Estelle

When I was growing up, hip-hop was still a pretty specialised thing.

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'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.

When my career slowed, I knew deep down it wasn't over.

Law became boring, but like every job I've done, it helped prepare me for a career in music.

Why should you stay in one place and one country if they're not offering you a job? It doesn't make sense!

I want a TV series, I'm gonna do some acting jobs, I'm gonna do some Broadway jobs, everything!

I learned that working out gives me a space to get clear. It's not just about the body. It gives me space to process things and get clear in my mind about decisions and things I want to do.

If you think about where I'm from, I'm not supposed to be singing in the first place. I'm not supposed to be alive right now.

If there is enough space on radio for Busted and McFly, who are basically the same band, or for 50,000 versions of Stereophonics and Coldplay, there must be enough room for all of us.

This fame is a juggernaut: It slaps you in the face, and you don't know what you're doing. You don't know who has your back, who is your support system.

Basically, if you go looking for trouble, it'll come find you.