Welcome to Singer-Songwriter Quotes, a page dedicated to the profound and inspirational words of some of the world’s most talented and influential musicians. Throughout the history of music, singer-songwriters have captivated our hearts and souls with their lyrics, melodies, and unique perspectives on life. This collection of quotes brings together the wisdom and creativity of these artists, offering a glimpse into their thoughts, emotions, and creative processes.
Whether you’re a fellow songwriter seeking inspiration, a fan looking to connect with your favorite artists on a deeper level, or simply someone who appreciates the power of words and music, you’ll find a treasure trove of insightful quotes from singer-songwriters of various genres and eras. Feel free to explore these quotes, use them to accompany your own artistic endeavors, or add a touch of style to them with different fonts and imagery. Let the words of these musical storytellers inspire and uplift you as you navigate your own journey through life and creativity. Now, without further ado, delve into the world of singer-songwriter quotes below!
I’ve put out records over the years, whether it’s with Blackfield or No-Man or Bass Communion or Porcupine Tree, that are pop records, ambient records, metal records, singer-songwriter records. Steven Wilson
When you label something a singer-songwriter record, you cover many genres. Brian Fallon
As a singer-songwriter, what I do is write about how the human feels. Bjork
I really want to be just a singer-songwriter. That’s who I am. Jessica Simpson
I love it when people refer to me as a singer-songwriter. I get flutters in my stomach because they say, ‘This is Grace VanderWaal, singer-songwriter,’ not, ‘This is Grace VanderWaal, winner of ‘America’s Got Talent.” I’m so proud of that; it’s such a big chapter of my life. But it’s nice to kind of not be known as just that. Grace VanderWaal
I’m not just a singer-songwriter doing songs in the key of me. Arlo Guthrie
I have felt for a long time that I want to return back to being a singer-songwriter for a period of time. I will go back to Broadway. But I want to make the right choices about why to go back and when I am ready to go back. Tony Vincent
I could have become a mime or a juggler, but I became a singer-songwriter instead. Vonda Shepard
Video is a funny thing. It’s one thing to be an artist, singer-songwriter, and use words and create pictures in people’s minds. And then be asked to do video for it, to actually give a certain visual for your song. Melissa Etheridge
I was chubby in high school. I used to go to my information technology class, and I would type really fast to get the lesson done quick because the teacher had a little acoustic guitar, and there was a girl I had a crush on in the class. I would take the guitar and pretend to be some great singer-songwriter, serenade her with joke songs. Tobias Jesso, Jr.
I learned classical guitar as a kid at about 7 or 8 years old. When I was about 14, I started dabbling in songwriting. That’s when I got into the folky singer-songwriter style. Passenger
I’m definitely a singer-songwriter. I’m somewhere in the vein between Elliott Smith and Jack Johnson. Bryan Greenberg
As a singer-songwriter I definitely think I push the mould a lot. Ben Howard
Very unique: I was a singer-songwriter-guitarist. Very unusual in the late Seventies to find a singer-songwriter, and on top of that, a guitarist. Andy Kindler
That’s part of it: You can’t be a country singer-songwriter if you’ve never had an official heartbreak. Hank Williams III
I’m always looking for overlooked post-Dylan singer-songwriter records from the ’70s. Noah Baumbach
I love Feist. I love Francoise Hardy. She was a French singer-songwriter in the ’60s who was pretty huge. I think I’m drawn to her sincerity. I love Fiona Apple, too – she’s quirky and really honest in her lyrics. Yuna
I think one thing you could probably say for all my albums is that they’re all pretty eclectic pop. There’s always a little bit of urban influence, some dance, a little bit of country, singer-songwriter, pop-rock. I like everything! On every album you can find that. Kelly Clarkson
When people say the words ‘singer-songwriter,’ I think they have an image in their heads of someone with an acoustic guitar who is a bit woe-is-me. I’d like to think that I’m not one of those. I’m quite a happy person. George Ezra
I’m a singer-songwriter. So I play guitar, and I sing. Along the lines of, I guess you could call it, alternative rock. Brandon Jones
Less is more’ may be a cliche, but that doesn’t mean musicians often heed that advice. Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson, who performs and records as The Tallest Man on Earth, follows it religiously. Anthony Fantano
I know, in so many cases, a lot of the women who came up through the singer-songwriter, Lilith Fair era, the earlier Lilith Fair era, did say that we were influences on them. Nancy Wilson
I love being a very personal singer-songwriter, but I also like being a scientist or explorer. Bjork
On piano, I tend to write either gospel or singer-songwriter songs, sometimes kind of rocking blues songs. But the more heavier rock stuff I will write on bass. Beth Hart
