Song Artist Quotes

#1. One song will launch you, but you don't want to be a one-song artist.

Michael Bolton

#2. I just try and get the best out of an artist - we all have a responsibility to fill the world with awesome songs!

Matt Squire

#3. But it's not just "Do you want a hit?" More importantly, it has to be something we - the artist and I - like. If you go in just wanting a hit song, it's not going to happen that way. You have to first be committed to making music you like.

Lukasz Gottwald

#4. When you touch and change peoples lives with a song, that's when you've made it as an artist

Tim McGraw

#5. History has proven that it's impossible to crush the artist. There's always gonna be a need for somebody to write a poem or sing a song about something, about life - that makes it real. There's the word that goes beyond the word.

Mos Def

#6. So few hip-hop artists have ever advanced. Their songs on their seventh, eighth albums sound exactly like the songs on their first album. More than an artist, I'm a real person-and real people grow. And I wanna just sing my growth.

Kanye West

#7. I think it is your job as an artist to be able to hear a song.

Keifer Thompson

#8. If you want to be a songwriter and place a song with a popular artist, then it's OK to follow the trends. This is mainly because many labels are afraid to take big risks on something that sounds too different than the status quo.

Wendy Starland

#9. 'Brand-Dropping' is the term that the Kluger Agency coined to describe discreetly advertising by product mentioning in song, and we feel we can make this the way of the future without jeopardizing any artist's creative outlet or typical style.

Adam Kluger

#10. One of the things I love about doing things that are creative is that I feel like it's my right as an artist not to be affected by the reactions of those people that are going to hear my songs.

Zooey Deschanel

#11. When I'm sick of myself, and when I don't know what to say as a solo artist, I can write a song for a movie. When I don't know where to turn musically, being in a band - Rilo Kiley or Jenny & Johnny - the collaborative nature is really exciting.

Jenny Lewis

#12. One of the coolest moments for me is still when Kenny G came back to a venue to find me and personally tell me that he loved my song "Void of a Legend" and had watched the video several times. It's the ultimate feeling to get feedback like that from an artist you look up to

Antoniette Costa

#13. Now one thing I think is really lame, is if you're an artist and you go to a karaoke bar and sing your own song. I like to get up there and sing stuff that I would never sing on stage anywhere else. Like Neil Diamond.

Jason Aldean

#14. It seemed like an impossible task to do full justice to all Luther classics. And yet these landmark artists have done just that. Memorable performances of wonderful songs that ensure Luther's legacy will live on forever.

Clive Davis

#15. I don't look at myself as a celebrity. People recognize me, but it's all about my music, my songs. It's not like I'm a greater being. I take my kids to school, pick them up, go to the grocery store. I'm a mother, and my kids mean more to me than even being an artist.

Faith Evans

#16. It used to be that you'd have a song recorded by a major country artist and if it was a hit, you could buy a car. Now you can buy a dealership.

Tom T. Hall

#17. I just started to understand my craft, what I wanted to do as an artist. It's just a growing process. Figuring out exactly what I wanted to do and obviously I toured a whole bunch. I did a lot of song writing for other people and then just settled back into my zone.

Young De

#18. I don't think radio is selling records like they used to. They'd hawk the song and hawk the artist and you'd get so excited, you'd stop your car and go into the nearest record store.

Herb Alpert

#19. Corporations have steered the industry into what it wants, and a lot of times they will make artists record what it wants or to make songs talk to who they want to talk to. But sometimes the heart and the head have to be able to talk and deal with a situation that's evident.

Chuck D

#20. I think there is a song out there to describe just about any situation.

Criss Jami

#21. I think Frank Ocean is a talented artist; I think he's created material that made me know his name, that impressed me, with things he said on a song like 'Novacane.'

Curtis Jackson

#22. Whenever I wrote songs - particularly back then - it would always be for a particular artist.

Allen Toussaint

#23. The artist has to be exactly the opposite [of people singing the song, I've gotta be Me,] and transcend himself as he makes judgements.

Romare Bearden

#24. The answers were maddeningly absent - it was like trying to remember a song that you knew made you feel a certain way, without a title, artist, or even a few bars to bring it back.

Jennifer Egan

#25. I'm not deciding what the artist is going to write about because it's the artist. They're gonna have to sing that song for the rest of their life. When they're old and they're 80 and they have their show in Vegas, they're gonna have to sing that song for the rest of their life.

