My philosophy has always been to do the job I do to the very best of my ability and to be myself within it.

It's a very big world with some very big characters. And, boy, do you have to be able to stand up for yourself when you walk into a working men's club and negotiate a loan.

I really love being finance director.

The experience of seeing your entire team made redundant is eye-opening.

I have not cared for money, and I enjoy working. Money comes my way. People work hard so they get enough money. Or they work hard so they don't have to work hard later in life. But though I don't need money, I still work hard because I like what I am doing.

What you don't do is contacting someone you haven't reached out for 10 years and asking for money.

Artists should be able to thrive and allow their ideas to flourish as much as those in biotechnology or finance.

I actually did my first tour at the age of 10 with my dad, and it was as a country singer. We toured through Alaska, and he took me to sing at places like county fairs, hoedowns, backyard barbecues, you name it. We were usually passing around the hat for gas money to get to the next gig.