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My mom was very religious. She might have let me buy records, but I assumed that she wouldn't.

For four years, my mum allowed only church music in the house.

I've always loved music and held it as a sacred thing that I can't touch, as I don't really want to deconstruct it or be a musician.

I sang a song at my sister's wedding. My mother forced me into that, too. But that one felt all right.

My mother features quite heavily in a lot of my songs.

Usually, whenever my mom would come over I would try and put on music that I thought she would like just to make her feel more at ease.

My mum loved Joan Armatrading and used to play her records all the time and even took me to see her a couple of times when I was really quite young. I didn't really like her music back then because my mum was always playing it, but I've grown to appreciate it more.

My mother had no idea that her daughter would turn out to be a writer, but she would not let me go through a day of my childhood without music.

When I was eight, my mum found me humming to myself and scribbling on a scrap of paper. When she asked me what I was doing, I got shy. I was writing a Christmas song, and I had never shared my music with anyone before. Reluctantly, I sang it for her... and she loved it. Of course she did - she's my mum.