I just feel, in life, I`m searching for something I can rely on, something that`s constant and something that`s going to guide me through. And I felt that the Northern Star is a very beautiful image of that.

Being in the Spice Girls was an insane experience.

I don`t want to be daft and say I had some spiritual awakening or something, but I really did come of age in Los Angeles, where we recorded the album. I had my own little house and my own little circle and I really got to feel how the city ticks.

This is me. Take it or leave it.

I love being onstage and I love to perform. To be honest with you, I`m more comfortable performing than I am in an everyday situation, which I can`t quite explain.

Everybody in life is a chameleon.

The funny thing about making this record and being away from the girls and on my own in LA is that it allowed me to reflect on how much we`ve accomplished.

I know I`m not a great singer. But I love to sing and I like to use my voice in different ways.

The British press have written some nasty and spiteful things about the way I look which used to affect me quite badly when it was new to me but luckily, I`ve learned to ignore the comments. why do they even care about how I look?

I wouldn`t say I worked with these people because I was looking for a particular vocal sound. I worked with them because I loved what they had done before-and because they really wanted to work with me.

We were in the same band, but we`re two completely different people. People have asked me to make comparisons with our albums, and I can`t, because there`s no comparison. Her album`s okay. I don`t think she`s the best singer on Earth, but she`s okay.

I feel there should have been some recognition of the Spice Girls at this year`s 25th anniversary. We flew the flag for Britain around the globe in the 1990s and we achieved a hell of a lot.

I don`t want to hurt anybody or be offensive. But I don`t want to not be me.

I don`t think I`m a great singer myself. I`m all right. I`ve worked with different writers, different producers... I`ve just been blessed with the caliber of people I`ve been able to work with.

All I want is for people to listen to it with unbiased ears, and decide for themselves. I just don`t want them to be dictated to by the media, or have preconceptions about it. If you like it, great. If you don`t, fair enough.

The success of this album is very much in question. Who knows where it`s going to go? My being a Spice Girl is no guarantee of anything, although I hope it`ll benefit the sales.

A lot of people have been quite surprised with the stuff that I`m doing on my own, which shocks me because I`ve always known what I wanted to do. But people have only seen me with the Spice Girls, so I suppose it`s not that surprising.

A musical would be fantastic. The soundtrack would be great and I`d like to do acting.

Putting out my album on my own label has been a great experience for me. It`s been very inspiring. It`s like a new start for me and having all this creative freedom is so liberating and exciting.