Audra McDonald Quotes

When actors are comfortable enough, and you release all your inhibitions, and you stop judging yourself, you're suddenly so supportive that it's this wonderful team cheering each other on.

On my first album nobody asked me for a lot of advice. It was a producer's album. We were sent the same type songs with stock melodies. It was my first album and I was happy to do about anything they'd ask me.

We don't want to box ourselves within any type of genre, you know? Whatever feels good, if it moves us and we like it, we get on it and make it our own. That's what we do.

In 'Haraamkhor,' I have explored a few things which I wouldn't have been able to do in bigger films. The process of shooting this film was so organic that it enhanced me as an actor and an artiste.

I don't know what's in store for me, but I know that I want to create work, and I want to create an environment where I can bring in my favorite people and collaborate with them, and do something that is so much weirder and so different from what you'd see in commercial film.

Jazz is pretty much the freest thing you can be a part of. It's the closest thing I can get to flying. It's fun, interactive. In its own way, it's a sport.

I'd like to think I'm a versatile artist without straying too far from who I am.

I think every artist reaches a place where they want to transcend genre.

I feel that the smallness of the filmmaking environment is somehow connected to the freedom of creating film.

I don't like to focus on just hip-hop because with hip-hop, I can only do so much; with a vocalist, I can only do so much, but the limitations are varying.

I don't want to put myself in any kind of a box as far as my sound goes, because being an artist is fluid. If you look at a painter's work, a lot of times, it's similar in style, but other times - over even a year's period - it can change so much. I'm just going with the flow.

Any change in my style depends on many things, but it's whatever fits the project. It's important to me to make style changes from time to time; it makes me feel alive as an artist. For instance, with 'Moonshine,' I'm doing all my own coloring. That's a new development!

As an artist, I do not want to limit my skills to one medium alone.

Chicago's music scene is very inspiring. I like to think of it as a small community of friends who enjoy creating and inspiring each other.

I do see myself doing more than just playback singing.

I very much love Los Angeles, and I love working here. I find it very inspiring and very creative, and some of the best crews are in Los Angeles.

For me, working on the sets with Mani Ratnam is so familiar. It is the place where I grew up, so I am not nervous here.

Working with Sukumar was amazing. He's someone who trusts his actors and allows them to experiment with dialogues and scenes. When you're working with him, you learn a lot subconsciously, and that helped me in discovering the actor within.

Whether it's a song that might deviate from an artists' usual sound or even if it's still very much in their world, I think the more people opening themselves up creatively to collaborate with others, the better.

It used to take me a really long time, and I used to not be able to write in the studio because I felt there was a lot of pressure to be perfect. The more I'm collaborating with other artists, the more I realize being in the studio is about catching a vibe.

I wanted a label that reflects the times... a center for artists who want to express themselves. That's what makes Interscope unique. It's about freedom.

When I'm in that studio, I feel like I'm the king of the world. If I lose that, I'm going to lose a lot.

I want to get better and take more risks. I need to sing with other people. I need to access parts of me that aren't being accessed in the Cocteau Twins.

Sudheer Varma is very easy going and very confident director. He knows exactly what he wants. He has a very good vision and knows how many shots he wants for a scene. He is super fast. He gives freedom for actors to try different things. The atmosphere on the sets was never serious. We had great fun working together.

Bollywood is such a space where you get to work with so many genres. Genres being pushed isn't the way of looking at it. In fact, I think Indie needs to be given a lot more focus or recognition.