Musical Message Quotes

The music comes through me, and I let it come the way it comes, and it shapes itself. I just hold space for it. I don't intend to write it for a purpose, but it comes as it comes and am proud of the way it can support change because I believe strongly in what I sing about.

Be serious. Folk songs are serious. That's what Pete Seeger told me. 'Arlo, I only wanna tell you one thing. Folk songs are serious.' And I said, 'Right.'

The music should speak for itself, and hopefully it will.

I don't go in the studio to make music that won't matter. I go in every night to try to make a point and make the best music that I can make.

I'm not going to make a song just to make a song. The day that I make an album, it's so that people really know what Bad Bunny's about.

There are a lot of great artists with great voices who aren't singing what they should be singing.

Because of my song 'Sam Stone,' a lot of people thought I was interested in writing protest songs. Writing protest songs always struck me as patting yourself on the back.

And I'm not trying to write heavy songs.

Our music, whose eternal being is forever bound up in its temporal sounds, is not merely an art, enriching beyond measure our cultural life, but also a message from higher worlds, raising and urging us on by it's reminders of our own eternal origins.

My songs are self-explanatory... somebody pointed out to me that... my songs pretty much speak for themselves.

Bob Marley is a huge influence. I love reggae music, but I also love the purpose of the songs he writes and the style of the music - it takes your worries away and makes you feel good, and I think that's what music is about.

What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection to trying to make revolutionary change, and I don't need to change my music to get to a certain audience.

I use whatever it takes to make the tracks identify what me and Guru are all about.

Every time I come with an album I try to do something different and obviously my life has an influence on how I feel and the type of message I want to give with the music.

I live a life of creating, sharing music with wonderful musicians that I love like family, and spreading a message through music that life is yours to live wide open, and do it your way with love.

I made the decision that my contribution needed to be more musical than political. My music was enough, politically. Art matters. Art was enough. My music was enough to say what I had to say.

I'm always giving life lessons in my music.

I have never composed a song keeping in mind that I should touch any social issues.

As frustrating as it is to not have a record come out, I have to make sure that it's worth putting out. I have to be trying to say something, for one. I have to not oversell what I'm trying to say. I can't 'Bono' it.

I don't want people to confuse me as an MC that talk about nothing.

I make grown-folks music, and I'm cool with that. I accept that. I try to be witty while also delivering a message.

I'm just the instrument for the song to do whatever it's supposed to do-heal, inspire or encourage. It's not all about me, it's about the song. I'm just the lucky girl who gets to sing these songs.

Music is powered by ideas. If you don't have clarity of ideas, you're just communicating sheer sound.

You've really got to appreciate an artist that's really outspoken and feels like his music can change the world.

I am a politically motivated person, and that will come through in the music. I'm not sure if every song will be 'Take Me to Church,' but I can only hope that people enjoy the body of work that I have ahead of me.