Dan Smith Quotes

I'm free. I just do what I want, say what I want, say how I feel, and I don't try to hurt nobody. I just try to make sure that I don't compromise my art in any kind of way, and I think people respect that.

I live my life and play my music, and I don't really seek out other people's approval or accolades or things like that. I try to do what's true to me, and how it all comes out is fine.

I don't need a sensationalized headline to sell music or to bring attention to my music. It's the music and it's always been about the music.

I'm not hip-hop. I'm Tyler.

I just try to make the best music that I can. People are going to label it whatever they're going to label it.

Making an album should be an honest experience. It shouldn't be about trying to gauge where popular music is today; it should be about artistic expression and putting down what you want to put down.

Don't try to guess what it is people want and give it to them. Don't ask for a show of hands. Try your best to write what you like, what you think your friends would like and what you think your father would like and then cross your fingers... The most valuable thing you have is your own voice.

If you don't feel comfortable talking about really personal things in your music, you shouldn't do it. There's plenty of other things to write about.

You should do the sound that you want and not what others want.

You cannot be worrying about what other people think. You have to be sure that what you do is what you love to do, because if you love it, maybe another hundred thousand people might love it, too. Some other people might not like it, but it doesn't matter, because you have to express what you want to express. You only live once.

I've never really been afraid of how people were going to define me, as long as I didn't write some cheaper song because people like that I'm depressed.

I can't create music if I'm wearing a mask and not being myself, and that was the problem with The Czars.

What I don't like is when people feel like they can box an artist into who they think an artist should be.

You can have a favorite band, but when they sign with a major label... maybe a new producer says, 'You can't do that, take this down a notch.' And you'll keep listening, but you'll always think their first album was their best album.

When I started making music, I figured the name Rico Nasty would give a background of who I am.

I need some time to write songs and work on my thing, but I'm just living my life and doing family stuff and letting inspiration come when it comes. But I also don't feel a desperate need to keep pushing myself into people's faces to stay cool and relevant.

The rule I stand by as an artist is definitely be yourself, and don't make music just for other people: make it for you first.

I'm a little bit more proud of Solange. She chose to do it her way. Because in the beginning, we wanted to mold her into this pop star, and that is not who she is. And we were wrong. I was wrong, the record labels were wrong... She wanted to do it her own way, and she did.

It doesn't matter even if I am slow or fast as long as my films are honest and carries my integrity.

I worked in every format - pop, hip-hop, and alternative. I did a national sports show. When I finally got to decide what I wanted to do, country, to me, is the most authentic. I grew up on country music my whole life.

My biggest obstacle is trying to keep the music pure to what I want to release. I don't want any corporate suit telling me what story to tell.

People around me tell me that I need a bigger persona and to act a little more A-listy because 'that's where you are but you don't act that way, so people undervalue you.' But that's not me.

If you want to put yourself on the map, publish your own map.

Can't nobody make you make any music that you don't wanna make. Remember that.

We only do what we think is good and what we're happy with. I do that in stand-up, I even do it with my children's books. I don't do market research, I don't have focus groups, I don't care. I don't care if it fails, honestly. I'd rather have something that's completely mine fail than something succeed that I'm not proud of.