“All your experiences, the places you go to, the encounters you have wi...” — Cyrille Aimee Quote

All your experiences, the places you go to, the encounters you have with people, and, of course, your cultural trappings all make you who you are, and who you are makes your music.

Every June, Gypsies come in caravans from all over Europe to honor Django Reinhardt at a festival in Samois-sur-Seine. When I was little, I started hanging out with them. They fascinated me - they really, literally, live in the moment. They take every day as if it's their last.

For me, jazz offers so much freedom in the way the music can be interpreted. It's natural to me. It's where I feel most free.

My first memories of music are of my mother playing Dominican music in the house because my parents love to dance. They love to throw parties and dance, so there was a lot Latin music in the house.

When I see the cultural diversity that exists today, I feel that we must defend it, and we need Europe, because otherwise we are going to live in a society with a single model, the Anglo-American model.

I certainly can't speak for all cultures or all societies, but it's clear that in America, poetry serves a very marginal purpose. It's not part of the cultural mainstream.

The cultural expectation should be if there's infidelity, the marriage is more important than fidelity.

I can understand the Cultural Revolution of Mao Tse-tung.

My upbringing has always been quite equal in terms of cultural influences. But it's unlikely that anything could prepare you for a job that involves belting out Proclaimers songs on camera, in Edinburgh and in public.