Quotes About Interpretation

I listened to Billie Holiday a lot in order to learn to sing. She remains one of the extraordinary jazz singers. But my intent is to become my own voice, to be able to interpret these songs in my own way.

A lot of what I have always done is do other singers.

My advice to singers is always the same: 'Don't sing the song, sing the lyric.'

We singers have a different level of responsibility from other musicians. We have words that we must convey; we have meanings that we must convey through these lyrics.

Nobody thinks mystery writers go around killing people, but they always seem to assume singers are singing about themselves, especially if you write melancholy songs like me.

I tell young singers not to listen to themselves. What I hear is not what you hear.

Singers have a lot in common with actors because you have to dig deep into a song and show the audience what you are feeling as you sing.

Music is an expression of individuality; it's how you see the world. All art is, for that matter. You take how you experience the world, interpret it, and send it out there - express it - whether it's sculpture, dance or singing.

In some ways, I've always approached singing as acting, and the voice is just like a way of carrying the song.

I think singing and acting go hand in hand. Take an R&B singer: one song says, 'I love you,' the next is, 'Baby, don't leave me', the next is, 'If you leave me I don't care.' You have to drop in and out of different perspectives.

What comprises good performance? The ability through singing or playing to make the ear conscious of the true content and affect of a composition.

It's important to have an open mind while singing.

I feel a composer should not crave to sing songs because songs itself decides its voice. The films where I have given music, I have kept my option for the last. I like to make music and not necessarily singing all the songs.

They look for the top note to end every song. They don't know what they are singing about. There is no style.

There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.

Some movies bring out the creativity in you. Every single audience member can become creative in the face of a particular movie. If you happen to like my films, it's because my films provide a bed for you on which you can find your creativity. The Hollywood movies do not provide that for you.

Music hits everyone differently every single day.

I don't believe really good plays - interesting plays, complicated plays - can mean just one thing to every single person in the audience.

Every human being sees something different in a painting, so I want every single person to have their own thoughts about our songs.

If a girl sings a sexy song, I actually become even more attracted to them.

The Winans have been some of my favorite people, and Marvin certainly has a real anointing when he preaches and sings; he's a great interpreter of my music.

I said if a woman sings an aggressive guy's lyric, it can't miss.

What I look for in a voice is for it to be unique. I don't really care if a singer sings well. Really, it's about emotion, or being able to sing the lyrics and actually mean it. A lot of singers sing good notes but forget about what words they use.

I'd love to write a song that someone else sings that can actually sing really well.