Quotes from MNEK

I had so much fun working with the queens on 'Drag Race U.K!'

I don't feel pressure, I think there's fun to have. And I want to show that being gay and of color doesn't have to be a sob story all the time. It can actually be really jokes and empowering.

I think anyone can actually sing. It's the mindset. Singing is imitation.

One of my first songs I ever got a decent cut on was with a songwriter out of Xenomania, called 'All Fired Up' for the Saturdays.

I really love being an artist, but I make my money from songwriting.

I don't think there's been many chances for people to see a black, gay, pop experience and that's what I want to have with my shows moving forward.

I am empowered by my friends in the music industry who are other fellow black men because I see them as my brothers; we have similar experiences and relate to each other.

I think there's so many amazing LGBTQ artists, ranging from commercial to underground, that are influencing people at large.

I use Auto-Tune but it's not to mask anything. If you come to see me live, I can sing on the spot. Auto-tune is just for the recording. It keeps everything really precise.

I mean, London has shaped me as a person. My parents are Nigerian so I've had the luxury of blending different cultures together just through my everyday life.

If you go to America, so many club nights finish at 1 A. M. and it's so lame.

I think the stereotypes many black men are put under, even in the entertainment world, can sometimes have a dark or negative undertone.

In reality, my parents knew that I was a vegetable outside of music. They have fears, they know how tough and competitive it is, but they're happy that there are a lot of people backing me.

The industry has always been accepting of gay artists, but a particular thing for me is to see gay artists of color.

I'm very conscious that a music video is beyond just a promotional tool for a song. It takes a song to the next level and it gives a song a new life.

Some of white middle America haven't seen a black gay guy in a music video before.

There's an underlying sense with 'Tongue' that... it's really... it's real. I mean that in the sense that now I'm not afraid to touch on relationships and on my sexuality in my videos.

I hated my early videos. I really did. I hated 'The Rhythm.' Hated it. It's not my vibe to have lot of white people jumping on trampolines.

When it comes to me and alcohol, I have special drinks everywhere.

We have a lot of black British men who are killing it: John Boyega, Stormzy, Anthony Joshua, Tinie Tempah, and Idris Elba, of course. I see them as people I really admire and that's empowering for me because it means I am not alone in this.

I almost get quite scared talking about it. It's happened, obviously. I did meet Madonna and I did work with her.

I'm a massive Mariah Carey fan.