Santan Dave

“I like soundtracks. I love Hans Zimmer, the score for 'The Dark Knight Rises' is one of my favourites. I also like 'Man of Steel,' 'Inception,' 'Interstellar,' 'Braveheart,' 'Transformers' - Steve Jablonsky with 'Arrival to Earth.' 'Schindler's List' too, that's beautiful.”

“It was a pleasure to work alongside Sir David Attenborough and Hans Zimmer.”

“A lot of people devote their lives to me and what I do. It means the most to be able to repay that faith.”

“I was drawing before I did music, but me, I'm a dilettante. I jump into everything until I find one thing that I enjoy more than others. Rap was something that was always there because my brother used to rap - piano and musical instruments is something I learnt on the way.”

“Where I'm from, if you can't see who and what is good for you and who is bad for you, you could end up with the wrong friends, in places where you don't need to be, with people that you didn't need to bring into your house, giving your trust to those who could turn on you.”

“When I'm performing, the crowd just disappears, it's like everyone merges - one big person. You just say the words and people will say the words back to you. And it's just so rehearsed. I have a lot of songs I couldn't forget the words if I tried. So you get in there, you lose yourself and it's all good.”

“When it gets to that time to tell your mum that you're not going to university, which has been her grand plan for you for the last 18 years, all of a sudden 700,000 YouTube views mean absolutely nothing.”

“I think it's crucial to go out and explain to people who you are and where you come from, your hardships - that's the kind of stuff I connect to.”

“Sometimes I sit down and I think 'Do I regret this? Do I regret that?' And I feel like everything makes this snowball effect, you know? If you regret something, it's good because it just means that it's something that's affected you enough for you to stop and think... There's a reason that everything happens.”

“Music and football are two industries where black people excel, because talent is undeniable. You can't deny an amazing voice. You can't deny amazing athletic prowess. Physically, it's evident. But in other industries, circumstance is more of a thing.”

“I'm not a grime act, I'm not a rapper, nor am I melody man. I just make music.”

“A very bland eleven-year-old, playing computer games. I went to a local primary school but I wasn't anything special or anything insanely interesting. I didn't have a crazy personality. I was somewhat book smart, but I wasn't hanging off the teacher, nor was I messing up in class. I wasn't doing much to disrupt anything. I was just there, existing.”

“Prison hosts a lot of normal people, a lot of family men who were caught in a tight situation or in a dark place.”

“I've always listened to different styles of music to make sure I'm balanced. I feel like if you only listen to your type of music you can never go outside of it.”

“I started my first year at college on May 10 2015, and dropped my first video, 'Black Box' on the same day, it's pretty weird. I'm studying Philosophy and Ethics, Law and Music. Ethics helps a lot with music. Philosophy gives you a great perspective on things; it makes you think deeper about what you're saying.”

“I've always had a different ear for music.”

“There was a sort of chain in school. I wasn't, like, mad at the top, but I wasn't right at the bottom, either.”

“I couldn't care less about criticism.”

“I really enjoy Lana Del Rey, and Pink Floyd are amazing.”

“I'm not really good in public spaces, I'm not really good with people, I'm not really good at a lot of things.”