James Murphy Quotes

I thank the Creator of the universe to have discovered the discipline of music was the greatest gift that I could have been given, the possibility to be a student working in the world.

I played for anybody and everybody from the time I started playing guitar, when I was 10 or 11.

I've always written songs since I was a kid - always.

When I was a kid, I wrote music - from the age of 11 until the age of 18.

I have a lot of friends who are involved in everything from Americana to blues to R&B to pop to country.

I started writing songs at age 15.

There was always a piano in the house when I was growing up - my dad played, and I thought it was cool - and when I was eight, I begged my parents to let me have lessons. After a couple of weeks, I wanted to give up, but my parents were very focused and made me keep going, which I'm very pleased about now.

I guess from 12 onwards I was always into my music.

It's funny, because music is one of those things it is natural to go into. You hear it so much growing up, it kind of permeates you and eventually you spew out some music of your own.

I started trying to write songs when I was 8 or 9 years old.

I've always loved music and felt connected to it, but was too afraid to explore that avenue.

I got my first instrument at Christmas when I was three or four. My dad and mom got me a mandolin. It was the only instrument that fit me because I was so small. I went straight from that into drums when I was six and then started playing guitar when I was seven or eight.

'Soulfire' is a collection of stuff I've done in the past. Each song is an element of who I am: There's a doo-wop song on the album; a blues song, R&B and some jazz. For people who are going to be hearing me for the first time, it's an introduction to who I am.

Growing up, just singing in bands, I didn't have the same kind of voice as everyone else.

Music is still my main thing, but I will explore anything that's interesting and challenging.

I started singing very early. I was six or seven years old, and I was singing along to TV commercials and figuring out, 'Oh, hey, I can sing in tune. This is really cool.' But the songwriting thing came much much later, when I was 19 years old.

I was born and raised in Germany, so I was classically trained. Classical has been deep in me from a totally early age. Then, as a teenager, I picked up the guitar and was really into rock music.

I grew up playing the piano, but you know, as a rebellious child, I convinced myself that I hated it.

I want to explore all genres.

I listen to different artists. I open my mind to different artists.

I've been writing songs since my teens.

It's incredible how much beauty exists in the world of music and how many artists you can really inspire with your own work.

With so many genres, music is so diverse, which is why it is an exciting thing to do in life.

My mum and dad used to listen to a lot of R&B and soul, so this was the way I grew up. Hip-hop, of course. But then as I grew older, I started listening to everything.

Obviously the music I listened to growing up helped create my musical pallet. My parents were into pop, soul, disco, RNB, Latin, jazz and Middle Eastern music.