There are certain songs that are sacred. People want to hear them just as they are in their head; they don't want you messing around with them. And then there are some other songs, if they've been around a long time in our set list, that I think we can take some creative liberties with.
I've never wanted to name an album from a song title if I could avoid it because I like it to be a body of work.
I would say I like expressing myself in different ways. The way I can express myself in songs is awesome. What you can express through acting is cool too. I just want to let it all out. I like them both for different reasons, though. Music has a freedom that acting doesn't really have, and acting presents a challenge that music necessarily doesn't.
Treat each guitar track-and each song-completely different. For example, if I'm using a certain amp and guitar on one track, I'll deliberately use something else for the next tune or overdub.
My idea was to release four four-song EPs, just like all the old Limey shoegaze bands used to do.
There's no scientific definition. A hymn... is a song of praise to God. I think there were three real goals with our hymns that made them seem more in line with traditional classical hymn writing than with the modern worship movement and differentiate us slightly...
I'm just talking in my songs about what's going on, what's exactly happening right now. If I was upset about something, I wrote a song. There's nothing I can't speak on. And everything I learned is from real-life experience, all first-hand: contracts, record companies, representation, everything. It's not from books: It's coming from the the heart. You can feel my pain, you can hear me turning my pain into a party. I'm not gonna let no one take the fun out of it.
I've reinvented myself every year since 1998, and my style's still changing. It's grittier now. I always gotta try something new. I've grown up. Then I was rapping; now I do music, I write albums. But my distinctive voice and style, people still can't catch it. They're still asking me, "What were you saying on that song?".
I'm my biggest critic. I want there to be no flaws when you hear it. When I think that maybe it's ready, I just hop in my car it's gotta have some bump - and go to corner stores, youngsters on the block, play it for anyone. If they get into it, I get a reaction, the song passes the hyphy test. If it's just cool, we throw it away; it's not going on the record. But if it makes you wanna move - seriously - if it makes you react the same way I felt, then it passes.
I think the world likes to pick apart different songs and play doctor with songs sometimes and make them into this big controversial thing.
Ever since I was younger I wanted to be on stage, singing my songs in a glittering costume. And that happened and is still happening. I have to remember that this is what I wished for and be grateful because there are 500 other girls right behind me that are ready to snatch it up.
I wanted to be that quirky girl who writes funny songs that still have meaning.
And I know, There is nothing that I would not do for you, Forever be true, And I know, Although times can be hard We will see it through, I'm forever in love with you.
I love hearing my song on the radio the first time, but when it comes on again, I change the station. I already have so much of the spotlight on me. I don't need any more.
I called record Prism because I actually finally let the light in and then I was able to create all these songs that were inspired by letting the Light in and doing some self-reflection and just kind of working on myself.
With songs, I've always pledged to be honest. I write my songs because I've lived them.
I love writing songs where the name is the title.
In all honesty, we never tried to get the number-one song anywhere anyway.
I think the best thing for us is to just write songs that we like.
We kind of write pop songs, but we don't fit in the pop world. We're really bad at being pop stars and walking down red carpets. We've got our own little bubble, which we really like. We've learned to really like that.
I love playing the new songs live. I hate playing a new song and then having to play an old song again, it feels really boring.
I wanted to try to make songs that worked as songs, not just as productions. People wanted me to do a solo acoustic session, they were like "Can you play song on the piano?" and I was like "Not really. It doesn't really work." I wanted to write songs that would work in a variation of instrumentation.
As a songwriter, I was really into pulling away from the melodrama and the overdramatic type of writing that I was previously always doing. I think over time my songs have become more and more restrained.
Usually the song is totally done. I'll do absolutely everything, backing vocals - everything - but in gibberish. A lot of times its based on the mumblings that I sing. Even though I sing in gibberish, it kind of makes sense.
My mum's an opera singer: I grew up watching her get swept up in music and transform herself into characters. She taught me that music is a lifelong journey, and that with every day and every song and every gig you learn something new.
