Singer Paloma Faith compromised her artistic vision while making her debut album because she lacked the confidence to tell label bosses her opinion.
The pop star allowed producers to sway her as she recorded her 2009 album, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?, because she felt so grateful to have landed a record deal.
However, Faith insists she wasn't "wholeheartedly happy" with the finished tracks she released.
She tells the BBC: "The first time round, I knew what I wanted but I didn't necessarily have the confidence to stick to my guns.
"There was a certain degree of manipulation because I felt indebted, somehow, to the record label for signing me. I was too preoccupied with getting people to understand what I wanted stylistically, so I'd neglect the songwriting. You see, every song was produced by the person who wrote it with me. It was like a compilation. But I wasn't wholeheartedly happy with any of the production on the first record."
The New York hitmaker admits she learned her lesson and took charge in the studio while making her follow-up, Fall To Grace, due in May.
She explains: "On this record, I wrote the songs for the songs' sake. I wrote on piano and guitar, and I totally focused on the structure and the melody."