Famous quotes
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“The UK has always punched above its weight in music on a global level and I don’t see that changing any time soon, especially with some of the artists I know are coming in the not too distant future, so I feel the British music scene is in rude health.”
Jason Iley (born 1969) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Article in Music Week (25 February 2019)
“There are a few people who only like hip-hop music, and a few who only like theatre music, and the rest of us just like good shit. It doesn’t matter what form it comes in. I think we’re all a lot more eclectic than we give ourselves credit for…”
Lin-Manuel Miranda (born 1980) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the combining of musical genres in Hamilton in “Lin-Manuel Miranda on his Broadway smash Hamilton: 'the world freaked out'” in The Guardian (2016 Sep 25)
“The type of artist I am now is so much more focused, verses before, things were all over the place. I was chasing “what was hot” or what I thought the “next sound” was in music. But I was disregarding how I truly felt about the music. Now all that just background noise to me, and I’m all about expressing who I am.”
Antonio Fresco (born 1983) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“'Females of all description' is not a music genre. It's sexist. [There would] never be a 'males of all description' section because the rest of the shop and all other music genres are considered male. Female is not a genre. Don't categorise my sex.”
“In a lot of ways this music is soothing. I think there’s a place for music that is peaceful and soulful unto the spirit. After plane bombings, AIDS and everything that has come upon us in this decade, I think we can use a little solace and reflection.”
Dan Hartman (1950–1994) first seen 1989 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On what he aimed to communicate with his album New Green Clear Blue in “Dan Hartman Manages to Turn a Career Valley into Peak” in Mohave Daily Miner (1989 Mar 7)
“Every piece of music in a way, is like a child, this thing that I’ve given birth to. Every single piece of music that I’ve written, I remember every thing about it. I remember the decisions that I made when I was writing it, and how it was recorded and mixed, and what I’d do different. Every piece becomes personal.”
Ryan Shore (born 1974) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview: Ryan Shore Discusses Composing, Influences (March 19, 2016)
“I’m a huge fan of not overemphasizing music. Sometimes you can get a sense of music underlining things the audience already understands. And, as you say, silence is great. The more silence there is, the more chance you have to underline a newer moment with more refreshment.”
Thomas Newman (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I’m creating music, I don’t have an agenda for a sound or a genre or a message, I just want it to be truthful and representative of the lyrical content that means something to me, and the music that I love.”
Chris Carmack (born 1980) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: ‘Nashville’ Star Chris Carmack on Introspective New EP: Ram Report (December 11, 2015)
“Now when I hear spoken—mostly by the older people who are passing away—it is to me very good. ...the sound is like a warm wind that arises from my childhood. It is the music of memory. ...much of the power and magic and music of words consist not in the meaning but in sound. Storytellers, actors, and children know this too.”
N. Scott Momaday (1934–2024) said by 2024 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I love a lot of different genres of music, but, to me, the most exciting genre right now, and probably for the past two decades, is hip hop. That’s where the most innovation is, although electronic music now is starting to produce some real interesting stuff, and I’m really digging on that a lot.”
Richard Wolf (born 2000) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Composer Spotlight: Richard Wolf (January 1, 2002)
“I don't even want people to say I'm the godfather of Chinese rock music. I would like to say I'm the grandson of Chinese rock music. I want to keep doing something, I don't want to sit there and tell people what you should do. I don't like that.”
Cui Jian (born 1961) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rocker Cui Jian Says his Music Hasn't Changed but China Has" in Voice of America (30 December 2015)
“I had a lot of friends who worked in foreign embassies so I had the chance to exchange music tapes. That's the way I listened to a lot of rock music at that time”
Cui Jian (born 1961) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Chinese rock legend sings on" in BBC (25 August 2010)
“I think that music festivals, clubs, and record companies can really change the Chinese music scene, but I believe there is no festival or record company doing a good job in China. I think the Chinese listening culture is more viewing-like. Everybody takes care of how he/she looks like. They don't care about what they sound like. It could be pretty bad, but there is hope.”
Cui Jian (born 1961) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Cui Jian: Father of Chinese Rock 'N' Roll in UCLA Global (3 June 2005)
“I like Hip-Hop music. I like electronic music. I like, you know - I can get a lot of energies from the young people.”
“The most interesting thing for us is the work of independent record companies. Most often, music "for sale", music for dancing comes to us. The ears get used to the standards. And independent companies have a small circulation of records of groups that are not guided by standards. It's closer to us.”
Viktor Tsoi (1962–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is always easiest to write for the mood I'm in... and after a few hours, I am almost always IN the mood of the music. Because... that's what music does.”
