Declan McKenna

“I think people definitely shouldn't be ignorant in regards to where they're playing. And there's an argument for not taking it out on citizens or music fans in a country. But at the same time, if a production or a show is supporting a dangerous and corrupt government, then I don't know, it's hard to find an argument to want to do that.”

“That's been a pretty interesting thing, visiting schools and performing and doing songwriting talks and stuff.”

“From my own perspective I think I'm always getting better, which is what you'd hope.”

“I wouldn't have voted in favour of Brexit if I was able to vote.”

“I just want to pay off my family's mortgage.”

“I have a tiny bit of pride in myself for the fact that I do stick up for things I believe in, but social media is so good at making you feel like you're not doing enough.”

“I rarely finish songs on the road but a lot of them get started there.”

“I have a lot of friends who don't identify as a boy or a girl. I myself don't identify as either straight or gay.”

“I would love to write with St. Vincent or Tame Impala or EMO, Sufjan Stevens.”

“I mean, you have to try and make the best music you can, and you're not going to do that by emulating something you don't believe is the best.”

“I think one of the coolest things that you can do with music is when it sounds a certain way and can be kind of misleading in terms of the lyrical content, like what David Bowie did with 'Oh You Pretty Things' or The Beatles on 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' That the song kind of has this double meaning of conflicting emotions.”

“I like the generation that I'm part of.”

“Sonny' is a very sad song that I wrote. It's just me playing this beautiful guitar with flat wound strings and I was sat on a sofa chair.”

“Just having a record out there and seeing the positive feedback and just being able to move on and work on something else is a really nice point to be at.”

“So many things are translated through music - that's the beauty of it. If everyone's experiencing something, someone's going to put it into music and at some point, it will feel right.”

“I just like a good pair of dungarees. It's comfortable, it's versatile, it looks good with anything. I'm a fan.”

“I am of the opinion that you can do anything. If I say I can do it, then people can believe that I can do it.”

“I was very independent through my teenage years, probably too independent I just got on with making music and getting it out on the Internet in any way I knew how. One thing led to another. Getting a career in music so young was always the dream, but it was also an accident.”

“It would be unfair for me to be like, 'Yeah, I'm the voice of a generation.' I don't want that responsibility.”

“The idea of young people being seen but not heard and trying not to say anything too offensive isn't such a thing any more.”