Jamie Lawson

“R.E.M.'s 'Automatic for the People' - that's probably one of my favourite records - Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' - that's some record - Crowded House's 'Together Alone' - that's brilliant, fantastic record.”

“I'm not striving for fame, that's for sure. I don't particularly like the idea of celebrity. I would like to be successful with my music, so I realise that there's a balance to be made there.”

“I've gone periods of maybe four months without writing anything, but it's not a problem. It just means something's building inside you, and it'll build and it'll build, and at some point it'll come out, and it does, and it usually comes out in three or four songs, and you play it that way, really.”

“I worked in a record store, but I realised I didn't want that. I still wanted to pursue a career - or a life - that my songs provided for me.”

“I have no nerves at all about singing or playing stuff... and if I can have a cup of tea nearby, then I'm very much at home.”

“There's a band in the U.K. called Elbow. They're not that big in the U.S., but I think they're genius.”

“Skype is a wonderful invention. It might be my favorite thing because I get to see my family and the ones that you love.”

“I was in a band at school, and almost from the day we started, I started writing songs, just because that seemed what you did.”

“The thing with One Direction songs is that you can probably break them all down to an acoustic guitar and vocal.”

“If you can have Ed Sheeran on your record, you may as well.”

“There's no real music on television unless it's music television, and then it's expensive videos, which people like me can't do.”

“I think in every industry you need to have a lot of talent; you need to have a lot of drive, but you need a little bit of luck.”

“I asked for a guitar when I was 8 years old for Christmas. I have no idea why. I never had any guitar heroes. I still don't. But there must have been something in me because I've been playing for 30 years.”

“Because of 'Wasn't Expecting That,' I've had a lot of people come up to me and say how I've written their lives or their grandparents' lives. It means the world to me that I helped in the tiniest way.”

“I love skinny-dipping. Night swimming as well; that's my favorite.”