Kevin MacLeod (born 1972) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I am Kevin MacLeod, the composer in millions of YouTube videos, thousands of films, and apparently one amusement park. AMA! (October 14, 2014)
“So, at six in the morning they were already there, attending the mission. These people who were trying to ban our music called us people who make the music of the devil. As children, we watched out for those people from the church and if we saw one, we were asked to run a report that we’ve seen a stranger, a hider. I couldn’t find one because I had the drumming inside me.”
Stella Chiweshe (1946–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Twist is putting out a cigarette with both feet or coming out of the shower and wiping off your bottom with a towel to the beat of the music. If you're wiping off your bottom with a towel to the beat of the music, you can't touch your partner at the same time. That instantly gives us this thing we call dancing apart to the beat.”
Chubby Checker (born 1941) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Chubby Checker: The Wheels Rock Rolls On?, MTV (2001)
“What is very strange musically is that the only music that can really inspire me now is my own music — and I think that’s perfectly normal.I’ve found what I wanted: solitude and the space to think. [...] Soon my piano will arrive, because for composing I really need my instrument.”
Claude Vivier (1948–1983) first seen 1982 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Thérèse Desjardins, 2 July 1982 Gilmore (2014), Claude Vivier: A Composer's Life
“I’m excited not only to play music but showcase the vast array of talented artists cultivating the music scene on the continent.”
DJ Cuppy (born 1992) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Talking how excited she is being a host on Africa Now; Apple Music's Radio show (29 May 2020)
“Gospel music is not a genre but rather music that carries the presence of God.”
“She shared, "When I started music, people didn’t understand it. Being a woman pursuing music as a profession was seen differently.”
Butera Knowless (born 1990) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Recap: Knowless’ beer name, Tems in Kigali, Diamond Platnumz’s wedding, TikTok shutdown, and more. newtimes.co.rw (20 Sept, 2026)
“When I started music, people didn’t understand it. Being a woman pursuing music as a profession was seen differently.”
Butera Knowless (born 1990) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Recap: Knowless’ beer name, Tems in Kigali, Diamond Platnumz’s wedding, TikTok shutdown, and more the new times (September 22, 2026)
“I started doing music while still young before I did any kind of job, so all I have today comes from music”
Butera Knowless (born 1990) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Everything I Own Today Is from Music – Butera Knowless. KT Press (September 26, 2026).
“I do not have friends, I do not need them but music. It has been a healer for me for a very long time. I love all genres of music and I appreciate a lot of artistes, both local and international. You will never catch me hating on another being.”
Adunni Ade (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not being able to graduate on time slowed me down from my music. My parents said, ‘if you’re going to make music, you have to graduate’. I was very frustrated.”
“So, I do a lot of things with my hands; from Aromatherapy to reflexology, massage. I have different escentric things that I do. But I enjoy readings, watching films and listening to a lot of music. So, when I’m writing, I intend to listen to music. When I’m selling my fabrics, I’m having fun as well.”
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (1969–2023) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Challenges and frustration pursuing AMAA Project- Peace Anyiam-Osigwe Vanguard (February 22,2014)
“It was not easy to start doing music as a woman, as a young girl, because music was not seen as a profession. Musicians were considered as people who drink or do drugs.”
Miss Shanel (born 1985) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Miss Shanel talks career, upcoming projects, and moving at her own pace. The New Times. September 21, 2022.
“Music is just like art. And both talents are innate. You must be artistically inclined to be creative. So, it’s the art in me that has found expressions through music.”
Jennifer Eliogu (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was playing Liszt's Eroica etudes when I was 11 . . . though I can't play it now." (Jamal reflects on this with a laugh.) "It all made me eventually settle on calling this great music 'American classical music' instead of jazz. It's the only art form that developed in the United States except for American Indian art. It managed to survive because it's so strong and so natural and so pure.”
Ahmad Jamal (1930–2023) first seen 1996 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interviewed by John Fordham in "Transatlantic fusion" The Guardian (October 18, 1996), p. 42
“[When asked how he practiced] With the door open, hoping that someone would drive down my street in a big luxurious car and hear me! [...] I was never the practitioner in the sense of 12 hours a day, but I always thought about music. I think about music all the time.”
Ahmad Jamal (1930–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I always tried to divest myself of the music business. I wasn’t too thrilled with the music business at any time [...] So I have always sought to do other things.”
