Quotes

I was mad about ABBA. I just loved their songs and I loved Agnetha [Fältskog] in particular, but I loved all four of them.

Both my parents were musicians and they both played in various bands together. My dad was the band leader so he wrote all the music for the rest of the musicians to play and my mum was a singer.

It just dawned on me this morning that there are actually people who write songs lyrically coming from a business angle, trying to sum up what people want to buy music for. That's something I've never done.

I am very opinionated and I do have a lot of ideas musically. I like to be in situations and in relationships with people who are open to my ideas musically, as well as on the lyrics and melody side.

Now that I look back on it, I knew that as soon as I had made that transition to songwriting that I was going to feel a lot more restricted. I think that is why I initially rebelled against [writing songs for other people].

I think you really need to be into dance music in order to be able to do it well. I don't think you can fake it, because it's so much about feeling. I love dancing - I've always loved dancing - and I think it's important that you try to make music that you want to dance to.

I remember having a battle with someone once - and I won't mention any names - who said to me, "But your lyrics aren't good enough." I was really angry! And then I got the last laugh, because that song went on to be a number one in the UK.

When you're writing, I think it's very projective to try and think about which artist you're targeting. One of the greatest challenges as a writer is to simply write honestly and from your heart.

I'm still concentrating on songwriting, it's where my head and heart are happy, but I do like the idea of getting on-stage again, and I do miss performing.

My parents were both musicians, and I grew up with my ears saturated by music from the age of about four. So I always felt very comfortable with music, and I think I kind of understood it fairly well by the time I was in my mid-teens. And then I started to try and write - I actually got my publishing deal before I got my deal as an artist.