I’ve always thought I crossed this really weird gap between the pop world and some slightly more left-field singer-songwriter music, but everyone’s always comparing me with Ed Sheeran. It’s frustrating. Ben Howard
Sonic Youth was not a singer-songwriter band. It was an electric collective. And, whatever else people’s perceptions of Sonic Youth were, it was always about putting together a time-based composition – and that is exactly what songwriting is, in its classic form. Lee Ranaldo
When I’m outside gardening, it can be so inspiring. I think of words and melodies. It’s peaceful. Every singer-songwriter should find something outside of music that makes them as happy as gardening makes me. Amanda Shires
Joe Walsh is somebody who… he’s a writer, obviously, and he’s a singer-songwriter, whatever, but at the end of the day, when it comes to the Eagles, he’s there to play guitar, and he’s there to supply whatever is needed for that band, and that is what I feel with Metallica. Robert Trujillo
One of my favorite artists is Tom Waits, whom most people think of as a wonderful singer-songwriter and a great poet. I certainly think of him that way, but I also know him as a terrific actor. You know, that persona that he puts on when he’s doing his music comes from being an actor, figuring out a persona. Jeff Bridges
I’m a traditional singer-songwriter. I have a more organic sound. Sara Bareilles
I was kind of a sideman. Then I became kind of a singer-songwriter. J. J. Cale
I’m a folk singer-songwriter. I am pretty poppy though. Vance Joy
A young female essayist saying they’re influenced by Joan Didion is like a young female singer-songwriter saying they’re influenced by Joni Mitchell. Meghan Daum
People want things that address their everyday reality, and that goes for stuff that isn’t political – with singer-songwriter music, people want things that touch them. Boots Riley
I’m still trying to make it. I’m still trying to get this over and do it and hopefully leave some kind of a mark on the course of American music, particularly in the tradition of what you might call the singer-songwriter. Steve Forbert
I think that I’m a powerful female, a young singer-songwriter with an energy that’s not really been done before. I think that’s what people need to know about, you know. Jade Bird
On ‘Kaputt,’ singer-songwriter Dan Bejar reevaluates his band’s sound and drifts away from the David Bowie comparisons that have plagued even his best albums. Anthony Fantano
As much as I love being a singer-songwriter, I love throwing down on stage and letting it all out. Tift Merritt
If anything, I want to be seen as a singer-songwriter rather than a pop artist. Lykke Li
My first album was hip-hop influenced, and my second was more of a singer-songwriter album. Mat Kearney
And that’s the kind of thing people think, you know, that if you sign up to be a singer-songwriter you know how to deal with people setting up hate websites, or people being obsessed with you and crying when you touch them, but you don’t, and you just have to deal with. Jessie J
The way I work, I’m not a confessional singer-songwriter. Andrew Bird
When I started out, I wanted to be Billy Joel. The plan was to be a singer-songwriter of that ilk, and, then, I got waylaid – that’s probably an unfair way to say it – from being a rock star by the musical theatre stuff, which I love doing. Jason Robert Brown
I was in Ann Arbor, and I was told that this singer-songwriter guy wanted to meet me. It was Kurt Cobain. Nirvana had just made ‘Bleach.’ Kurt interviewed me on a college radio station. It was very strange. He was a fan of mine, and he gave me his album. Bobcat Goldthwait
After a while, though, you realize that a whole slew of young singer-songwriter piano players are getting compared to you. That’s when you feel the passage of time is occurring. Tori Amos
Honestly, I’ve been reading a lot of books on visual art. I’ve been reading a lot of books by Olivia Lang, I’ve been listening to a lot of folk and singer-songwriter music, but also a lot of electronic and really hard techno. I’m just trying to create something that pulls from everywhere and that hopefully feels unique. Arlo Parks
A lot of people who were writing when I came through originally as a singer-songwriter have disappeared. Van Morrison
My original dream was to become a singer-songwriter, so I sent a video of myself playing the piano and singing to all the big agencies. Park Bo-gum
I’ve made three studio albums and one live one with my brother. It’s melodic singer-songwriter acoustic-rock music. Kevin Bacon
I don’t like the idea of a singer-songwriter record. I don’t picture myself that way, and it’s not my favorite sort of look, I guess. It’s really just an aesthetic thing. James Mercer
Dean Owens is Scotland’s most engaging and haunting singer-songwriter. Irvine Welsh
As a singer-songwriter, a solo artist with a guitar, I can only write so many weepie little bedroom songs. James Bay
It’s bad to be labeled just another singer-songwriter. James Bay
