minor indie label interest when I was 14 after I was in a schools music competition thing in NZ called 'Rockquest', but I knew it wasn't the right time and that I wasn't good enough and needed to concentrate on school.

I'm not quite sure where the sponsorship rumour came from... probably because I have been a spokesperson for child sponsorship so people just assumed that was the connection.

I recognise my responsibility, and it's funny when I read people who say they never asked to be a role model, and I understand that, but as soon as you have influence over people, you have a responsibility with what you do with that influence.