What I would argue in my defence is that shows like Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor have actually got people more interested in music again and are sending more people into record stores.
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.
I don’t mind competition at all. I mean, the record business is the most competitive business in the world, probably. So I’m used to that. In a weird way, it kind of makes you work harder.
Anything I shouldn’t laugh at makes me laugh. I mean, I’m bad at that, when somebody is singing something terribly and I’m thinking to myself, ‘If I laugh now, this is the absolute worst thing I could ever do,’ and then I start laughing and I can’t stop.
