Singer Songwriters

"“I just cracked the code on what I really want to do for my next body of work.”"

"“Getting old is s–t.”"

"“Every decision I make revolves around them, but everything that I do that I love robs me from them.”"

"“It’s very isolating. It’s very lonely. And what am I protecting myself from?”"

"“This feels right. It feels like it digs right into where I need to be … This is becoming my new freedom… I feel like I’ve finally cracked it, girl!”"

"“Musically, I’m feeling open … I just want to play. I want to have fun with music.” Source: Apple Music interview via Revolt (Feb 12, 2023) — “Fans should expect the unexpected as Rihanna talks new music”"

"“Seeing a baby with, like, little bags and waking up and they’re just, like, startled. It’s the cutest. Oh my god, the mornings … it’s my favourite part of the day.”"

"“If I’m going to leave my baby, I’m going to leave my baby for something special … It was now or never for me.”"

"“Lingerie, to me, should be worn any way and anywhere that you want … Whether you want it to be seen on display outside of T-shirts or inside a jacket falling off, or just to be cozy or just to have a little support.”"

"“I approached it like everything I do with fashion… I just want to do things my way and always switch it up and put my own twist on it.”"

"“The troll in me, she had a time. Unfortunately, you can’t take anything back from the internet, so I will always have the reminders, but the best troll in me is the silent troll.”"

"“I don’t know what God wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl. But of course if it’s another boy, it’s another boy.”"

"“I have a lot of visual ideas … My brain is working backward right now. I usually have the music first, and the music leads me into all of these visual opportunities, and now I’m having all of these visuals … I don’t have the songs for them yet, but maybe that’s the key, this time. Maybe the visual ideas are leading me to the songs that I need to make.”"

"“I want it to be this year … Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”"

"“It’s very different… The balance is almost impossible because no matter how you look at it, work is always something that’s going to rob you of time with your child. That’s the currency now, that’s where it goes. When you make decisions of what you’re going to say yes to, it has to be worth it.”"

"“I always believed that when you follow your heart or your gut, when you really follow the things that feel great to you, you can never lose because settling is the worst feeling in the world.”"

"“I just want to do things my way and always switch it up and put my own twist on it.”"

"“I didn’t expect it to happen in waves. I thought it would just happen and grow back.”"

"“Y’all I didn’t drink all year! I didn’t drink all year.”"

"On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you the designee for national hero of Barbados, Ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty. May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation by your works, by your actions and to do credit wherever you shall go."

"My pleasure icons are... Marla Stewart of Velvet Lips. Rihanna, obviously. Lizzo too, the pleasure she gets from just confronting the world with her excellence and then laughing."

"And then I looked up and there she was, my celebrity crush, Rihanna. Before I could think better of it, I was up out of my seat and over in front of where she was sitting. "Hey, Rihanna, my name's Austin," I said. "Nice to meet you." "Hello," she said, looking at me like, Who is this kid? Get out of here. "I'm a big fan," I said. "Thanks," she said. Then I just stood there awkwardly, smiling at her. I think I scared her a little bit, because I just popped up from nowhere, and she had no idea what was happening or who I was. Finally I was like, Okay, I'm going to sit back down. Then I left. All right, that didn't go so well, I thought as I went back to my seat."

"Well, there’s always this human instinct about that, even from a very, very young age. I agreed that we are born with a sort of innate sexuality. But by like age 11, girls were talking about what they had and hadn’t done. I hadn’t even kissed a boy yet, so it always made me feel insecure, like I was never gonna be good or ready or know what to do — I didn’t even have boobs."

"I’m turned on by guys who are cultured. That’ll keep me intrigued. They don’t have to have a single degree, but they should speak other languages or know things about other parts of the world or history or certain artists or musicians. I like to be taught. I like to sit on that side of the table."

"Guys need attention. They need that nourishment, that little stroke of the ego that gets them by every now and then. I’ll give it to my family, I’ll give it to my work — but I will not give it to a man right now."

"You can't even go out with a friend who's a celebrity and have a good time without people making shit up."

"They'd complain to my other neighbor, who was very close to my mom, so we always got the message: I'm too loud. But we didn't really care. They can't tell me what to do in my house!"

"I was a little confused as a kid because I grew up with my mom, and my mom is black. So, I was cultured in a very 'black' way. But when I go to school, I'm getting called 'white.' They would look at me, and they would curse me out. I didn't understand. I just knew I saw people of all different shades, and I was light. Now, I'm in a much bigger world."

"The hardest thing for me is to say no. I feel like a bitch. But sometimes I don't have a choice."

