Imelda May Quotes

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Imelda May

Profession : Musician

Birth : July 10, 1974

Music was always part of my life - my mother says I came out singing. I wanted to be Gene Kelly - or Judy Garland.

Imelda May

I never miss a vote; I think that's the power of the people. A lot of people fought and died for us to have votes, for women to have votes in particular - your vote is your one weapon.

Imelda May

I'm a normal consumer but try to do the best I can. I try to buy locally, and I mostly avoid supermarkets.

Imelda May

In my head, I consider 'No Turning Back' my 'dipping the toe in the water' album. It was mostly covers of favorite songs, and there were three originals in there. So, it feels like it was just my album to see what the temperature of the water was.

Imelda May

'Love Tattoo' I recorded without a record company. I'd gotten turned down by the record companies - they said they didn't get me, which is fine, I suppose.

Imelda May

In a way, I'm lucky that I was never classically trained and never went to a music college. I'm just from a normal working class family and happened to get obsessed with music as a teenager.

Imelda May

One thing that did get me into a lot of different types of music was when I was very young, the local record store went out of business and they were selling off all the vinyl. I remember going in - I was probably 16 or 17 and I'd just gotten a record player as a present. It was like hitting the jackpot: all these records for $3 apiece.

Imelda May

I'm lucky to come from a very musical family. If you put a record on and turn the volume up, there's a pretty good chance you'll have a lot of people dancing very quickly.

Imelda May

I love festivals in that people seem to let their hair down more. I love that people run from stage to stage. I love going as a performer because you get to see band that you wouldn't necessarily go see.

Imelda May

Ooooh, I love Nashville! It seems like everywhere you walk, there's great music coming out of every wall.

Imelda May

I worry about people who sell out to chase fame because when they get it, it might not be so satisfying.

Imelda May

I can talk a lot and not reveal anything; I would make a great politician.

Imelda May

I love people with strong convictions, because we are living in a very PC world. You can't crack a joke without it being in the headlines.

Imelda May

I'm the youngest of five - three girls and two boys. There was one record player for the seven of us. It was good for me, because I got to hear everyone else's music.

Imelda May

When I heard Elvis and his 'Sun Sessions,' I went mad for it. I was about thirteen.

Imelda May

I lost a boyfriend over Elmore James. You know that moment when you send mixtapes at fifteen? He sent me pop hits, and I sent him Elmore James, and I never heard from him again.

Imelda May

I never got formal training in music. I would just sit with my ear to the speaker and my hand on the needle. I'd listen to Wanda Jackson and think, 'How did she do that?,' and lift the needle and try it myself.

Imelda May

I don't do grey. I like my colour, my style.

Imelda May

Everybody told me that if I insisted on doing rockabilly music, I'd never have a chance of selling any records. In fact, I lost count of how many people told me to ditch it all together, in favour, I guess, of sounding like everybody else.

Imelda May

If you ask me, rockabilly has had a raw deal for far too long. People never shunned the blues or jazz the way they do rockabilly. But it's the original punk-rock, and it changed the way people looked at music for ever.

Imelda May