Imelda May Quotes

So the thing is to put out music for music's sake.

There were no rules, other than that the song should sound good and be fun to play.

I don't feel like I'm on a mission. I'm trying to play music that I like to play and like to listen to.

'Faucet Failure' was my favorite because I just had fun with it, and it was just 10 minutes, and I didn't overthink anything, and I wanted to just have fun with the song.

I loved the freedom of improvised music.

I play music - I write my own music, but I play music, just background music really, and just let it happen.

When I perform, I like to immerse myself in the music, and I just try to get off on the diversity of music.

We never sit down before we start making a record and talk about this new sonic palette that we are going to try to explore. We always let the record kind of reveal itself to us over time.

For me, something will come in my head and I'll either end up calling my cell phone to record it, or I'll just pick my guitar up and see what comes out. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it doesn't. So there's really no set method behind it.

If there's room to make a record every year, and it sounds nothing like the old one, I might do that. It's easy to get in and have fun. To me, if it feels right, that's all that needs to be done.

I don't always have to be on what is the newest in music is. I'm slowly educating myself in music. For me, I feel more free in not knowing everything in what I'm doing. You can start making up too many rules for yourself. It should just be love and fun and feeling good.

Being on the road is a great habitat for creating new music because there's so many different experiences.

I used to look at composing music as problem solving. But as I get older, it's not about problem solving anymore. There are no solutions, because there are no problems. You just turn the tap and it flows out.

I would never say I will stay in electronic music for the rest of my life. I will always do whatever I feel like at that moment.

To me, music shouldn't be ego-driven. When you go out on stage and play songs, it is. But when you're sitting in a room, writing songs, it's a completely different process. It's a completely different place. It's a creative place, a musical place. It has nothing to do with who likes what.

That makes classical music work, the ability to improvise.

Jazz stands for freedom. It's supposed to be the voice of freedom: Get out there and improvise, and take chances, and don't be a perfectionist - leave that to the classical musicians.

The way that I've always gone about making music, the rule of thumb, has just been to make what I love.

I started realizing that music is the one area where I've always let go. When that saxophone goes into my mouth, I get into a space where I never think about the notes I've already played or anticipate the notes ahead.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes I feel like playing 'Hospital'. Sometimes I feel like playing 'Pablo Picasso'. I've been playing a lot lately. I do it as long as I feel like it.

And more than anything, I like the improvisation of jazz. That's the same thing with DJ-ing. There's so much improvisation you can do with cuttin' and scratchin' that's reminiscent of jazz music, because it's all about how you feel. You're capturing a vibe and just going with it.

I wrote so much about fandom and participation for NPR that I eventually realized my most fertile way of participating in music is to actually play it, at least in a way that made the most sense to me.

I learned that music should be fun and should be a way to express yourself - that there aren't really any rules.

I've always done very 'composed' music and worked-out solos. But sometimes it's fun not knowing where you're going.

I knew I wanted to be an artist, but I never took music lessons. I was just playing around in front of the mirror and being silly, then suddenly I started making songs.