Shura

“I was obsessed with 'The Lion King' as a kid, and I really wanted to go work in an animal sanctuary and have my Lara Croft moment.”

“It's just as important - if not more important - to take the praise with a pinch of salt, just as you do the criticism.”

“If you told teenage me that I would end up supporting Tegan and Sara for a month in North America, my head would have probably exploded.”

“I made the decision that I could either go outside in the freezing cold in the wind and rain and get muddy or just stay inside and be a rock star.”

“I'm a lesbian. That's how I identify myself, but I think there's a massive spectrum for everyone.”

“I want to explore my boundaries. I want to push myself and go right to the edge of what I am capable of. I don't want to ever be comfortable.”

“I didn't fit in on my football team; I was always the odd one out.”

“I'd love to sing with so many people, but my biggest dream would be to sing on a record with The National.”

“I love camping, everything about it - tents, the camping stove, sleeping bags. I'm obsessed with technology, be it synthesizers and speakers or tents and Gore-Tex.”

“Is the mainstream becoming more queer? Or is it the opposite? That artists like me are mainstreaming queer music?”

“On one level, I am a massive joker and can't take anything seriously, but on the other hand, I'm incredibly serious and a deep thinker, so I have that dichotomy within me.”

“I've tried writing darker, more serious songs, but they don't go anywhere. Everything revolves around the chorus for me.”

“I suffer from imposter syndrome all the time. Even if I'm just at a party, I'm thinking people are going to find out that I'm really boring.”

“It was never like I had to go, 'I am gay.' Slowly, almost by osmosis, by the way I was behaving, it became obvious and accepted.”

“I'm massively inspired by Janet Jackson, and I adore Whitney Houston and Madonna.”

“If I fancy someone but can't tell them because I'm shy, I'll think, 'It's fine. You're not going to die. Maybe just tell them or whatever.'”

“'What's It Gonna Be?' is about having a massive crush on someone, so it made sense to go back where - to school, where it all began. But it was important for us to explore those archetypal characters - The Jock, The Nerd, The Dork, The Popular Kid - and then flip expectations.”

“I know I don't suck at being me. I'm really good at being me.”

“Pop should be weird, and I realize as I say this that I'm not the weirdest person in the world. But if that means a girl sounding like Kylie Minogue and looking like Kurt Cobain, then so be it.”

“I couldn't be a Taylor Swift. I would really suck at being Taylor Swift.”