“The very first song I wrote was about a boy that I was obsessed with.”

Not much shocked me. You know, I worked in a home for Alzheimer’s patients and my dad used to be really into murders and stuff, so I saw dead bodies. It desensitised me to a lot of things.

When you reach a point of no return with someone and you feel there’s going to be no reconciliation, you have to disconnect. I can’t allow myself to be emotionally connected with people like that again, it’s too damaging.

I still don’t know if I can write songs. I don’t think anyone ever knows if they can write songs.

I feel like my songs are very relevant and very meaningful, but I literally have to get rid of the nostalgia for shows because I would just be mess on-stage otherwise.

I tend to write things and review it afterwards and realise what comes out. I very rarely ever write something and have to take it back.

I love pink – pink’s my favourite. I hardly ever – weirdly – wear it, but I love the colour pink.

I think I’d like to be best friends with Björk, because I’d like to pick her brain a lot all the time and just have weird times together.

I take inspiration from everything around me, also relationships and friends. And the inside of my crazy head.

I feel quite proud to be an ambassador for women who realize that being fit is better than being skinny.

I like the idea about somewhere there being a world… somewhere there’s a world that I don’t know about. But also, that somewhere, there was once something that disappeared.

My fans are so funny, they make me laugh so much. I’ve got some really, really, funny, clever fans.

My mum was too busy raising four of us to encourage my hopes. But I’m glad I had the upbringing I did. It made me a worrier and a thoughtful, curious person.

The only really safe thing to do is to write a diary of where you’ve been, what time you went to bed, what you ate. If I wrote honestly about everything I think it’d be a disaster. It would cause a lot of trouble.

I could always sing, from a really young age, but my voice was really weird. I used to make my mum turn up the radio every day in our house. She was well into music so I got that from her.

I feel like my figure is a challenge because I’m quite flat chested but I’ve got a booty so I’ve got to look for the right things.

I guess I’m just quite observant and I pay attention to a lot of things. Human behavior really fascinates me.

In terms of love, you’re not in control and I hate that feeling. I seem to write a lot of sad songs because I’m a very tragic person. But there’s always an element of humor at the end.

A heart that’s broke is a heart that’s been loved.

Love, in the sense of spontaneous, unreflective action, spells the death of the old man.

A love that left people alone in their guilt would not have real people as its object. So, in vicarious responsibility for people, and in His love for real human beings, Jesus becomes the one burdened by guilt.

Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.

Every artist is an unhappy lover. And unhappy lovers want to tell their story.

The will of God, to which the law gives expression, is that men should defeat their enemies by loving them.

Love will enter cloaked in friendship’s name.