I had the urge to face my own limitation, and I needed to be bigger. I needed to be more professional and be in a more competitive environment because I wanted to grow as an artist. That's why I went to Europe.

It's interesting to be at once an insider and outsider. It's a way of learning how to find your way freely without the need of conforming or belonging.

For me, a taxi is like a public space because so many people get in that space.

The Arab world is mediatised in a way that gives too much space to these people - puritans, extremists, whatever you want to call them. There are a lot more people like me in the Middle East than you might think.

I think a lot of people are making music that shares their life experiences, and that's what I choose to do, too, but in my life experience, I also choose to try to find the hope in the music, and I think a lot of it has to do with my Christian faith.

I have a huge admiration for the ability of people to go, 'I don't care if it can't happen. I don't care if you say it's impossible. I am gonna do it anyway.' I think it's an amazing part of human nature. It feeds into faith and belief in human beings to not only do the improbable but almost the impossible.

When you really see how much God loves you, there's no greater love than that, and I had to match that amount of love He had for me, which is the reason why I decided to take a vow of celibacy.

I'm not jealous of anybody, because I'm going to live my life the way I want to live it. I'm not going to be like, 'Oh my God they have this, I want that.'