Quotes from Marina and the Diamonds

When you are in the studio, you don't have anybody to feed off of; meanwhile, when you are playing live, you interact with people and you feel the energy in the room. When the crowd is going crazy, that definitely impacts your vocal performance. I prefer to sing live.

I could draw up a list of about 30 artists who I apparently sound like. From Lady Gaga, to Katy Perry to Lana Del Rey. I don't know if it's because I'm versatile or because production affects how people judge music. I can't wait for a time I can just be classed as myself.

If you're making too many excuses for someone, agonising over them in a way which takes up all your waking thoughts and feel so nervous around them you could be sick, then they are probably the wrong person.

You have to be your biggest believer.

There's no one particular road that will lead you to success. I think everybody will find it differently.

Actually, I think that a lot of the interviews and acoustic sessions and other things that artists fill their time with are really pointless and suck the energy out of the artist.

I have quite a lot of plastic sunglasses. It's just a nice accessory, it adds a final thing, and it's my favorite way of figuring an outfit.

I've always been interested in how fast-moving our identity is and that I've never been able to pin down who I truly am. That inspires me to write, because I feel like that cements me a bit, in that I find my identity in being an artist.

I am absolutely not a roll-on-stage kind of girl! I would be totally freaked out if I didn't warm up, and I don't know how other singers do it.

Obviously when you're a teen you have no money, so you make, like, three outfits out of one dress. You're like, 'OK cut the arms here. Alright: New party, cut them to here.'

I'm masquerading as an innocent pop star.

I've read every Madonna biography. I've also looked up every pop star to see how they first made it. The biggest thing I learnt was that you have to be pro-active. You can't be scared.

I felt connected with Madonna from a very young age. I think I share a lot of qualities from her personality. I really respect her.

I was always very creative. I was always into acting and dancing when I was younger.

Fake it, fake your confidence until it's real. I think it's a good way to live most of your life.

I don't want to live in real life. It's too harsh, too brutal.

I don't really know how to live my life, just like lots of other people don't. I guess you just learn along the way.

You know what, if you compromise and do stuff that's not becoming to you as an artist, that's your fault.

I feel like everyone has the right to privacy, even if you're the most famous person in the world.

I'm a very, very disciplined person.

Britney Spears is a big influence. Huge. I think people thought I was joking about that for a long time. But when I was a teenager, there was a genuine connection with this sweet girl who also had this very sexual side that people didn't really want to accept.

I love pop music because you can really see what's currently happening in society.

You could say that my life's a mess. But, I'm still looking pretty in this dress.

I hate the whole 'record your album, do your promo campaign, have a year off to write another album' pattern. As an artist, you should keep creating as much as you possibly can.