My soul is to sell. The dark is too hard to beat 'cause they're calling me.

You pick up loads of baggage with your first record with reaction to it from fans and critics. So I went to Ireland by myself for a couple of weeks with my guitar. I read lots of poetry, I read Patti Smith's autobiography and started words and phrases and then songs started to take shape.

You get to a certain age and you can't judge yourself on your dad or your parents.

I maintain that when I finally retire from my career in music, I will go and live back in Wales - when I am an old person, if I live to be an old person. The water I miss, and the air, there's something different about it. And I miss the simple life.

I've changed the way I look a bit but not intentionally. I've cut my hair. I've got a bit of pink in it and lately I've become a bit monochrome, wearing a lot of black and white.

Well, on tour I eat terribly, so I balance that by running a lot. And then I started to run with my fans in certain cities. It sounds very nerdy and un-rock n' roll, but I like it. It's fun, and it's better than meeting fans in weird, awkward circumstances. So I take them running with me.

It's good to talk sometimes. Sometimes interviews are really good for you... You end up evaluating yourself more and talk about stuff that an ordinary person wouldn't necessarily keep revisiting. I used to close myself off and want to be alone, but now I'll call a friend. When you're in a relationship, they're that person.