Benny Blanco

#26. I could say that 'Exile On Main Street' was my favourite or whatever, but I'm more about the songs and the artists and the sound that they bring.

Paul Weller

#27. It's a blessing as an artist to express myself - whether that be via dance, via song or via speech - in so many different ways.

Bebe Neuwirth

#28. I always thought that it was every performer's dream. That's the epitome of being an artist, being able to express song, dance and acting in a live theatre setting and really connecting with an audience on that level.

Deborah Cox

#29. Everyone is here on earth as an artist; to tell his particular story or sing her irreplaceable song; to leave a unique creative signature.

Leonard Wolf

#30. It's tough as an artist to have such a specific vision for your video in mind when you write a song. Reaching out to directors is like going on blind dates and trying to find someone who sees the exact vision behind your music, which can be really difficult.

Hayley Kiyoko

#31. I think that video content is really important for artists these days. Not necessarily for MTV, but to really just get your name out there as a business card. Nowadays, when people want to hear a new song by an artist they immediately go to YouTube. Stream it.

Matthew Mayfield

#32. I think I'm just trying to be myself and write songs that are honest. That's what I hear in artist's that I like.

Michael Gungor

#33. Sometimes I write songs that just come out in a pop format because I grew up on melody and these amazing artists during the 80s. It's my tradition and it's something that I can't really control.

Robyn

#34. My favorite song I ever wrote is 'Yeah 3x' because it was my first placement. It was with a great artist, Chris Brown, and I couldn't believe it at the time. Honestly, I still can't really believe it! It is the first time someone ever gave me a shot, so that is my favorite.

Sevyn Streeter

#35. The golden rule would be to write a great, authentic song that is well produced and it will find its home. The audience can feel whether or not the artist is being genuine in their music. It's up to the artist to have the courage to reveal their truth through their songs.

Wendy Starland

#36. What a good session musician does is listen to the song, to the artist, and to the other players. That way you can help bring out the song and help the artist express what they want to express. It's never about you stepping out and showing you can play something fancy.

Benmont Tench

#37. The only problem I had on The Voice, was wishing that we, as artists, could have had a stronger opinion in our own song choices. At the end of the day, it's still a vocal competition show and you want to sing the song that showcases your voice the best.

Curtis Grimes

#38. It is a fact that each song an artist creates is unique and although fans tend to be loyal, ultimately the quality of the record will decide how it sells.

Greg Ginn

#39. My process for the parodies is that I get an idea for a song and then get approval from the artist and then go in and record it and probably try to get it out as soon as possible.

Al Yankovic

#40. I think artists are entitled to their songs. I'm very vocal and I understand that not everybody's gonna like me; it's not for everyone.

Jean Grae

#41. I started crying, because there's nothing like hearing that the artist who originally did the song likes your version.

Kelly Rowland

#42. When I'm writing a song for another artist, I purposefully make it not for me; otherwise, I get too attached.

Keri Hilson

#43. Artists are like messengers. A song is authored by you, but its interpretation is owned by other people. And you have no control over that.

Pharrell Williams

#44. I think whatever an artist does, it just has to be quality and good. I think the way Kanye's doing what he's doing with the Auto-Tune is actually creative because he just writes good melodies. He just writes good songs. He's just gifted.

Will Ferrell

#45. What is so important is that you play for the artist and for the record and for the song ... everything else falls into place ... my solo has to be a complement to the singer and the song ...

James Burton

#46. What I always look for in just about any band or artists I sign is their songs.

Seymour Stein

#47. You can't steal an artist's songs and also tell him he can't license that music to a commercial.

Jack White

#48. Music being "good or bad" is a flawed idea. Artists make what they want to make and we either connect with it or we don't. Just because we relate to some songs more than others doesn't make the others less valid, we just don't understand them. In fact, we aren't meant to, and that's all right.

Jacob Bannon

#49. There's more well-known artists who aren't making as good songs as people who are just coming out of nowhere. That seems to be more typical in the last few years than ever.

Beck

#50. My record, Evolution, is really about me evolving as an artist and trying a few new things. There's a song called, Road Worn, which is about spending so much time on the road and is a lot more jazzy sounding than most of my other music.

Eliot Lewis

#51. When I put out my first mixtape, '50 Cent is the Future,' it was the first tape where an artist did the entire tape in song format.

