It must have been an extraordinary time. I guess the worrying thing about musical theatre to me, is if you look at the London season this year, mine is actually the only one to have come in.
When I write songs, I'm just writing stories, and being in musical theatre taught me how to act them out through singing.
In my case, of course, people had a lot of expectations, but that didn't pressurise me because I'm pretty confident about my musicality and my talent.
I was taking my first uncertain steps towards writing for children when my own were young. Reading aloud to them taught me a great deal when I had a great deal to learn. It taught me elementary things about rhythm and pace, the necessary musicality of text.
Also, I think having a musicality about me that helps in identifying different things in languages and getting them right.
I think, for me, the goal was never really for my EPs to go mainstream. I think the intention of them was to create a little bit of buzz and to show my musicality because I wrote and produced the EPs myself. The goal was to experiment, with no rules.
Jazz was more of a tool for me to use to enhance my musicality.
When the public doesn't understand me, it's a battle. So when I choose words, I choose them for their musicality, rhythm, and sense, and I choose the right dialect to express that.
I think it's important for fans to know that but if I'm doing something that inspires me musically then I think it will inspire someone else too.
Although they can do it all the time, you know, they're far better than me, on a musically, on a theoretical music level. You know, they're out of my league.
I sing, and the musicians kind of fit things around me.
To the outside world, I was pretty bad at everything my whole life. People didn't credit me for my musicianship.
For me, it's more about the musicianship - focusing on the guitar, playing with my band, rather than just going out and doing what anyone my age can do with backup dancers and a track.
Generally, I've got to say that all sounds, musics, noises since conception are bound to have influenced me.
I'm a Muslim, but I think Jesus would have a drink with me. He would be cool. He would talk to me.
I found that a whole series of people opposed me simply on the grounds that I was a woman. The clerics took to the mosque saying that Pakistan had thrown itself outside the Muslim world and the Muslim umar by voting for a woman, that a woman had usurped a man's place in the Islamic society.
The thing that I hate the most is when people have prejudice - when they see me as the granddaughter of Benito Mussolini and not as Alessandra. That, really, I don't like. I didn't know my grandfather. I am me.
In wrestling, my mustache made me look more like a villain. A good mustache can give you the look of the devil.
I seem to get a general reaction at just, like, 'Oh! A mustache!' but mostly people are fine with it. But I don't actually do it for the ladies. It's more a guy thing, an appreciation. All the dudes want to do it, but they don't have the balls to do it, so they just give me the nod.
The connector part of the mustache to the beard wasn't always really strong for me. That's kind of how it morphed, and that's kind of how my beard comes in.
