You sounded like someone who should be singing on a cruise ship. Halfway through your song, I wished the ship was sinking.

Work hard, be patient, and be a sponge while learning your business. Learn how to take criticism. Follow your gut instincts and don't compromise.

I break up very well. I am a good breaker-upper.

I think the best singers in the world, historically, are American. Britain's got its fair share, as well, but some of the greatest singers, ever, whether you're talking about Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey or Aretha Franklin, are from the legacy here.

For the music business, social networking is brilliant. Just when you think it's doom and gloom and you have to spend millions of pounds on marketing and this and that, you have this amazing thing now called fan power. The whole world is linked through a laptop. It's amazing. And it's free. I love it. It's absolutely brilliant.

My dad said to me, 'Work hard and be patient.' It was the best advice he ever gave me. You have to put the hours in.

I do see a big difference in the American work ethic compared to the British work ethic in a lot of artists.