Ahmad Jamal (1930–2023) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Pair of Ahmad Jamal Live Albums Capture an Innovator in His Prime" The New York Times (September 8, 2022)
“I have always played my music by ear and I could do music by Michael Jackson within the first year of getting my piano”
Achieng Abura (1953–2016) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Tribute Paid to Kenyan Singer and Social Justice AdvocateArtMatters.Info(December 22, 2016)
“When the teacher realised that I wasn’t very interested in formal music, he started teaching me how to play other notes, opening me up to the kind of music I wanted to make. I was also the school pianist”
Achieng Abura (1953–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Achieng Abura – Afro-jazz songbird with a causeKenyayearbook(May 6, 2022)
“There are many artistes making good music, but Kenyans never get to know them. For someone like me, it doesn’t really matter whether the radio stations play my music or not as I have an established clientele. My worry is for the upcoming artistes”
Achieng Abura (1953–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Achieng Abura – Afro-jazz songbird with a causeKenyayearbook(May 6, 2022)
“My first reason for singing is my love of music. When I am on stage, the real me comes out. It gives me great pleasure that people actually love me and my music. But I am just an ordinary Kenyan and I still eat my githeri (maize and beans) in the same restaurant I did since I was a small girl.”
Mercy Myra wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Lati would sneak me in his car, go to the studio, sneak me in his car. He used to do music, he used to do music and DJ. So then he would carry me to the studio.”
“Commercial music for films doesn’t explore the little, but crucial things in life as the music is often situational. I found it to be a gold mine of opportunity and wanted to give 70mm Dolby-movie quality for short films, and establish my mark in it. My strategy paid off.”
P. V. R. Raja (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I chose to work as a music teacher to cover my living expenses. This chapter as a teacher was a vital stepping stone on my journey to becoming a music director.”
P. V. R. Raja (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don’t think people should box artistes into one style of music. That singular act kills creativity. I, for instance, may have the skills to explore other areas and put my artistic prowess to the test. Putting me in one style of music will kill my creativity. In fact, this act of saying this artiste belongs to this space or that space alone kills creativity, and we must put a stop to it.”
Gasmilla (born 1984) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Edith Mensah, Gasmilla: It’s wrong to categorise musicians by music genres, Graphic Online, October 28, 2023.
“I’ve always wanted to put out my own body of work because I felt like I have a lot to say through my music. I am a genre fluid musician, who just makes all kinds of music and I don’t believe in categories.”
Dato Seiko first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dato Seiko serenades fans with “Grace Effect”, Sunday Standard, 16 December 2020, by Cedric Swanka, Retrieved: 4 November 2023.
“I started singing since my consciousness, and I haven’t stopped since. Music has always been a vital part of my life, mainly because I come from a musical family. It has always been my way of expressing myself. I was always the child that never talked about emotions, so I used Music as a way of me communicating how I feel.”
Dato Seiko first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dato Seiko serenades fans with “Grace Effect”, Sunday Standard, 16 December 2020, by Cedric Swanka, Retrieved: 4 November 2023.
“This music thing was never a part of my plans at all, I grew up really confused, I had no idea what I wanted to become so every time my mind was changing on what profession I want to do. Music is a blessing I stumbled upon because I was so confused about what I wanted to do until it just came to me accidentally, coming into it from my life before where I was very reserved and quiet.”
MzVee (born 1992) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I never thought of becoming an artiste – MzVee, Ghana Web, 12 October 2021.
“Music is what I do, I love music so yes it has been worth it, it was very necessary that I come back and I’m glad I did.”
MzVee (born 1992) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Delali Sika, Comeback love is overwhelming—MzVee, Graphic Online, 24 June 2020.
“The music industry is progressing, I don’t see Ghana music today the same as it was. Things are getting better every single day; the shows and security have become better. There’s more room for improvement on everyone’s side.”
MzVee (born 1992) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Delali Sika, Music industry is ‘dirty’ - MzVee, Graphic Online, 3 July 2020.
“If I was not doing music, my life would have been boring. I do not see what I would be good at, I can’t do an 8 to 5 job. I am the kind of person who wants to be on the go every time, music is my everything.”
MzVee (born 1992) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: It’s Time To Admit Music Industry Needs Help - Mzvee, peacefmonline.com, 31 March 2021.
“There has been an explosion of new talent and creativity, taking what has been the traditional marketplace and moving it into a global export platform. In the music scene, young people have used indigenous languages to create new music genres like Amapiano, gaining global visibility.”
Alinah Kelo Segobye wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I went through a lot since Kgosi came onto this earth. I know a lot of people have been saying that I'm quiet... I haven't been feeling like making happy music. I have been making music and thank God that I can do that all the time,”
Busiswa Gqulu (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I went through a lot since Kgosi came onto this earth. I know a lot of people have been saying I’m quiet. I haven’t been feeling like making happy music. I have been making music and thank God I can do that all the time,”
Busiswa Gqulu (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I couldn’t wait to pursue my love of singing again. Music helped me through a lot in the hospital, and it seemed like I was far away from my troubles when I was singing or listening to music.”
Angelica Hale (born 2007) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source