women-songwriters

"[On Domenico Modugno] He got really angry when I won [the Sanremo Festival] with "Non ho l'età" in 1964. He went there to win, not to participate. When he wrote "Dio, come ti amo" (Dio, come ti amo), he thought about pairing with me ("that way I'd neutralize her"). It worked, despite the sabotage from the record companies."

"The popularity is shocking, as was the [Sanremo] festival with its circus."

"I sang with the simplicity of a sixteen-year-old girl whose mind is uncluttered by prejudices. I never had any, I'm not a conformist."

"[On joining the Radical Party] I joined not so much out of organic membership, but in response to a plea from the Radical Party, which was struggling to survive. I did it out of gratitude. I didn't vote for them; I was a socialist. I did it so that a party that had brought divorce and abortion to Italians wouldn't die."

"It’s been two years now since I made the commitment. I read the Word often and go to church"

"I remember praying to God crying out to Him that if He saved me, I was going to serve Him. I was not ready to die just yet"

"I knew deep down in my heart that I had not gone to church for a while or done anything Godly in a long time. This were things I was now willing to change about myself"

"This thing was attacking, paralysing and taking control of my body. I could neither see nor hear it, however, could feel its evil presence, ready to get to me"

"I called upon his name and began feeling better"

"I struggled a lot with the separation because the industry calls for you to separate yourself from who you are and the art"

"I have truly been called for this music. Over and above healing those that consume my music, I myself find healing in the messages in my music, I find healing even when I perform"

"I found myself in that dilemma of separating myself from Amanda Black and Amanda who are in essence me, they are one and there is no difference between them"

"We are in the system, and it's rigged. Better we get to know it if we are to survive, break out and thrive, at this moment its near impossible to live outside it. So we need to equip ourselves with the knowledge that will allow us to have more than a fighting chance"

"I ditched my family because they didn't want me to do music. They wanted me to finish school. So I left and came to Joburg. At that time there was something that was pushing me and that was 'the world needs this and the world needs a message that you are coming with'. Because I believe that every time I sing a song, it has a message"

"It's not the award that means so much to me;it's the fact that I was the first woman in 20 years to win the award after Brenda Fassie"

"I feel that with this journey and just relating to the album ... I felt an awakening, I think I reminded myself of who I am ... ever since I started waking up understanding my blackness and my place in the world ... It started then opening my voice again. It shows on social media now"

"Because we need to keep this winning streak going,we can't let it be another 20 years before another woman wins"

"From My Soil to Yours has a lot to do with acceptance of myself — all the versions of me till now — and also opening up the space for versions that are yet to come and understanding that, as a human being, I am ever changing because, at some point, we think that this self-love and self-journey has a stop, whereas it does not"

"You don’t talk about how you become OK and how you went through it, and this is what this album is about ... I ignored my emotional, psychological because I was in the battle ... and I neglected me."

"I remember I was not able to express to people in the house that I don’t feel like getting up from bed, and not being able to give that a name, I just went through this darkness that I couldn’t explain"

"Whether its good or bad. Whether it influences others in a good or bad way. I was told by something at the back of my head that I need to go and work on my goals, go and find what you want to do, its possible. I was driven by the passion that I had."

"The music is about falling in love with self, honouring yourself by self-acceptance. The theme and message is spiritual reconnection and trusting herself with her music"

"I had the time of my life doing this, it was like being a kid the whole time"

"It was hard because when I came to Joburg I did not have a place to stay so I had to squat at the studio to record and make music until I found someone who gave me the opportunity. There were many challenges because of that but fast forward, things ended up good after I recorded uMuzi eSandton"

"I’ve learned that although there is no separation between myself as an artist and myself as a human, I value the ability to continue living my life outside of the limelight which allows me to still be able to be authentic in my artistry"

"I would camp at Big Zulu's studio, so whenever he came to his studio we would all run away because I believe we were not allowed to be there. So we would camp there and make music. It was a lot of us in studio, until this one time I decided that I'm not gonna go when others were leaving, I'm gonna stay and see how this thing works"

"Going through the break-up within the lockdown, I was actually seeing what had actually happened, I had time to think about it and ask myself questions. I couldn’t really run away from myself any more, there was nothing to distract me ... Even being home, it reminded me of myself"

"I went through a break-up, and all my plans were in the trash. I kind of just shut down and I remember that there were so many things happening all at once ... I went through a mental block for two-to-three months, and I was at home ... it made me reconnect with myself."

"I’ve realised my need to talk, I’ve realised my power to talk. I only attributed it to the music for a while and allowed people to tell me it’s only in the music. Now, as I am unfolding, I’m finding my voice to speak for people who can’t speak for themselves, to speak out about things that are affecting me. I am black and I am a citizen of South Africa, that on its own is something to speak out on ... It's because I have found me again, I found my voice again and I am here to use it"

"I am lucky to have an audio diary that I literally go back to before I start a new project, and I listen to Amazulu, I listen to Power and I listen to Mnyama and it gets me to understand quite a lot"

"I believe everyone has a voice and should always find courage to use it even when it’s not popular to do so. Every voice matters. Everyone has got a story to tell"

"Born and raised in the coalfields of Appalachia, Dale Ann Bradley today is one of the most respected bluegrass vocalists, with five IBMA Vocalist of the Year Awards under her belt. She’s got the kind of hard twang of the best Appalachian bluegrass singers, and she’s always one with a kind word and helping hand for new musicians."

"I think we have, just like in society, a way to go for everybody to be recognized equally. [...] But I think women have learned business and honed their craft. They’re great musicians. I think that’s been a very important point for women growing in bluegrass.” For Bradley, Emmylou Harris was one of her first inspirations in music. “When Emmylou came out with ‘Roses in the Snow,’ I was a teenager and that absolutely, that was just it, that was the first real representation of the female artist making one of the best records that ever been in bluegrass, acoustic and roots music."

"I started playing bluegrass music at such an early age that it never really dawned on me that I was the only female around at times. I think that was one of the reasons that I fell in love with Alison Krauss so early on. I was nine years old when I got my first Alison Krauss recording and she really became a big hero to me. I remember getting my first Rhonda Vincent album, too. I didn’t know anything about her music, yet, but I thought it was so cool to see a woman holding a mandolin on the album cover. I remember being about nine or 10 and thinking, ‘that will be me someday—a woman mandolin player!"

"Beat myself till I’m bloody, and I’ll give you a ringside seat."

"I’ll wrap Orion’s belt around my neck and kick the chair out."

"Day-one chip on your dresser get loaded at your house"

"Wish I could write songs about anything other than death."

"Good God, when’re you gonna call it off Climb down off the cross and change your mind? All right, then, I’ll go to hell"

"What if it’s all black, baby, all the time?"

"It’s the mercy I can’t take."

"If you hadn’t come over, I would be so much colder I would be much less confused"

"I thought you'd hit rock bottom, but I'm starting to think that it doesn't exist You've been falling for so long and you haven't hit anything solid yet"

"I want what we have, our beautiful life But the stillness, the stillness, might eat me alive"

"Without you I am surely the last of our kind Without you I am surely the last of my kind"

"You used to be so sweet Now you’re a firecracker on a crowded street"

"A preacher in a t-shirt told me I could be a leader [...] You showed me the light All it did, in the end, was make the dark feel darker than before"

"I let my mind get turned inside out Just to see what the kids were laughing about And it wasn't worth understanding Something I could've gone my whole life not knowing."

"How did they betray me? What did I do? I never touched you how I wanted to If you get married, I’d object Throw my shoe at the altar and lose your respect"

"The people in her songs seem to naturally settle into realms of instability and ambiguity."