Nate Ruess Quotes

Well, I had a record deal since I was 18, and it got me where I am.

I was kicked off a record label and didn't get picked up again. It was devastating at first because I thought, 'Oh my God. My career is over. What's gonna happen? What am I going to do?' Once I got that I could have a career, a very good career, without having a hit record, then I changed.

Well, I tried to get a record deal in 1966 or '67, and everyone thought I was too eclectic.

I was initially signed to a German label a few years ago.

I've never had a relationship with a record executive. I always went to the record company by someone that liked my playing. Then they would get fired, and I'd be left with the record company. And then - because they got fired - the record company wouldn't do anything for me.

I've just signed a contract to make records in Nashville. It won't amount to much at first, but after a year or so, I will really be in the money.

I had every major label in the world - I mean, any label that dealt with rap music wanted to sign me. I ended up going with Jive Records because I liked everything about 'em.

I'm not desperate to sign, like, a record deal. I'm very hungry, but I'm just not desperate for it.

When I was 19 I had a record deal.

The Roots - we signed our first record deal when I was about 19 years old.

I'm really happy with Elektra, I don't have anything bad to say about them at all. I always knew a major label was the right place for me to be. I never really had an opportunity to go to an independent label anyway.

I'd done recordings, little demos, since I was in college, which I used to get gigs. But I never thought I'd have a record label.

I would be a huge hypocrite if I didn't tell you that at one time in my life I thought the way that you made music was you got on a major label and you got famous.

I did my thing with Jive. I was a national recording artist, but I had run into a wall.

I was signed to a record label at the same time as my friend Elliot Murphy, who makes great records to this day.

I think, back in the day, when I was first starting to make music, all I wanted to do was to get a record deal.

I've been through the entire gamut of the music industry - I've been playing in clubs since I was 14, and I've been on Warner Bros, on Sony - I've had lots of successes and some serious times of struggle.

Honestly, when I got to Hollywood I was trying to sell my songs.

I took temp jobs, recorded a demo in the evenings and eventually shopped a record deal. All I knew was that I wanted to write songs; thankfully, I also got to sing them.

Shoot, there's a committee to tell you everything at a record label. You definitely have to know who you are if you want to look like you at the end of the process. We've all seen people get record contracts, and by the time they're spit out by the machine, we don't even recognize them.

I can't believe I got a major-label record deal. My music was quirky, and my voice was so odd and high and girlish, it was like a weird novelty act.

My record label is treating me like I'm a new artist, which is exciting after all this time.

I was having a lot of mixed feelings about the independent world as well as the label world. I feel like I've been in the game a long time, and you know, when it come to labels not seeing a fella being around the last five years, it's like, it's hard to convince them what I can do.

It only took me six months to get a record deal, but it took me 20 years to have a hit.

My first record deal was an independent record deal back in 1995 or early 1996.