American R&B star Lloyd makes his way to Dubai on January 24 to light the candles on No.1 Events’ fifth anniversary celebrations. Here’s what the king of hearts has to say for himself…

“The sound that I’m always going to favour is soul – anything that has a soulful meaning. If it makes me pull a funny face while singing, I’m usually going to love it. Maybe God gave me this voice to actually use it, rather than confine it to simplicity.”

“Any time I have the opportunity to work with people – whether it’s people I admire or people I’ve once been entertained by – I like to take a stab at it and see what happens.”

“The early ’90s with R Kelly and Co was a great era, but so was the Sam Cook and James Brown era, as was the Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown one. Everything is an opinion – there’s no right way to make music, it’s all expression of one’s self.”

“I think the social spectrum has changed over the course of 10, 15 and 20 years. It’s more integrated than ever – there are a lot of hybrid styles going on. Sometimes the new isn’t the best, but we should embrace it.”

“There are so many memorable experiences. Any time that I get to touch the stage is pretty incredible.”

“Sometimes I don’t write songs – sometimes I just record them. Other times I write them in my phone. Sometimes I just lock myself away in a room. It all depends on the mood and setting, the time of year, the weather – all different things.”

“My surname’s actually pronounced ‘Puh-leet.’ It’s French. Being from Louisiana, we’ve got Creole heritage, which is French mixed with a whole lot of other stuff. But as a kid, my teachers always called me ‘Polite’. With a name like that, I probably got out of a little more trouble. Just acted nicer.”

“The albums that I’ve been releasing have just been reflections of my life, things I’m going through. A lot of that has to do with relationship stuff. At least, I think that those are the more relatable things in my life, that I can share with my audience.”

“Music is my business so I take it very seriously. I feel like people see me being young and talented and assume that I will go far. But they also think that because I’m young, I might not know as much as I need, or I might not have what it takes to become successful on my own two feet. I’ve got a lot to prove.”

N’Dulge, Atlantis, The Palm. Tel: (050) 7381388. Taxi: Atlantis, The Palm. January 24, 9pm-3am. Dhs150, ladies free before 11pm.