Curtis Jackson

#52. An artist creates songs and timeless moments that are reflections that impact culture, and you can do that in any way - with guitars, ukelele, a computer. So, that will never die. It's always the artist behind the computer, not the computer.

Skrillex

#53. The first two songs that I wrote, produced and demoed with my voice on it was that song and then Akon's "Sorry, Blame It On Me." The first two demos I ever wrote and demoed, the two biggest artists at the time took them.

Bryce Wilson

#54. I love a lot of the young, new artists who are coming up, including Adele. I suppose anybody would freak out to work with her. To be able to play a saxophone solo on one of her songs would be the most ultimate thing ever.

Dave Koz

#55. I try to keep my ear to the streets without sacrificing who I am as an artist. If a song needs a drum machine I'll use a drum machine. If it needs a drummer, I'll use a real drummer.

Teena Marie

#56. I'm a very message-oriented artist, and each song has a totally different meaning.

Claudia Lee

#57. It's important to tell the artist's story. It's their song! And it's always more fun to write together with the artist!

Tove Lo

#58. I'm competitive with anyone who writes a good song - I don't care if it's a band or solo artist or whoever.

Chris Martin

#59. I think that songwriting is understood from an early age that was the priority to figure out first. Learn to write a good song, and then figure out who you are as an artist because, once you know how to write a good song, you can dress it in any kind of clothing.

Lights

#60. When people see you have a song on MTV, they think you are doing well - but you know, the way the traditional label deal was set up, it is really hard for an artist, unless they sold a lot, to see anything.

Jill Sobule

#61. I feel people are seeing me as a true artist rather than a singer, or an entertainer, or a girl who just makes songs.

Alessia Cara

#62. In terms of covers, it's always nice to do ones that aren't actually getting played by the original artist anymore. I just love the song; I love that band, and it's nice to be able to play it.

Scott Hutchison

#63. It was great fun to be able to work with so many different artists. And I'm paying a tribute to the Beatles. I've just recorded some of their songs.

Billy Preston

#64. They understand what their market is and who they should be selling records to, and most importantly, they know the kind of artist that they want to be, but they have to do it themselves. You don't want a 13-year-old singing some awful song from a musical.

Simon Cowell

#65. If you get a song right for its usage at the time, it can be useful to others ... Those songs are more friendly to other artists looking for material.

Rodney Crowell

#66. Most of the time when people work with an artist, they don't give them what they need for the future, they give them what their last album sounded like. So it's like, 'Oh, One Republic needs a song, why don't we send them 10 that sound like 'Apologize?'

Benny Blanco

#67. I think, you know, for me, whatever I need to slot into to make that music the best it can be or help the artists, or whoever I'm working with, achieve whatever vision they have in their head for a song.

Mark Ronson

#68. Every artist wants some sort of feedback, because you make this music and you hope people love it and you want to hear if they love it and what they love about it, what their favorite song is, what they think the next single should be. I like to hear those things.

John Legend

#69. The channel of art can only become clogged and misdirected by the artist's concern with merely temporary and local disturbances. The song is higher than the struggle.

Adrienne Rich

#70. I'm self-deprecating, but I'm an artist, too. I have to write new songs to chronicle stuff for myself. I write a song like 'Middle Age' or 'Responsibility' or 'I Just Work Here,' and it's about how bleak life can be. But it's real.

Steve Forbert

#71. Does it bother me that some people are burning their own System CDs and taking money out of my pocket? Not really. This has always been about putting the best possible version of the song in the fans hands. It was like selling an artist's painting before he had finished it.

Daron Malakian

#72. If you are a cabaret artist and you are mostly singing other people's songs, you're asking them to rethink a song, listen to it in a different way. The most impact you can have while asking them to re-listen to a song is if it's a song they know very well.

Alan Cumming

#73. The purity of finding the right artist, that artist that's gonna be the next hall of famer, that artist that's gonna be the next headliner, lifting people out of their seats at Madison Square Garden, that song that's gonna be sung for hundreds and hundreds of years, that essence remains the same.

Clive Davis

#74. I have so much music that I do. Just like how a visual artist is always sketching something but they might not share it, I'm always writing songs or coming up with melodic lines on piano or guitar. It's therapy. It's always happening.

Erykah Badu

#75. I'm tired of feeling like I'm fucking crazy.
I'm tired of driving till I see stars in my eyes.

