"Mumford &amp Sons' music appeals to a lot of America. I'm really proud of them."

"I feel like I write songs for the future or something. Not in an arrogant way, but I feel like maybe my songs were, like, before their time or something."

"I met Prince William at a musical festival and he let me know he was a fan of my music. But the invitation to sing at his wedding reception came completely out of the blue. The fact that Kate and William knew the words to my songs was very touching."

"Not much shocked me. You know, I worked in a home for Alzheimer's patients and my dad used to be really into murders and stuff, so I saw dead bodies. It desensitised me to a lot of things."

"My parents were drawn to the idea that there was space and opportunity in Australia. For the meagre sum of &pound10, you could sail your entire family out to Australia, so that's what my father chose to do."

"What the mother sings to the cradle goes all the way down to the coffin."

"I have a great family by the way, but you need to find people who can pull something out from you that might be otherwise unseen."

"Kids are a great analogy. You want your kids to grow up, and you don't want your kids to grow up. You want your kids to become independent of you, but it's also a parent's worst nightmare: That they won't need you. It's like the real tragedy of parenting."