Named one of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine, Annie Lennox shot to fame in the 1980's with the synthpop duo Eurythmics. Today, she continues to perform worldwide and is also an activist for a number of charity causes.  While in Hong Kong to promote HIV and AIDS awareness in Africa, the Scottish singer sits down with CNN's TALK ASIA, she gives her take on the state of the music business, her humanitarian work and her very personal views on relationships.

Having worked in the music industry for more than 30 years, the outspoken diva debunks the glitz and glamour myth of showbiz: "It's a dog-eat-dog world. People are very nice and they were smiling...but they're looking for the profit mark. They're looking for where can we make the money." Lennox continues by saying: "Without naming any names, because everybody knows who they are. There are a lot of young female artists out there who have problems, and people with a vested interest in keep them going. So they continue being this kind of money-making machine."  She also adds: "What really important is to try to do things in your own way, in your own terms. I never wanted to be controlled by anyone."

The 1983 release of ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' propelled Eurythmics to superstardom. Lennox recalls her first taste of fame: "It's so much bigger than you could ever anticipate. I think what was helpful was that Dave (Stewart) and I were a duo. We supported each other in so many respects."

Following the huge success with other singles - ‘Would I Lie to You?' and ‘There Must be an Angel' - Eurythmics disbanded in 1990: "Towards the end of the decade, it just started to get so I wasn't enjoying it anymore and neither was he (Dave Stewart). Everybody was a bit shocked because...when you get to be successful, everybody keeps expecting it to repeat, repeat, report. Well, no, I don't want to be a white mouse on a treadmill. I want to be free to choose."

The multi-Grammy award winning singer has since gone on to have a successful solo career and is one of the best-selling female artists of all-time. Off stage she has founded the global charity SING to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in Africa: "I think that HIV/AIDS is something that people want to put to one side. It is invisible and therefore, it's very important that we keep the issue on the table," Lennox says.

As for her personal life, having gone through two failed marriages, Lennox shares with Anjali Rao her views on relationships: "I think many people fall in love and they have a romanticized idea as to who each other is."  She goes on to say: "But the real truth starts after the ink's dried on the paper and the rings have been exchanged. And the problem is that people change. Things change. A few years down the line, when one person has been exposed to a different kind of influence from their world and the other one has something else, not so easy. And I really take my hat off to people that have managed to create a loving, lasting relationship."

Lennox also makes it clear that she will continue to work in the music industry, while also continuing her charitable causes. "The best thing I can do is to somehow make the two things complement each other. And that's what I'm planning to do in the future. So I hope that I'll always be a music-maker and I'll always be an activist."

Annie Lennox's interview with TALK ASIA will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing.

Airtimes are subject to change.

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