Jenny Lewis Quotes

In a way, I created Utopia as a platform for me to become more of a guitar player and less of the kind of balladeer that people were taking me for.

When I began making my own albums, the songs became funkier. They were more about the streets.

Everyone has their own journey, and for me, going from singing background to writing songs has truly opened doors for me and has also helped me find myself as an artist in terms of what I want to say and the style of music I want to have.

The difference between a Black Thought album and a Roots album is the texture, the instrumentation.

I just really want to make - to be cliche about it, I want to make pretty music. Like Roy Orbison or Elvis, man. Those guys made beautiful, tender music.

I never saw myself as the classic singer/songwriter who sticks to his guitar.

Now that I'm coming out with my own record people can see I'm a solo artist.

I will concentrate on playing guitar, on lyrics and on singing. I am a part of things; I am not the encompassing 'Smog.'

I am not a pop musician; I don't want to play bubble-gummy pop stuff.

I don't think I really make singer-songwritery-type music - it's not my strong point.

My first album is playful.

I went pretty much for one tone, and I knew at that time that I wanted to play a Rickenbacker.

I actually was consciously trying to emulate bands like Bruce Springsteen, and just trying to emulate what they do structurally.

I know that people think of me in terms of Latin music and that's wonderful, that's my heritage, that's who I am, but there's so much more to me and my music.

Country is bringing in a little rock element... a little '80s element. Melody is king now. But its just in the music, its not so much in the songwriting, which is still very basic to the storytelling aspect of it.

Some people think I'm a rock 'n' roll musician and some think I'm a jazz musician but, for me, there is no difference.

I don't think about the styles. I write whatever comes out and I use whatever kind of instrumentation works for those songs.

Really the only thing holding a lot of records together is the personality of the singer, and the will to write all of these different things.

No matter what I do, my songs come out in a certain style, and if that sounds like Dead Kennedys, then there's probably a reason for it. Don't forget, I wrote most of those songs, music and lyrics.

I'm not the same person as the character I do in my songs. She's crazy! The 'Daddy Song' was the first sketch I ever wrote, especially on the guitar and everything - and definitely the most offensive. And absurd.

To me, the lyrics of the song define the kind of style it is.

I'm a pop princess at heart. Pop is about distilling what you want to say and making it easy. And the way I write isn't about making things easy. It's a weird juxtaposition.

With 'Elect the Dead,' I learned how to make a rock record without a rock band and make the rock record I've always wanted to make.

My music is - I don't want to say my main focus, but it's what comes most naturally to me.

I never thought of myself as being the singer that wanted to create an identity and then stick to that.