singer-songwriters-from-canada

"I don't really know what the switch is. Any time I'm in a studio, step on stage, or get onto a music video set, there's a five-second reset where I black out and turn into this confident, fearless person."

"I've just always been that child that spent a lot of time around adults when I was younger...I feel like I am super observant of everything everything around me, and I think that makes me a little wise beyond my years. People say I'm like a 40-year-old in a 17-year-old's body."

"My only way to actually know what I’m feeling is if I take an instrument and just start splatting out words. It’s so random. It’s very much like my subconscious speaks; otherwise I have no idea what I’m really thinking and I’m like, ‘what is going on in my brain right now.’"

"Since I was 13 years old, I've been writing songs about how I feel and mental health. So many of my songs are genuinely just my diary entries."

"The most rewarding part is the feeling I get when I am performing on stage. Yes, before I go on stage I get nervous, but when I'm on stage it's the most magical, surreal feeling."

"Canada can no longer view the United States as an ally. We know that Donald Trump doesn’t believe in liberal democracy."

"Canada must be focused on containing this clear and present danger to our nation and the rule of law."

"We’re not talking about creeping fascism here. This is full on police state tyranny from the gangster President Donald Trump."

"I’ve received hundreds of messages of concern and outrage from Canadians that a convicted felon, sexual predator, and a man who threatened our nation’s sovereignty, is being allowed into our country."

"Donald Trump poses a clear threat to American democracy, to Canadian sovereignty, and to the international rule of law."

"Having power means a lot of things: getting closer to the truth and, therefore, to danger... having to make sacrifices... having to accept that difficult decisions you make will be misunderstood."

"For me it's important to make great dance songs, growing up as a dancer. You know, not only just getting lost in the beat but getting lost in the lyrics whether it’s about having a great time or having lyrics with more of a purposeful meaning."

"Take advantage of every opportunity that you get. I was always one to go into any singing competition and taking advantage of offers for any performances. Just get as much experience as you can. Don’t listen when people say "Oh you can’t do that." If you want it keep going for it."

"We will leave the empty chairs to those who say we can't sit there; we're fine all by ourselves."

"I really, really fuck with Alessia Cara. She’s beautiful as fuck, her voice is like water, it’s like milk, I think it’s gorgeous. It has so much dimension, and she deserves every accolade that she gets. And people can’t be mad. I don’t give a fuck when her album came out! She sounds great right now! So, like, it’s over. You have to just move over and be grateful for the shit that did happen in your favor."

"It was the first time I’d been introduced to so many people in one place. If anything it solidified my belief that this is what I want to do with my life."

"To me "where the wild things are" is a place that exists in our minds; it's a place of liberty and shamelessness. It can take a split second or a lifetime to find it, but once you do, you'll be free."

"I want to be remembered as a person who, or as an artist who provided comfort for people."

"My daddy says that life comes at you fast, we are like blades of grass: We come to prime and in time we wither away."

"Success is when you see something, and you say, 'I want to do that,' and then you do it. It's being happy with what you do and doing what you love every day."

"There's a wild thing that exists in all of us. It lives in our passions, in the people we love, in our subconscious thoughts, our beliefs. It's even made a home in the darkest parts of us, but we can't be scared of it, we have to become it."

"You belong here."

"[A] paper sailboat: They seem so frail, but when you put them on water they float. It's a reminder that even though I'm small and seem weak, I'm not."

"I didn't think that working hard and wanting something that's out of your control would be that bothersome to people. It was just really disappointing for me."

"I think music is like my only talent, unfortunately. I just utilized it as much as possible."

"I think if you're meant to do something, no matter what, you'll always get there and I think you'll find your path, no matter what."

"And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust"

"There is a house built out of stone Wooden floors, walls and window sills Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust This is a place where I don't feel alone This is a place where I feel at home"

"Out in the garden where we planted the seeds There is a tree as old as me Branches were sewn by the color of green Ground had arose and passed it's knees By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top I climbed the tree to see the world When the gusts came around to blow me down I held on as tightly as you held onto me"

"Yeah, I am! It sounds so stupid – to be a nice person is the best thing in the world – but, yeah, I’m 20 and I just want to have fun. What I don’t want to do is live the rest of my life thinking, ‘I wouldn’t do that because I’m known as Prince Charming.’ The second that someone corners you into a personality, you don’t want to be that person any more."

"For me it’s hurtful. I get mad when people assume things about me because I imagine the people who don’t have the support system I have and how that must affect them."

"I've always had a crush on Anne Murray, since I was like 9 years old. But no, [Ingenue]'s not about her."

"If you have a dream, a passion and have the opportunity to make it happen, great. BUT, if you can’t get to it right away, which is quite often the case, give the job you’re doing 100 per cent and keep your eyes open. You never know what opportunity might arise … something you never thought of could become your life’s work. Success of any kind is the result of hard work … there’s no shortcut."

"[Anne Murray] embodies the Canadian popular music industry. She's been so successful within Canada and internationally. She's really identified with Canada, even one of her songs Snowbird, that's so Canada."

"That's something that I regret – that I allowed them to browbeat me into doing an album every year. Because when I took time out to have children I got behind in my albums. One year I had to do three in a row. The same year! Just to keep up with my contract with them. What a pile of bullshit that is."

"You know what? When someone does that for me, it makes me feel really good. It's like you're important."

"I guess that singing is probably a very selfish thing. I guess it doesn't matter what you do. It's selfish in a way 'cause there's satisfaction involved and so. As a singer, you sometimes have to justify your reason for existence in a sort of a way because: what really are you doing for people, they say?"

"The climate in Sweden is rather the same as in Canada. It makes me feel at home."

"[Glen Campbell] was a wonderful man and he was so good to me. Every time that I ever asked him to do anything, he was here for me always."

"I was sitting in my suite one night after the show, and I looked out at the [Las Vegas] Strip and saw the huge neon billboard with my name on it, spelled out in those giant letters they use. Then I looked across the street at Caesars Palace and saw Frank Sinatra's name, in the same giant letters. And I said to myself, 'Face it, Anne; you're in the business.'"

"I hated my life when I was going through those early days and having to deal with drunken musicians and drugged musicians. I hated it."

"I`ve been called just about everything, but I`ve always thought of myself as just a singer."

"What you saw was what you got. There was no difference from me on stage and me sitting here talking to you."

"If you think asking for help betrays weakness, get over it. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It’s a sign that you’re confident enough to admit that other people may know more than you know or can do things better than you can."

"Comfort zones, after all, are the enemy of growth."

"Unhappiness is simply when the picture in your head doesn’t match the picture in front of you."

"Being part of a rock band takes a lot of energy. That is one reason I became a vegetarian. I feel better physically, I have a lot more energy and I feel better emotionally knowing that I am not contributing to the suffering of animals worldwide. Remember, every time you sit down to eat you have a choice to make. I hope you choose to make a difference."

"I would never preach vegetarianism. It’s such a personal choice. It’s got to suit you, and be right for you: emotionally, spiritually and physically. If it’s working for you, that’s really great. … I definitely think there are some benefits. I know a lot of people that have had cancer, for example, and they’ll make a point of telling me, ‘The first thing my doctor told me to do was stop eating meat during this process.’ I think it’s interesting a doctor would suggest a vegetarian diet when you’re already sick. … I stick to a mixture of real raw, whole-food items every day. I make sure I’m eating greens every day, and nuts, and food that’s not processed. I do that every day."

"And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go"

"No matter what you've lost Be it a home, a love, a friend Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again."