"[My music is] just imagination, being creative; that's what my music is composed with. Being creative and thinking of situations, whether situations I went through or situations I've observed people going through. I can't tell you where I'll see myself in five years, but I can tell you I will work my best to be the most successful artist that I can be in five years. [I want to be] Remembered as Rihanna. Remembered as being an artist from the Caribbean who came here and made it internationally. Just remembered as me, 'cause I'm true to my music, and I just want people to realize that and appreciate me for that."

"People ask me the most naive questions. Someone asked me if we have indoor toilets. I can't get upset. They just don't know."

"While in America beautiful is skinny, in Barbados it's thick — girls with huge butts and nice curves."

"[G]enetically my legs are supposed to be huge. I can't really think about it, or I'll go crazy."

"The label didn't want me to do this look. But cutting my hair, it made me stand out as an artist. I don't care who likes it--this is me."

"He's one of my closest friends in the industry. He makes me feel like a teenager — I have to act and think like an adult so much. He makes me feel young again."

"People don't do them around me. I would never allow it. The people who are around me are people that I love, and I don't want to see people that I love hurt themselves."

"She's Beyoncé, and I'm [Jay-Z's] new protégée. When we see each other we say hi. We're not enemies, but we're not friends friends."

"When the door closes you have two choices. Give up, or keep going. Let them shut you down or prove them wrong. We all start somewhere. It's where you end up that counts."

"I feel strongly that all children everywhere should be afforded the opportunity of a quality education, therefore I'm proud to announce Clara Lionel Foundation's partnership with education advocacy leaders like the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen. Working together, I know we can amplify our efforts and ensure that millions of children gain access to education globally."

"“Aim for the stars. Don’t aim for me. Aim beyond me. You’re going to be fantastic.”"

"The cultural invasion is like a leafy tree which prevents us from seeing our own sun, sky and stars. Therefore in order to be able to see the sky above our heads, our task is to cut this tree off at the roots. US imperialism understands very well the magic of communication through music and persists in filling our young people with all sorts of commercial tripe. With professional expertise they have taken certain measures: first, the commercialization of the so-called ‘protest music’; second, the creation of ‘idols’ of protest music who obey the same rules and suffer from the same constraints as the other idols of the consumer music industry – they last a little while and then disappear. Meanwhile they are useful in neutralizing the innate spirit of rebellion of young people. The term ‘protest song’ is no longer valid because it is ambiguous and has been misused. I prefer the term ‘revolutionary song’."

"And in the world, a heart of darkness, a fire zone Where poets speak their heart, then bleed for it Jara sang, his song a weapon in the hands of love You know his blood still cries from the ground It runs like a river, runs to the sea It runs like a river to the sea"

"When a rural Ecuadorian, in the heart of the mountains, listens on his transistor radio to the Chilean Victor Jara singing his “Plegaria a un Labrador” (A farmers prayer) he is, although he may not realize it, listening to a piece of folklore. Such songs belong to a group of sometimes ephemeral phenomena which might be called “subjective folklore”, and which have not yet been given a place among the categories made by folklore specialists."

"Please remember Victor Jara, In the Santiago Stadium, Es verdad – those Washington Bullets again."

"Victor Jara, assassinated by the Chilean dictatorship, Benjo Cruz fallen during his participation in the guerilla war of Teoponte, Jorge Salerno, executed during the Pando takeover, are living symbols of the impossibility our imperialist enemy has at silencing the collective voice of our Latin American people. “There are musicians who are only musicians” Haydée Santamaria once said, and she added that what was true about Victor, Jorge y Benjo was that “they were musicians that loved the people”. To these group of voices belongs Victor Jara, whom I personally knew, with whom I sang; we would dialogued and discussed each others’ songs, united in the objective of finding a new humanity."

"As long as we sing his songs, As long as his courage can inspire us to greater courage Victor Jara will never die."

"Victor Jara of Chile Lived like a shooting star He fought for the people of Chile With his songs and his guitar His hands were gentle, his hands were strong"

"The junta broke the fingers on Victor Jara’s hands They said to the gentle poet “play your guitar now if you can” Victor started singing but they brought his body down You can kill that man but not his song When it’s sung the whole world round If you can sing for freedom I can too"

"Love of my home, my wife and my children./ Love for the earth that helps me live./ Love for education and of work./ Love of others who work for the common good./ Love of justice as the instrument that provides equilibrium for human dignity./ Love of peace in order to enjoy one's life./ Love of freedom, but not the freedom acquired at the expense of others’ freedom, but rather the freedom of all./ Love of freedom to live and exist, for the existence of my children, in my home, in my town, my city, among neighbouring people./ Love for freedom in the environment in which we are required to forge our destiny./ Love of freedom without yokes: nor ours nor foreign."

"Who taught me true strength? Who taught me kindness? Whom do I walk for? Who did I want to stroke my hair? Who didn't give up for me? I'll never forget."