Quotes from Charli XCX

I feel like when people meet me, I'm very much not what they expected I would be. I'm not a diva, and I'm not mean to people or have weird rules.

If there's intelligence behind an opinion, then I'm all for expressing it, but I would never just start a fight with someone for the sake of it - that's just not me.

I spent a lot of my teenage years experimenting with who I was as a person and not really getting it right. And then, I think, I realized that I just had to chill out in life.

I was 15 when I started making music properly.

Most of my favorite artists are strong females.

If you're in control of everything, then no matter what it is, you can make that feminine.

I'm going to build an empire. I'm always writing for someone else. I want to be someone who has her fingerprints all over the pop charts.

I like working really fast. The best ideas are the first ones that come into your head - so why bother thinking of any more?

I've always played it my way. I failed media training, for example.

I wrote a song for Icona Pop which boosted my confidence quite a lot.

I really want to work with Chris Martin. I think he's a genius.

I don't feel embarrassed by any of the music that I like. I think it's all genuinely clever, good music.

I know when I've written a good song when I can imagine the video. If I can't imagine the video straight away, I'm not gonna put it on my album.

I think big brows are pretty cool.

When I was younger, I was addicted to the idea of becoming a rapper.

I had this dream to be a rapper when I was younger.

My real friends are definitely the people I grew up with - the people who don't care about my music career at all.

Just because I might be bored doesn't mean I have to look boring. I'd rather look fabulous, like I'm having a great time.

I believe I deserve everything that could maybe happen. And I don't think that's a cocky thing to say because I've worked really hard, and I've never bitten the hand that fed me, and I've always been really respectful.

I've never conformed to what my record label has said and, yes, that has meant that it's been a long journey for me.

I want to have a publishing company and a record label, and I want to manage five artists... eventually.

I get on with people. I don't hang out with people who aren't nice. It's like, be real or go home.

To be honest, for me, my main workout is when I'm on stage. Even though I make pop music, I don't think I perform in the classic 'pop star' sort of way. I'm very active on stage; I always end up dripping in sweat afterwards. It's always like a full-on, wild performance, so that's pretty much like my exercise, I would say.

I love that '...Baby One More Time' video, to be honest; it's amazing.