I know there are lots of regional accents in England, but I can't tell them apart and I'm not really aware of class. I don't pay any attention to those boundaries. I'm a California girl.

I sang with a voice that was natural, and I liked the way I produced that sound. I thought of my other friends, that they were singing and dancing, but they didn't have this. I was special.

I think of myself as an Olympian. I have had a dream since I was a very small child. And because I have parents without whom I couldn't have realised that dream.

In a fit at the bookstore one day, I bought all my favourite composers' biographies: Schubert, Massenet, Wolf. I've still not had a chance to read them; it breaks my heart. But when you travel so much, you just can't take that many books with you.

Music is as integral to me as my own DNA. My life has become a continual soundtrack, with music underscoring the most powerful and even the most banal moments of my life.

We can all afford to do a little soul-searching about the choices we make and the way we live our lives, but sometimes searching one's soul doesn't provide the answers we seek.

What I see as specially English is the charm - everyone is so polite. Being restrained is part of the charm. And I love the sense of humour - it takes me back to Australia. The English are great at making fun of themselves. They're so self-effacing.

I believed in Santa Claus until I was 12!

I feel very fortunate. I feel like an Olympian. When I watch the Olympics, I cry because I have been through that journey.

I got into singing when I was 6.

I have to take care of myself. It's about self-preservation.

I love Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik.

I spent my first 10 years in the Commonwealth. I come from cricket, crumpets, cucumber sandwiches, the Queen.

I'm a huge dog person; I love to hug and kiss them.

I've always been a bit dressed up, even on casual days. I suppose that's the performer in me.

I've always considered myself to be a travelling soul. I've never felt out of place anywhere.

Mozart is my first strength.

Music can be a source of escapism.

My dad's in banking, my mum manages the American branch of a Swiss vitamin company; they're really busy, but they still come to all my premieres.

My mother actually does most of my shopping for me. I love fashion, but I don't really love shopping.