I have eight siblings, and we formed a group called Mac 9. I was Mac 7.
Everyone in my family has been in music - my cousins, my grandmother, my grandfather - so it's quite a big family tree.
You can make what you want. People care about what the artist has to say, what the sound is, and how it affects them.
You can't go up to girls and start talking about minor 7ths and expect to pull. It's not going to work.
I remember my brother came home with a bass and played a blues solo on it. I just went insane for days afterwards learning that.
You get so close to your own music that you can't see the beauty in it. I had to learn to let go. It's good to be less precious.
I actually tried to learn the dictionary at one point. It didn't work; I only got through the first few pages.
Branding your song is the worst thing you can ever do. That's turning your song into a product.
English urban artists were very used to making secondhand American music, and I thought that was boring.
My mother brought up nine children, in Hackney, and none of us are criminals, none of us in jail. Her strength made me who I am today.
I'm a musical geek. It's like there's this big, wild universe in my head, and I love to express it.
The first tour an artist does is a strange one... Because you can never tell how the audience is going to react.
I'm a perfectionist, and to actually finish something is good for me.
I think, as an artist, I wear a lot of different hats, and people have to join all of the dots.
Different cultures produce a different 'cool.' And your perception of 'cool' changes depending on where you are.
I'm all for trying anything once; otherwise, you end up like David Guetta - reproducing the same formula over and over.
I'm not just looking to be famous and attach myself to famous names. I want to make history in the business in terms of creativity.
I've got perfectionist issues, as I can't seem to let tracks out the studio - it drives my manager nuts.
My ethos is musical freedom to create whatever I want.
Of course, success takes you where your character can't sustain you.
Urban is not actually my world. It was me trying something out, basically. I come from a gospel background.
You've got to live and die by your decisions.
