I always wanted to do music but never really had the confidence to do it until my first manager George Lamb, who I met out in Ibiza, encouraged me.

If you can't detect the sarcasm you've misunderstood.

I wasn't into anything at school. I used to get really embarrassed. I used to get asked to do performing things, and I'd go to all the rehearsals, and then I'd pretend to be ill on the day I had to actually perform. I was very unhappy at school.

Because of piracy there has been a massive downturn in people buying music, which makes it more difficult for artists to make money from the sale of records.

People in this day and age are still under the illusion that every woman who is successful must be being controlled by a man... I'm the boss.

You cannot compare Britney with Lady Gaga...You are putting Lady Gaga at the same level of Britney Spears? I really cannot believe it. Lady Gaga is good, but she's a new artist, Britney Spears is a legend.

I don't really like the way that journalism works in the UK anyway; it's all about getting the most shocking thing out of somebody and kind of twisting people's words, which isn't really journalism, as far as I'm concerned.