Quotes from Kelli O'Hara

By no means, I can't sing any rock and roll.

When I was a kid, I would sing in people's living rooms and for different little family things.

'South Pacific' has a definite heaviness that people don't realize. It's got a seriousness and a message.

I've always wanted to do a Shakespeare play.

Everyone has these ideas, especially about the middle of the country, about people being backwards and three-toothed.

You breathe fast when you're scared.

Some songs depend heavily on the character, but, for the most part, a great song begs for reinterpretation every time it is sung, even when in character.

It's really important that I have a personal life.

My great-grandfather, Peter O'Hara, was born in Ireland, I believe, in County Clare. His father, my great-great-grandfather, had actually come to America a generation before when times were very bad in Ireland. He worked in the Pennsylvania area and did well with horses and farming.

It is such a luxury to open a new book that's highly recommended by friends - either an inspirational yet humorously self-deprecating memoir, or a page-turning piece of fiction.

The 'Carousel' overture has always been one of my all-time favorite pieces of music.

We didn't have a lot of live theater in Oklahoma. I didn't visit New York when I was growing up. I watched movie musicals, and I believed in an idealistic, idyllic version of Broadway.

With a revival, you're compared to somebody else.

Playing characters allows me to do things I may not always do, while singing in concerts allows me to really find my own voice and grow.

If a man thinks you're beautiful or thinks you're strong or thinks you're smart, take the power and use it, but don't need it.

I don't ever sing classically when I am singing a contemporary score - I kind of try to fit in whatever needs to happen.

Corned beef and cabbage - that's our favorite holiday meal when all the O' Haras gather around the table.

You can only ask to be respected if you respect yourself.

I was able to do concerts all the way up until two weeks before I had the baby; I thought I was stopping a month ahead, but he was three weeks early.

I don't have that many family and friends.

I'm a mother, and when you have children, there's a protection. You'll do a lot to protect them, to do what's best for them.

I grew up on a farm.

I've been singing since I was nine or ten.

I think it can be a good idea to know what you do well and use that to open the door for yourself. Once you open the door, close it behind you, and start to make changes.