I think for us up-and-coming artists, once you're out there, once you've put stuff up, once people know who you are, once you discover who you are, we're all in the same boat: it's down to whether people appreciate the music or not.

People are always looking for something new and something to latch on to and to back something from an early stage.

My background was always more soulful pop. I was named after Ella Fitzgerald, and when I was a kid, I was listening to Lauryn Hill, Etta James, Joss Stone. For me, it was always about the voice.

It's so nice to be inspired by so many females - particularly the girls around me like Jess Glynne, Becky Hill, Sinead Harnett, Foxes - we all have similarities, but we're all very different, and I think it's nice that people are respecting that and noticing and enjoying us all equally.

Community colleges play an important role in helping people transition between careers by providing the retooling they need to take on a new career.

I was critical of race-based affirmative action early on in my career and I've changed my mind. And I've publicly acknowledged that I was wrong.

There's a danger of some of the best people saying, 'I don't want a career in science.'

Most of my career was negative.