12. Carly SimonNo Secrets

It’s a favourite from my teens, another one from my dad’s collection, and another brilliant songwriter. She does this thing in her songs where she starts very soulful, then goes on a harmonic journey before landing safely again. I’ve stolen so much from her. She taught me how to write music, basically. And she wrote the best James Bond theme. I also think we share the same shyness. I feel very close to her, and her music. I like that some of her lyrics are quite childish. That’s refreshing, and I appreciate that; I’ve always appreciated music and lyrics that are very direct, and she’s very good at that. With the titles of my two last albums – 10 Love Songs and Music For People in Trouble – I wanted them to be a bit stupid. I’m drawn to that kind of art where you’re told: "This is what it is.” And then you have to figure out yourself the depth of it, instead of having a very extravagant and deep title and trying to work out what it’s about. Music is a different language, and whenever I talk about it, I think afterwards that I wasn’t able to say what I mean. That’s why music is so mysterious. It’s not language. It’s not talking. It’s singing, and it hits a chord in us that we can’t explain, but it’s very strong.