Quotes from MNEK

I've always been interested in fashion.

This constant feeling of, 'I have to have everything figured out' is not going to get anyone anywhere.

I'm not really into beer, but I like tequila shots.

I'm from Nigerian descent, and the classic Nigerian mentality is 'Stay in school! You're going to be a doctor, you're going to be a lawyer.' That is what it is. Thankfully my parents knew my situation was different because I definitely didn't want to be a doctor, I definitely didn't want to be a lawyer.

I started making beats when I was nine in my bedroom and garage.

They saw that it was a passion of mine from really young... My parents did a good job. They wanted me to win. They let me do all these things. If some old guy came to the house asking, 'I want your kid to sign a contract,' they were so open to it. Yeah, I credit them loads.

I think 'Girlfriend' in particular is definitely one of the songs that is angled towards early 2000s, late '90s, R&B pop and those kinds of songs that were prevalent in that time. I don't think I was conscious of those songs in particular, but I'd say I definitely wanted a song that had that kind of vibe era wise in tone and all the writing.

So the Madonna thing, I wrote a song with Diplo, she liked it, tweaked it and then made it her own and it became 'Hold Tight.'

'Correct' is a song and an exercise for me where I've been able to reclaim who I am and the good that I've done when in real life sometimes I struggle with that.

Schoolwork was always suffering! I hated school!

I've been in situations where someone has told me that my video made them uncomfortable. This was a straight man, and I really don't want to have to worry about making him uncomfortable. I should really be worrying about my own comfort and me putting out the best art that I can.

When I first came out, I was wearing full-on traditional Nigerian wear. I got told by a lot of people that I should just tone it down. I only stopped when I realized there's only so many prints you can wear.

'Tongue' is literally just one piece of the puzzle. This album is something I've worked on over the course of my entire career and something I've been discovering myself in it.

I think that there's not always been queer person of color representation in pop and so I'm making the most of it because that is who I am.

When I'm doing a session for another artist, it's a very scheduled thing, and it's kind of imperative that I write a song in that time. But if I'm trying to write a song for myself and I don't have an idea that day, I just can't force it.

If I'm writing a song for Karen Harding, I know I can't impose what I want to say onto her. I literally have to get into her headspace and think, 'what does she want to say?' When it comes to my stuff, it's the same. What can I write that's true to me?

I'm touching people, helping people, and I'm making music I love. I like to think a lot of other black queer artists feel that way too.

I signed my first publishing deal when I was 14, and it was from two records I put on MySpace.

Music is so transient. You've just got to move with it.

The thing about Auto-Tune is it can't fix everyone. It only fixes pitch. Everything else - the emotion and the attack and the energy? That's what a singer is.

For me, I've written and produced for pop singers, but, like, female pop - I love that. I think it's putting me in the game that I love girl pop. All my writing is inspired by it.

One of my best friends is quite into rap, and I'm always being introduced to music by him.

The way Beyonce works, the song is a jigsaw piece and then she will piece various elements.

I myself identify as British-Nigerian, and I'm also gay, and I'm also a young adult in London making music. All of things can co-exist as one.