Billy Joel Quotes

I had this voice when I was in high school, except nobody thought much of it then. I developed it by imitating singers I admired - Alison Moyet, Boy George, later on Nina Simone.

I've never had a very quiet voice. I tried in choir to make it smaller, and it just didn't work out. And I listened to a lot of soul music when I was growing up on my own accord. But I was mostly into Mama Cass and Gladys Knight, and they all had big voices too; just different than mine.

I do think it's probably true to a certain extent that you tend to sing music that fits your voice. If you're Lou Reed, you're unlikely to become a country singer.

I am not a natural singer, but I can sing, and probably the way I sing is more imitative than from myself, which is why I am never going to be an amazing recording artist.

Because everything about the voice interests me, I felt it would be fascinating to learn a completely different style of singing.

My vocal style I haven't tried to copy from anyone. It just developed until it became the girlish whine it is today.

The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play.

I sing in a higher register, and you haven't heard that on the radio in years.

I wanted to emulate Bob Flanagan, the high voice in the 'Four Freshmen.' I wanted to sing high like he did.

For singers, our singing voice is our natural voice, not the speaking.

Exene taught me how to bend my notes when I sing. That's her style. And I learned that from her.

Boy George always told me to stop noodling; he wanted me to belt like Ethel Merman.

I don't have a rock voice. I have to force it. I am like an opera singer.

My own singing voice is not very good and I don't think that anybody really sings in their own voice.

Bing Crosby sings like all people think they sing in the shower.

To sing along with Stevie Wonder, you had to make your voice do things it was not accustomed to doing.

They really can't imagine what my voice is like. Every time I sing a song, they are very surprised.

When I was young, my voice was so strong, and I would annoy people because I had such a loud little voice. And then it changed, and I thought I wouldn't be able to sing again, because I thought you had to sing like Christina Aguilera to be a singer.

You know, your speaking voice comes back, but your singing voice you use in a different way.

I sing in full voice in the car and have a tendency to harmonize badly.

I love hard singing.

I listened to Billie Holiday a lot in order to learn to sing. She remains one of the extraordinary jazz singers. But my intent is to become my own voice, to be able to interpret these songs in my own way.

I have a talent, I can sing.

When I hear someone, instantaneously, I'm like, 'Who's singing?' You're giving people so much of yourself, and my voice is the most natural, distinctive tool I have. It's up to me to express myself on a wider scale than just writing vocal melodies and lyrics.

What you find with singers, no matter where they're from, if they have any kind of an accent, the accent tends to disappear when they sing.