Labrinth Quotes

"Of course, success takes you where your character can't sustain you."

"My grandad's a gospel singer, and his children were singers, too. But I don't believe in God in the same way... not religion; it breaks us up too much. The same with musical styles - it breaks people up. I believe they are all one thing - why not put them together?"

"I'm from Hackney, and it's an area that is not so pretty, and we have a different way of expressing ourselves than somebody from uptown that has lots of money."

"I have eight siblings, and we formed a group called Mac 9. I was Mac 7."

"You've got to live and die by your decisions."

"My ethos is musical freedom: to create whatever I want."

"I don't think about the success that I've had - I've had a lot of success with music - but I always look at it like it's a new day."

"I'm a musical geek. It's like there's this big, wild universe in my head, and I love to express it."

"Different cultures produce a different 'cool.' And your perception of 'cool' changes depending on where you are."

"I think, as an artist, I wear a lot of different hats, and people have to join all of the dots."

"My main thing is I just want to share as much hope and happiness as possible for music. If I can share as many moments and help people believe in themselves... if I can do that, then I'll feel like my job is done."

"I got into music through just being inspired by my brother and sisters. They all sing, play instruments and write - and they're very good at it."

"When I listen to a Coldplay record, you're gonna hear an indie band, and you know that's what you're gonna get from Coldplay. With myself, I'm not sure it's the same."

"I have to be honest: I think production is mad - exciting - because, of course, you're creating the record. When you're a singer, you're just singing. Creating the music, directing, and seeing where it's gonna go in production is very, very exciting."

"I definitely didn't wanna be a one-dimensional artist that you can just put into one box. Because, to me, we're all masters of certain energies, and we all create different colours."

"One thing I always really enjoyed about Quincy Jones' production technique was that there were so many layers to every song. Like, one week you'd hear a new trumpet-line, then the next week you'd hear - be hearing a new guitar-line."

"I don't see categories; I don't see styles - l see them all gelled together. And it was gospel that definitely helped me to do that."

"I need to make money, but I don't want to be another guy selling his McDonald's to the pop market."

"I grew up not really having a father figure, and it didn't bother me, because he wasn't there in the first place. But then he started other families, and I was jealous. It was like he was happy without our family."

"Urban is not actually my world. It was me trying something out, basically. I come from a gospel background."

"I don't want to be someone that, when people look back, they think, 'Yeah, cool, he made us jump around for a bit in 2010.'"

"When you make a record, I always imagine people dancing to it. If the chef thinks it tastes good, then there will be someone who ultimately believes the same thing."

"I'm a hundred percent a rock n' roll guy."

"It's a lot easier producing for people or being in the background, and they can take all the fire from the front. But in order to express the ideas that I have without any kind of contamination, I thought it would be a cool thing to be out front."

"I'm not just looking to be famous and attach myself to famous names. I want to make history in the business in terms of creativity."

"My fans are like, 'Lab does what he does,' which is really cool. If I came out with a Jack White rock tune tomorrow, people would be like, 'Yeah, cool man,' which is great."

"I've got perfectionist issues, as I can't seem to let tracks out the studio - it drives my manager nuts."

"I don't ever think it's a good idea to try to recreate the success you've had before; it's all about chasing something fresh and new."

"I'm all for trying anything once; otherwise, you end up like David Guetta - reproducing the same formula over and over."

"I think producing a record for other artists is almost like giving them advice, and I would say that it is easier to produce another artist than it is to produce yourself."