“I vote Labour and can’t begin to acknowledge anything good that comes from a Tory.”

I am inspired by show girls and Vegas. I was a cabaret performer, so that’s where all that influence comes from.

I wasn’t really comfortable reading until I was 12.

When I do my shows, it’s really cross-generational. Sometimes there’s three generations there.

I just really want to make albums – and however I can, I will.

I’d say that, first and foremost, I’m a performer; I started performing when I was four years old, and being on stage from a young age set me up.

Curvy is something to be proud of.

It’s tragic that you can define a whole movement in music by gender alone. People are like, ‘Oh, look, another quirky girl.’

I really hate bureaucracy and the idea that I’m not a free person.

I think soul is soul. I don’t see new soul as any different to old soul.

I agree with cosmetic surgery for medical reasons – my mother had breast cancer and I think it’s very sad when somebody has no choice in what happens to their body.

I dread the idea of a paparazzi snapping me while I’m out running.

It’s celebrated in British culture to be eccentric.

Sometimes people fear the truth. They’d rather not speak to you than know what you really think.

I love going to the cinema. Whenever I get time off, that’s where I go.

There’s nothing wrong with a thick eyebrow; Frida Kahlo had them.

I’m under no illusion that there are things about me that I’d like to change. I just accept who I am, and I’m proud of it.

The man who has a conscience suffers whilst acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment.

Give yourself space to do absolutely nothing and just acknowledge your inner strength.

Don’t focus too much on your failure, but acknowledge the many experiences you have.

Being tolerant does not mean that I share another one’s belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another one’s right to believe, and obey, his own conscience.

Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.

I think being sexy and comfortable in your body is a wonderful thing, and I don’t mind being acknowledged for it or appreciated for it.

Above all, we should acknowledge that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the major geopolitical disaster of the century.

Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.