One of my first songs I ever got a decent cut on was with a songwriter out of Xenomania, called 'All Fired Up' for the Saturdays.
I had so much fun working with the queens on 'Drag Race U.K!'
There's always so much stuff to do. I work best when my diary just says 'MNEK, MNEK, MNEK.'
I use Auto-Tune but it's not to mask anything. If you come to see me live, I can sing on the spot. Auto-tune is just for the recording. It keeps everything really precise.
I'm very conscious that a music video is beyond just a promotional tool for a song. It takes a song to the next level and it gives a song a new life.
I'm from Nigerian descent, and the classic Nigerian mentality is 'Stay in school! You're going to be a doctor, you're going to be a lawyer.' That is what it is. Thankfully my parents knew my situation was different because I definitely didn't want to be a doctor, I definitely didn't want to be a lawyer.
I'm touching people, helping people, and I'm making music I love. I like to think a lot of other black queer artists feel that way too.
I almost get quite scared talking about it. It's happened, obviously. I did meet Madonna and I did work with her.
So the Madonna thing, I wrote a song with Diplo, she liked it, tweaked it and then made it her own and it became 'Hold Tight.'
That's the thing about creating. When you create, you create your own thing, whatever that is. It's always going to seep through in whatever you do.
I don't think there's been many chances for people to see a black, gay, pop experience and that's what I want to have with my shows moving forward.
That's the cool thing that music can do: make you feel this or that way. That's all I've ever wanted to achieve - I'm a music guy, you know? That's my occupation.
Having the opportunity to work with someone like Beyonce is definitely going to hopefully open a few doors.
I want more people to know who I am and I want to have the chance to tease my music a bit more.
I've waited for the day my debut album is released my entire life, so naturally I've designed it to be listened to from start to finish - so every song flows into each other in a way that tells a sonic story.
There are so many amazing out, gay, black artists who are really great in their own fields, but they aren't necessarily trying to make pop music. I guess my thing is different because I am trying to be part of that world. But doing it my way.
I love Usher's 'Confessions.'
I hated my early videos. I really did. I hated 'The Rhythm.' Hated it. It's not my vibe to have lot of white people jumping on trampolines.
In reality, my parents knew that I was a vegetable outside of music. They have fears, they know how tough and competitive it is, but they're happy that there are a lot of people backing me.
I mean, London has shaped me as a person. My parents are Nigerian so I've had the luxury of blending different cultures together just through my everyday life.