There was a singer-songwriter who slept on our couch for a year when I was about 7 or 8. She used to sing these songs for us, and I loved it. It was magical to watch her. Vonda Shepard
If somebody says ‘singer-songwriter’ to me, the first person I think of is James Taylor. There are plenty of modern singer-songwriters, but there is something about James Taylor that has always resonated with me. Zachary Levi
I didn’t get into music to become a blues musician, or a country musician. I’m a singer-songwriter. In my book that means I get to do whatever I want. Justin Townes Earle
I don’t think I was ever designed to be a ubiquitous worldwide star. I’m a singer-songwriter writing quite personal songs. You’re not supposed to chuck me on a stage with bells and whistles. There was a struggle ahead after that happened, and perhaps I was trying to write songs to compete in that arena. James Blunt
My brother sings. My brother is a singer-songwriter. His name is Parker Ainsworth. He changed his last name to his middle name. Lauren Worsham
I always did go against the singer-songwriter form. I think I’ve always had a lot of storytelling songs. Jill Sobule
It’s my responsibility as a singer-songwriter to report the news. John Mellencamp
You don’t just wake up one morning and decide to become a singer-songwriter. Karen Elson
The truth is, I initially became a singer-songwriter while still in my teens because it was the only way to guarantee that somebody on earth would sing the songs I was writing. Since then, I’ve performed just about everywhere: rock clubs, concerts halls, arenas, TV. Rupert Holmes
I like country music. I’m not going to lie. I’m from the South, and I grew up on it. My dad was a country singer-songwriter, so it’s in my blood, and I love it. Kim Dickens
I never intended to set out and be a singer-songwriter. I just sort of became one because I put out my own record. Jenny Lewis
I always saw myself as a singer-songwriter, a solo-artist, that’s why working with other artists was never satisfying for me. John Legend
I was playing a singer-songwriter, so I started writing, and I started going up to different places around Los Angeles and reading poetry of my own, which terrified me, but I had to do it. I picked up a guitar and started learning guitar. Inbar Lavi
I think Everclear is a weird combination of a singer-songwriter and a hard-rock band. That’s why some people really dig the band, and some don’t. Art Alexakis
I was always a wannabe ‘singer-songwriter’ but nothing was happening. I was trying for albums. I was too afraid to quit my job for nothing. But my friends kept on encouraging me. I kept on writing songs. My first hit was probably my 150th song. Anupam Roy
I’m sure I would have been considered a more significant artist if I was a singer-songwriter. It’s just not the way I roll. I love being a curator and a musicologist. People write me letters and thank me for turning them on to Fred McDowell and Sippie Wallace, and that’s partly my job this time around. Bonnie Raitt
I’d love to do the straight music thing, but that’s kind of against our mission, which is to rebel against the serious singer-songwriter mentality. Kyle Gass
Yeah, I always listen to both classic and newer folk-influenced music. Singer-songwriter, alternative music. I also listen to more experimental dance music. Brad Delson
You can go out and find ways to make your own record and get it out there now. If you really want to, you can be heard. Keep things simple. Learn to go out and play solo. That’s a really really good thing to learn, if you’re a singer-songwriter. Don’t be dependent on a band because you may not always be able to afford one. Steve Earle
I’m a singer-songwriter, but we get loud and we jump around. We have dance moves; we freak out. It’s really fun, man! Andy Grammer
The stores and the things like that, the business side of things came out at the point when, I’d say probably in the early ’70s, it looked like the year of the singer-songwriter was over, ’cause music changed in our time and the spotlight was out. Jimmy Buffett
The singer-songwriter has always played music that was stylistically rooted in the ’30s and the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. But the fact of the matter is that none of us remember the Depression firsthand. Steve Earle
Even when I was coming up in the singer-songwriter ranks during the early ’70s, I thought that people who were stylists and stuff shoulda still been up on the pedestal. I mean, it’s fine to recognize people who write songs, but it kinda got out of hand, you know? John Prine
I call myself a singer-songwriter influenced by the gospel and jazz tradition. Naturally, because of my lifestyle and love for nature, there’s a lot of folk and Americana there because that’s just my life. Lizz Wright
I trained classically for 11 years and then studied musical theater at AMDA New York. My dad is a singer-songwriter, so I followed in his footsteps. Madeline Brewer
I feel like fans who like old Southern rock and country, and more lyric-driven songs in general, have come to country radio. I think that’s why you see country radio growing and albums selling: People are craving a little more of the singer-songwriter stuff going on in country. Charles Kelley
