I approach everything as an absolute outsider. It is the only way I can break so many rules.

Elvis Presley is my spiritual father, and as you may know Maria Callas is my spiritual mother.

Sometimes I sing very honestly, really as moving as possible.

I see myself as universal, not as a German, American, French or whatever, because we all live on this planet. We're all living on the earth.

I did every thing, even dirty jobs like dishwashing or delivery boy for a grocer.

I am singing in an operatic voice for the public, to bring something more to Rock and Roll. Because in a Rock and Roll performance, the singer talks to the public whereas in Opera the singer only talks to a character, inside a story. The public sees this as a picture, I want to transport this picture into the room where the public is.

People do accuse me of being just decorative or an escapist - well I am. That's what I do. I am other things as well. I transcend the song and give it a different meaning.

Well, you know, I am in the business and I like to promote myself.

My music is L-O-V-E because it's a gift, and you only give something when you feel it deeply.

I think it is nice to be a little magical. Today we need this. All that we can read in fairy tales or in books. I think somewhere it is all around us. But nowadays we can think that this magic has been killed and I am try to make it survive as long as possible.

I feel threatened, and sometimes it makes me angry because I can't do anything about that, there's just too many issues. But in a way I think my work is meant to get people out of that.

I'm from Planet Nomi where I wear black lipstick so you can see my lips and what I am doing with them.

A man without makeup is like a cake without icing.

It is a very personal thing to me, because this is my basic voice, this is where I come from, and it is one of the oldest voice styles in human history.

What makes life complicated is the things that are on me and it is very hard to keep things simple. I see it as I am complicated and there is innocence to this.

Every time I bought a Rock and Roll record, I bought a classical record at the same time. I like each as well as the other.