I'm very proud of my roots, and I would never try not to be who I am.
Rebecca Ferguson
I do think that when you get older, you kind of learn not to judge because you realise that no one's perfect, and we're all fighting our own private demons.
I think this industry can be tough on everyone. You have to surround yourself with supportive people and know when to put your foot down and do what's best for you and your family. The first few years in the music industry can be a steep learning curve, and I've definitely developed a thicker skin!
I'm able to provide for my family and the people that I love with things that I never used to be able to. I'm getting to make music and work with amazing people. I just feel really lucky.
Some people won't like me; that's just human nature. I battled with that for years, trying to please people, but now I haven't got time to win people over! I've got nappies to change!
I like listening to old soul music. I like Sam Cooke. When I was growing up, the first things I was listening to was Whitney Houston and Cher. They were really big inspirations for me.
There's this culture where we celebrate people snapping back into shape a week after the birth, but I don't want to be one of those people - I just want to enjoy Arabella.
The first time I had money, I was extravagant, but then you realise it's not just about that. If I lost it all tomorrow, it wouldn't be me that's hurt, it would be my babies. It would be more about people's opinion of me that would concern me.
I don't tend to lie. If I do, it's a little one. Like, 'I'm only around the corner...' when really I'm 10 minutes away.
What I hated then - and hate now - is the way that people say to girls like me who get pregnant young that it ruins your life. Having a child doesn't ruin your life - having a child is a blessing.
I'd gone from being a mum to all of a sudden having people fussing and overly pampering me. It can easily change you.
I love hats and winter is the perfect time for them. I love winter time fashion.
I've been hugely inspired by the songwriting of Lauryn Hill and Tracy Chapman - on their albums, they really tell it like it is.
I was really good at manicures, facials and make-up.
When you're recording classic songs, you've got to kind of make them your own, and you can't always worry about what people are going to think.
I like Sam Bailey - she's got a huge voice.
I think, even in society, people get so caught up in how they look. I think I let that go, and I've learnt to not care.
I like Marilyn Monroe; she was super glam, weren't she?
I've got a running machine which I try and use, but it's just finding the time. Don't get me wrong, I love cake and ice cream; I'm the kind of girl that, if I want something, I'll have it.
I think there's definitely a dance album or at least single in me somewhere. I would want to work with a really cool Ibiza DJ, though.
I'm a better writer than I am a singer, and I express myself easily through writing.
It wasn't until my late teens that I really got into soul music and then I was like 'Ooh, this is good!' You'd always here it at old family parties, like, Gladys Knight and I'd always love it but I didn't really get to know it and respect it until I was a bit older.
My first album is a lot of my personal experiences. I wanted people to relate to what I've been through.
I was naive in that I thought I could just sing and perform and do what I had always wanted to do all my life. But I wasn't ready for all the added dramas that came along. There were times I fell out of love with music and thought about walking away. I thought I was happier when I was that girl at home in my bedroom singing into my hairbrush.
If you are going to survive in business, show business or any business, then you have to be bold.
I don't really read books. Wish I did.
I can't watch my first audition because it makes me too upset. I just think it is really sad. I look at myself and don't recognize myself. I do think fame and fortune changes people.
I think jazz has given me freedom with my voice.
I absolutely love Nicole Scherzinger. She's worked really hard to get to where she is and really knows her stuff.
I've just grown as a person, accepting my flaws as well. Before I was very insecure and I used to just hide, and now I just accept that I'm an imperfect human.
If you haven't got love, you've got nothing.
I'm one of these people who tries to look for the good in people, but I've learnt that, actually, no, some people fundamentally just are not nice.
I'd definitely like more kids when I'm older. And I think I'm like every woman in that I'd like to get married one day.
I'm not afraid of a rant, am I? I've got to that point where I've just become a woman; I think I've just grown.
Sometimes I won't put a lot of make up on; I won't put foundation on. I'll just pop a bit of blusher on. I'm not obsessed with trying to look like a Victoria's Secret model - it's real life.
I love L.A. I'd move there tomorrow if I could.
I remember sitting on a bench in New York and sobbing and realising that my ambition to be a singer was making me selfish - I was a mother with two children, and I needed a backup plan.
My family are too grounded, and I will go home to visit. I always need my dose of Liverpool to keep me grounded.
I knew I could sing. That one thing I did believe in was that I could sing, but then constantly getting rejected, it started to get me down. But my voice was always there and my dream and my ambition was always there when I went through bad times.
A lot of negative stuff has happened to me - that's why I'm tough - but I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, poor Becky,' because I'm not a victim.
I am lucky in that I love what I do, but it can still be hard to be away from the kids for long lengths of time. At the end of the day, all I want is to be with my kids, but it's worth it to create a future for my family.
I've always been interested in beauty. I studied it when I was 16 and 17, and I know it's a good idea to invest in something alongside my music.
I love getting dressed up.
I think being a mum gives you extra qualities. I'm more feisty, fiercely protective and less selfish. The main trait I want to instill in my kids is kindness. I think it's the most important thing. If you're kind, you'll go a long way.
If you are not happy with the song, don't sing it. Simple as that - no-one forces you to do it.
My advice is, if you are going to go on 'X Factor,' you have to know who you are as an artist.
The aim for me is to have a long career. I've got a couple of kids, and so I can't really be a fashion because I have to sustain a life for my children.
I took lessons since I was little; I used to pay for my own singing lessons and take myself. Just take the bus when I was a kid and go. But I'd been writing music for years, since the smallest age.
Growing up, we didn't have anything. My mum wasn't well, so I was in three care homes then foster homes before me and my little brother went back to her. I was passed from pillar to post.
You have to be really strong in the music industry, and I'm naturally very timid. That was really hard for me. You have to be tough. You have to make decisions and be a businesswoman.
