It’s no secret FKA twigs is a bit of a mystery – from bizarrely beautiful videos, music that breaks the mould – to dating one of the most famous actors in the world this singer, producer, dancer, choreographer and director has captured the imagination of fans with her serpentine dance moves and warped R&B, and undoubtedly pushed the boundaries for pop music. Despite all of this, she’s notoriously press shy, so when Complex managed to track her down for one for their latest cover story, we get a rare glimpse into her thoughts, artistic process and even her love life. Here’s the top 10 things we learnt from that unique insight.

1. She was banned from college. “I was banned from two classes,” she recalls, “for asking too many questions.” The upside, she explains, was that she fit in more than ever before: “I didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe a boy would fancy me, you know?”

2. While now her tastes lean slightly more towards glittery, well-dressed but potentially murderous vampires (just kidding – Robert Pattison seems pretty chiller) she once dated a DJ. “My first boyfriend was a hip-hop DJ, and I learned quite a bit from him,” twigs says, recalling a bedroom floor covered in records by Big Daddy Kane and Eazy-E.

3. Can you imagine walking into a councilling session and sitting down in the desk opossite twigs? I could have happened – she once worked as a youth worker. As a youth worker, twigs taught teenagers how to sing, dance, write poetry, and play music. A career as an art therapist emerged as a distinct possibility. Fate, in the form of government budget cuts, intervened: Her job was eliminated.

4. Sick of doing press interviews after the success of her first album FKA ran away to New York and lived here for a while. The logic? “If I run away, no one can get ahold of me, and I can’t do any interviews.”

5. She refers to her performing presence as Melissa – and named her next EP after it. “‘Melissa’ to me is my personal female energy. I’ve never called it ‘Melissa’ before the EP. It’s not a weird alter ego. It’s just my way of separating it from myself,” she says.

6. Despite her artistic and serious image – twigs can be a bit goofy – watching the video back with Glass & Patron, twigs laughs and remarks ““When my water’s breaking, me and my girls are like, ‘We’ve got this!’”.

7. Despite the paparazzi intrusion, gross racial attacks on social media from some Twilight fans that just can’t let go, twigs is pretty damn happy with her relationship with Pattinson: “But ultimately, I’m in an amazing relationship. So it doesn’t matter.”

8. She’s been performing an unreleased track called “Wet Wipez” that we desperately want to hear at her New York shows Congregata – a tribute to her friend and dancer Dominant and his krumping crew.

9. Of all twigs’ incredible dance moves, she credits ‘Voguing’ (you know you’ve done it drunkenly to a Madonna track before) has helped her embrace her femininity.

10. Despite the difficulties she has had to face becoming an artist, twigs is genuinely thankful she’s made it. “I’m so grateful [for that] because at times, especially when I was a teenager, I just couldn’t see how things could ever get better, or how I’d ever be able to do this. I don’t know what I thought I’d be doing. I’d always worked hard at music and at dancing, but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to be doing this, and have the belief of people to give me a budget to make a video.”