Rokia Traore Quotes

I used to think that, given enough goodwill, anybody would be able to 'get' any music, no matter how distant the culture from which it came. And then I heard Chinese opera.

When I hear people clapping at the wrong times, I think that's great. We have got a listener that's not used to going to - we have got a new listener.

I think the most important thing for a listener is to realize that he, too, should not listen to music in a passive way; that if you sit in a concert hall and expect to be moved or taken off your seat by the music, it will not happen.

I don't know that there's a division between American and British, European, South American, Asian sensibilities when it comes to rock n' roll or, really, any form of music. Songs travel, and people take them into their lives in all different kinds of unpredictable and really untraceable ways.

If I had not been coached well about how to deal with a culture and a set of values that were foreign to my own, I would not have been able to be successful.

When they're singing the guitar lines of songs in South America? Never heard that before. And in Canada, when they're singing all of the lyrics to every song - that blows me away. I don't know all the lyrics to every song.

In Japan, the way they act at shows is very different from home because they don't yell, they clap for about 10 seconds after the song and then it's completely silent.

When you go to another country, you can work with different players in different situations, in a different culture.

I've got this diverse education, growing up in classical music and existing between that and music that is more visceral, so for sure, I've always been interested in music from other cultures.

Music is open-minded and has always travelled, every country takes something from another, and that's what makes the richness of music.

Your understanding of music depends on your capacity to perceive it.

I've largely focused on Japan my whole career, so I was interested to see how my music would be received by people of different backgrounds, religions and cultures.

We just love international music. We love the climate of that sound, it's that pulse that we just have to appreciate.

It's such an interesting experience seeing how different people react to music and the generosity of some and the craziness of others - people who go see bands in different countries, know all the words to the songs, and get tattoos. It's so unexpected.

I'd do the blues all the time if I could, that's what I'm into. But people just don't like to hear it.

Moving to Dubai at age 9 and then the Congo, they were two completely opposite countries. But that brought me to music and taught me things that I never would have learned otherwise. And it was always about the rhythm in those two countries - that's why I love them.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where we listened to all kinds of music. We listened to Haitian, hip hop, soul, classical jazz, gospel and Cuban music, to name a few. When you have access to that as a child, it just opens up your world.

I'm not as aware of categories in music as some people are. To me it's just music. I'm interested in all kinds of music.

Music has no language barriers and this has been proved right several times by the Chennai audience.

I got to travel to some pretty awesome places, learn other people's customs, and see what works in their world differently than in ours.

When you're an outsider and going into a culture like America, it's easier to stay away from any cliches because you're not really aware of what they are.

When I perform in another country. The local people there sing along to my song in Korean.

No matter where you come from, if you sing in English, you can cross over to the world.

When I sing a set, people will say, 'I love 'Mayday.' People just love 'Mayday' so much. I love it too.

Music in Africa is perceived so differently than Western classical music - it's language and storytelling.