Basically, if you go looking for trouble, it'll come find you.
Estelle
Walking round the Champs-Elysees late at night is the greatest time.
I always say, 'There's a difference between cooked food and McDonald's.' Your mom's homemade dinner - you enjoy this more than you enjoy the fast food that comes along and goes, and I strive to make homemade dinner every time I put out an album.
'Something Good' is a feel-good song. A reminder that you're dope and have something wonderful to offer life and yourself and the world.
I've always been a fan of Nigerian artist D'banj. He's now signed to Kanye West's Good Music label.
The people who have the strongest opinion about everything have never left their city, their town, haven't left their 'hood, haven't left their area, their corner of the world. They don't read. They've never left their house.
My style is Edie Sedgwick meets Grace Jones, or Audrey Hepburn meets Salt 'n' Pepa. Strong and feisty but still classic.
I always have to get my U.K. fix, and 'Downton Abbey' is definitely that. I absolutely love period dramas, but this one is particularly appealing - following the ins and outs of aristocracy as well as the interaction between the rich and the poor.
My mom, for all intents and purposes, was a single parent.
Lesson one, introduce yourself to everyone when you walk into a room. Don't act like you're too bougie to say, 'Hello.'
You can't please everybody. I give up. I'm not trying to. I don't care. Leave me alone with that.
I'm not slimming down for anyone and losing my figure.
I can sit in my room and write a song that I think might be a hit. I can sort of make myself do that, and then I'll play it to a friend, and they'll say, 'Oh, that's nice.' But when something happens to me, and I sit down and write a song to get rid of my emotions, they'll turn around and say, 'Wow, that's great.'
The people at my label are always endorsing what I say. They say, 'You see the truth, so speak it.' They believe in me. They respect my opinion. At least I have an opinion, and I'm not trying to play it safe. I don't go around saying, 'I think everyone is great, and the world is fantastic.' Everyone has opinions. They just don't say it.
I never do a show where the people just sit there and look at me. They always sing along. It's going to be a fun time.
I got to the point where I was fed up with so many people telling me how and who I was supposed to be.
I grew up in a house full of music. Everything from reggae and afro-beat to Zook and pop.
I've always dug Audrey Hepburn. I think she's one of the classic beauties.
I just have a way about me where people know that they don't tell me what to do, they kind of just wait for me to do it.
I am a black British female artist, so I must be like Ms Dynamite, I must be like Shystie, I must be like Jamelia, but we're all different.
I got into hip hop from my uncle; he was always playing us Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane. He was a bad boy, and my mum was not really happy that I was hanging out with him.
Adele ain't soul.
I would say my greatest musical influences have been Ella Fitzgerald and Mary J. Blige.
My favorite film involving scarves was little Edie in 'Grey Gardens.' I often wear scarves like that, under hats.
I hate that if you do one style of music or become really well known for that one song, that everything that comes after has to fit that mold.
My mum is West African, from Senegal; my dad is from Grenada. There was a huge controversy about them getting together.
I'm just excited that I get to put out the music I love versus music just for the sake of it.
Kanye West is my older brother, an inspiring guy and someone who keeps pushing my level up further and further.
When I was growing up, hip-hop was still a pretty specialised thing.
The Americans love me because I'm so completely unwilling to change my whole Britishness.
I like to write about the things I care about. It's no fun to sing about things you don't like.
I think the one group I am trying to appeal to is the world. That would be big enough.
I'm so sick of hearing that U.K. hip hop doesn't get credit and success when I'm working to get it - for me and for others, too.
I'm so, so full of joy that America elected Obama. He didn't win because he was black - people voted for him because he had a plan and because he talked sense and because you believed him.
When I need things to happen, I need them to happen now, you know. I don't want to be having a meeting about a meeting about a meeting, which is what can happen in Britain.
I can get a call at 2 A.M., and the person on the other end is like: 'Sorry, did I wake you?' and I'm like: 'No, I'm wide awake.'
BMG has been an awesome partner throughout my career, and with New London, we plan to continue bridging the gap between soul, pop, London, and New York - uniting them through music.
No one goes straight to happiness after a breakup.
I believe in illusion - I don't believe in magic.
With my music, I don't have to stay in one lane. One day I'm in Motown, and the next day I'm in reggae.
I started writing an album on flights to Africa and Brazil, but it was crazy because I left the notebook on the plane. It had seven or eight songs in it. After that, I'm not writing any more songs on notebooks - and I keep my Blackberry close!
Nobody's going to tell me to rap in an American accent.
I want a TV series, I'm gonna do some acting jobs, I'm gonna do some Broadway jobs, everything!
The Grammy snuck up on me. I was on tour. It just hit me. I skipped down the street in Vienna. I kept saying, 'I won. I won.'
John Legend is a cool guy. He likes to chill, is easy to talk to and hang out with. He's also inspiring on a musical level.
I'm the female Jay-Z. I never compared myself to other women artists. I compared myself with the best, and the best is Jay-Z.
Collaboration is the way to go. It's very timely and fun to do.
I couldn't just hand in any old rubbish - I can't go on tour and sing something for three years if I don't believe in it.
My songs are always about overcoming things, whether it's breaking up with a guy or just trying to be happy. They're always about being better.
If you cannot smile when you listen to music, then do not listen to it!
