I definitely wasn't cool in high school. I really wasn't. I did belong to many of the clubs and was in leadership on yearbook and did the musical theater route so I had friends in all areas. But I certainly did not know what to wear did not know how to do my hair all those things.

The cool part of being an entertainer is getting the opportunity to get your feet wet in all areas.

Growing up politics never trickled down to the areas we come from. But people from Obama's camp and Obama himself reached out to me and asked for my help on the campaign. We've sat and had dinner and we've spoken on the phone. He's a very sharp guy. Very charming. Very cool.

And it's absolutely true that male sexual behaviour and female responses to male demands change a lot when they start communicating - and the levels of the communication that I've seen on the ground in very very poor areas are so high and I think why don't we have that here?

I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.

Despite the amazing diversity we're blessed with in this country schools are still in large part segregated because of economic disparity. Sports are one of the few areas where kids are really given the opportunity to interact with those of different races and religions.

Paul Farmer has helped to build amazing health care system in one of the poorest areas of Haiti. He founded Partners in Health which serves the destitute and the sick in many parts of the world from Haiti to Boston and from Russia to Peru.

I had an amazing experience working with great people. I had a great family a typical family with drama in certain areas and that's pretty much everywhere in everyone's life.

Strangely enough when the Sugababes' 'Freak Like Me' went to number 1 which was built around my 'Are 'Friends' Electric' song I had another song called 'Rip' go to number 1 in the Kerrang TV chart so I was pulling new people in from very different areas of musical interest. That was quite an amazing week.

It's not always possible to sit down and eat at home in this day and age of fast-paced living but if you are going to eat out do so as a family and support all the great local places in your areas. I'll still eat at the same diner I did as a kid with my parents.