Valerie June Quotes

They're all personal and self-created challenges that I think I've overcome within myself. Being confident enough to get on stage and play, things like that.

Even though I like looking good - don't get me wrong - but if I don't want to, I don't have to.

Memphis held onto me until I was far enough along in my art and then it let me go.

There are a lot of murder ballads out there, but most of them are about killing the woman. I was like, "We've gotta turn this around!"

I know a lot of people that don't pray or anything, and that's fine - but I need to. I don't even want to call it prayer, I just want to call it talking to something bigger than me.

I feel a lot of cities are like, you go and you are trying to do your art, and there are so many other artists there who are so brilliant. And it's kind of like they stomp on the scene, and they are like, "You're not already Picasso? Get the hell out of here!" And Memphis is like, "Well, you'll get there one day!"

I am always excited about playing in front of live audiences because I really enjoy it, for the most part.

As I try to get around with a guitar, a banjo and a suitcase of high heels and dresses, I treasure that little ukulele.

I mean, roots musicians - we can get old, you know? We can get up there and wear overalls and deliver the songs, we don't have to look any certain way.

I met PJ Harvey when I was in England, and the first thing I want to do when I meet a songwriter I admire is to ask them how do they receive songs.

If you want to get broken in good, put four girls on the road together in a van and tour up and down the country.

I can't believe the ignorance there, so I don't allow it to affect my life, I don't allow it to come into my zone, and it's not in my world, really.

When I talk about music in Memphis, it's a place you can go if you are a beginning artist or anywhere in your career, and you can incubate.

I love to read things that have moral messages, and I love to hear stories where it's not just a hook, you have to follow the story, you have to listen to the message of the song, and get it and use it in your everyday life.

Amalgamation is a good word that I like to use - musically and in every way.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to go to Europe, to go to Africa, to go traveling.

Even the sad roots songs have a lot of good stories to them, and the murder ballads are good too. I mean, who doesn't like to watch a nice gory murder film on TV?

The point is to raise your voice and be heard to God. You really are just celebrating being in the presence of other people that believe the same things you believe.

My challenges have not been around music. My hardest thing in music was just sitting down and teaching myself how to play and believing in myself.

I just love music, and I absorbed what I love.

Sometimes when you're in a more fast-paced place, with more to see and do, you miss out on things like nature and beautiful, God-made things. They call it "God's country"!

If my parents hadn't been made to do that from living in the Bible Belt, maybe it wouldn't be something that matters to me - maybe I wouldn't even know how to talk to God.

I'm not religious, but I am spiritual and I am creating my own practice.

I don't even want to call it God. I just want to call it connecting with something that's greater than I am. So that's the biggest thing from Tennessee - the spirit.

I think it's funny how people get confused when they think about church music, because a lot of times there is a soloist who stands out, but my church wasn't like that at all.

I create my own reality. And I'm not the only one. My reality is becoming more prominent.

Im constantly being inspired by the old days and taking things from the past and allowing them to lift me up where I am now.

I'm grateful that music has been a place where I've found freedom.

I've always kind of been in the middle of every room, trying to get people together, no matter what color they were.

I like performing live more than anything. I get a little bit afraid in the studio.

As a woman especially I've found a lot of freedom in music.

If you're going to be stuck somewhere forever, you might as well be around good people!

Whatever people are doing, they're probably going to be doing it five years from now. You have your banker, your general store runner, the principal of the school, and things of that sort. It's nice to see that, and to get old with other people.

I dont marry bandmates just to go marrying bandmates.

I have a lot of different collections of cards at home. It's hard to say my favorite deck, but there is a deck called the medicine cards, and it's Native American animal cards.

Even from when I was in grade school or church or wherever, I was always like: we're one, and we should respect each other and grow as one. And respect each other's diversity, of course.

I must stay true to myself and take my own path all the way.

There are so many different versions of "Tennessee Waltz" and they're all so good.

I try to write down every song that comes to me, even though I know that every song that comes to me isnt a song that I need to sing.

When I think about singing, and music, I think about how the people who live on the East Tennessee side have more of a curve or yodel to their voices, and then you think about the curve of mountains.

I just have to do prayers and meditation and affirmations to myself as I go throughout the day, and that's the only way I'm able to make it through some days.