Lana Del Rey

#76. It wasn't until I wrote 'Hideaway' that I found the song I related to as an artist.

Kiesza

#77. There is something deeply satisfying in shaping something with your hands. Proper artificing is like a song made solid. It is an act of creation.

Patrick Rothfuss

#78. I think my favorite song from another artist would have to be 'Superstition' by Stevie Wonder.

Nick Jonas

#79. I think, sometimes, artists release music too fast. If you just sit back and listen to the track for a little bit you could pick and choose how you want to do it and see if you really feel the song, because sometimes you might not even like the song after a few listens.

Schoolboy Q

#80. 'Awwsome' was a different type of song for an artist like me, but it's still a true song. I was talking street stuff, but I was feeling awesome.

Shy Glizzy

#81. Lots of people say it's the song. For me, it's not always the song - there's something bigger: the spirit of an artist.

Steve Lillywhite

#82. My talent is definitely a gift. I don't understand where it comes from. I don't play an instrument, and I never went to school for music production, but I know exactly how a song should sound and how to give an artist direction.

Sean Combs

#83. A lot of artists are used to their music being reused online and have come to accept and embrace it. You have a generation who go on YouTube and remake and remix music online all the time. They remake and upload songs and videos, and then other people remake the remakes; it just keeps going.

Girl Talk

#84. I'd love to be an artist that's multifaceted. At the moment, I am not. But wouldn't that be cool if I was like, 'Yeah, let me pull out my guitar and play you a song.' I would adore that. I am so far not gifted in that way. But I am a very hard worker and a very determined person, so who knows?

Anne Hathaway

#85. As a new artist there's always outside influences trying to tell you how to make a song better for radio and how to do your hair.

Josh Groban

#86. It's pretty cool that artists like Flo Rida and Bingo Players can be inspired to interpret a song like 'Piano in the Dark' in completely new genres. As an artist and writer, it's the highest compliment we can be paid.

Brenda Russell

#87. You are the song of every bird, you are the poet's every word, every artist's picture, every writer's play.

Dolly Parton

#88. When I'm picking songs for an album I always want a song that I can relate to and that I have experienced. There's nothing worse than watching an artist try and sell a song that isn't believable coming from them.

Kelly Clarkson

#89. As a white male in America, I have privilege. As a white male who happens to be an artist with a fan base, I have a platform to spread awareness about that privilege. However, songs about race and privilege are very difficult to A) write and B) dissect as a listener. They're heavy.

Macklemore

#90. Of course, the kids who had never heard of a person called Ben E. King were then aware of the name associated with the song. That gave a tremendous lift to me as an artist.

Ben E. King

#91. With millions of people creating songs and uploading them to the web internationally, most artists know they need to dismantle the monetary barrier between themselves and the listener or they simply wont be heard.

Josh Garrels

#92. I really enjoy writing and producing for other artists. Some people save their best songs for their own albums. I'd rather give another artist one of my songs. At the end of the day, it still represents me.

Missy Elliot

#93. I am honored I have performed 'Quizas Quizas Quizas' with Jennifer Lopez, an eclectic artist who thanks to the charismatic power of her voice and to her soft sensuality, has managed to make this song particularly convincing.

Andrea Bocelli

#94. That's one of my struggles as a hip-hop artist. If I feel like doing a super conscious song where I don't even rap.

SonReal

#95. I took guitar lessons and recorded the song in New York. It was kind of a dream. I got to pretend I was a recording artist for a couple days.

Kristen Wiig

#96. Music is made by individuals. Some artists will be very politically overt in their songs, some will be more subtle. You have to be true to yourself, true to your nature.

Win Butler

#97. To write a good song, an artist has to drawn from reality. There has to be some spark from realism that communicates a real feeling to someone else. You have to be real. Or you have to be a really good storyteller.

Daryl Hall

#98. My first song was Hula Hoop Song, in 1955. It was a novelty song. I had to find someway to reach out and it was with a novelty song. Now, all of my recording obligations have been taken care of. I made 14 albums for Warner Brothers. Five for United Artist before that.

Gordon Lightfoot

#99. I never have used any other artist as a model for a sound or a song. It always has to come from an emotion, and capturing the essence of that emotion in a song.

Brian Bell

#100. As an artist, you never want to write the same song again, you always want to challenge yourself to writing in a different way.

Serj Tankian