Quotes About Self-expression

I consider myself to be an inept pianist, a bad singer, and a merely competent songwriter. What I do, in my opinion, is by no means extraordinary.

I don't really like to call myself a brand, and I don't like to think of myself as a brand. I'm a singer, a songwriter, a musician and a performer. And an actress, and all the other things that I do. When you add it all together, some might call it a brand, but that's not my focus.

I always was really confident about myself, about my voice, myself as a person, my body, all of those things, but as a songwriter - I just didn't identify as a songwriter at all.

I am neither such a great songwriter or such a great singer that the world must hear my album. There's just no point to make.

I'm more of a songwriter. I love writing songs. I love writing my songs. It's always been writing for me, and it makes it different when you're writing for yourself.

There's two things that are tough when you're trying to be a songwriter: Number one is, how do I write a great song? The second thing is, how do I write a great song that's right for me?

With pretty much everything that I've done, in terms of going from being a songwriter and producer for other artists to doing my stuff, all the songs that I've kept to myself have always been me writing about my life.

I thought I was just going to be a songwriter for other people! And now I get to put out my own music, which is amazing.

My strength was in singing and songwriting, which was a new discovery for me when I was 18. And I decided if I pursued songwriting, which is what was closest to my heart, then there would be no competition. I would just live my life being myself and living my dream.

I would love to do a chick flick sometime soon, a film with strong female characters - when I say strong, I don't mean that they are changing the world, but just be real women.

I would say to someone, 'Make your own stuff sooner.' Also, it's OK to say no to something if it doesn't feel right.

But, sooner or later I'd love to do a comedy. I mean I think that, you know, people don't think that that's in my wheelhouse because I've sort of played a lot of dramatic stuff and that's certainly a side of myself that I want at some point in the right context, in the right stuff, that I find really funny.

You know, I've certainly gone through periods, once I got into this business, where I tried to adopt maybe a more sophisticated style, 'cause they give you all these free clothes.

For the first four or five years I was in Korea, I took a lot of direction from my management and label in terms of what people want. I found myself trying to fit into that thing I never felt comfortable with because the critique I got was that I was too American, and too sophisticated and polished in terms of my musicality and it won't sell.

I didn't want to be Nelsons's wife. I wanted to be soprano Kristine Opolais.

I just want to be myself, and I really, like, can't say I'm sorry for it. I just can't.

My first customer is myself. When I tell a story I like, I can sleep easy. I'm sorry when audiences don't like it, but I have no choice.

I'm very genuine to who I am, and I'm sorry if people don't like me now.

I prefer to wear big earrings because then you're sorted jewelry-wise.

I don't like labels, but I do have blue eyes and I'm soulful, so what am I going to do?

I think actors are brave souls that have to use parts of themselves that I'm just not comfortable doing anymore.

My music confuses people because they think I will sound a certain way because I look a certain way with the dreads.

It may sound cliched, but it just shows that when you don't let people put you in a box then anything can happen.

I didn't know what kind of sound I wanted to make. I didn't have no influences. I just heard my voice in the microphone and was like, damn, I like that.