Ben Howard

“People may say I'm difficult but I'm not. I'm a bit shy but it's funny how I can sing in front of an audience and get up on a stage.”

“When you're playing guitar, it's the tiny little nuances that make the difference. For me, obviously, tunings is a huge one.”

“I never understood how one could write a whole book: It is so technically challenging, and it's incredible the way writers put entire worlds inside of them on such a large scale. I tend to have that same feeling when I listen to music - it daunts me and makes me feel quite unsettled listening to so much talent and ambition.”

“As a singer-songwriter I definitely think I push the mould a lot.”

“I love playing music - and live especially - and I love being on the road. It gets in your blood.”

“We are taught these days that being famous is more important than actually doing something.”

“I can be among the general public and next to me is a big picture of my face, but no one notices apart from my friends.”

“It's nice to be the centre of attention among many women.”

“I have a platinum-selling record but I can walk around fine.”

“It's great to be part of the whole Ibiza Rocks vibe. Ibiza's always had a big gap when it comes to bands with guitars so it's great to be included really.”

“I find it funny how at British festivals there are such inflated egos. It's rare that I even talk to anyone at a lot of them.”

“I listen to other people's stuff and, more and more, you realise how much is layered and how many different guitar parts there are.”

“A live show is a room full of sound and people and now you have technology where people can film it and take it away and all that is lost afterwards but they have a souvenir.”

“I've never been a fan of all the R&B and vocoder stuff you hear on the radio.”

“I enjoy the sea more than I enjoy surfing.”

“We've played all sorts of weird and wonderful places. You do all kinds of venues from heavy metal places in Germany to big ornate churches, and everything in between.”

“I've surfed on Lake Michigan.”

“To have a sort of career in music still kind of freaks me out every now and then.”

“I have problems with guitars, I hammer away at it sometimes and I also do little intimate picks, I'm always looking at new guitars and little extra tweaks and stuff, I like to mix it up a bit.”

“Mumford & Sons have really opened up everyone's ears to music with instruments again, acoustic-based music... it's reassuring for people like me who have been brought up on acoustic guitar.”