Michelle Zauner Quotes

Michelle Zauner

Profession : Singer

Birth : March 29, 1989

Even as a teenager, when I made mix CDs for people, it all had this sort of track flow: I like to start off very in-your-face, and kind of chill out towards the end and have this almost, like, denouement.

Michelle Zauner

I just have to live my life knowing that there could be a good chance that I might die in middle age.

Michelle Zauner

I feel like there are a number of indie artists... as they grow, it makes the most sense for them to pivot to pop, to become bigger artists. And I feel like that's when people get really bad, you know? I didn't want to fall into that pitfall.

Michelle Zauner

One thing that's nice about writing a book about food is - unless it's from a specific place - you can revisit things easily by preparing the dish. The sensory detail that comes from interacting with that is something that can be recreated pretty easily.

Michelle Zauner

I never made kimchi before. I talk about my first time making it in the book, and I'm not a big baker, but I imagine it's like a similar kind of feeling for a lot of people who are bakers where it's just something that takes time. There's so much space to be reflective and meditative.

Michelle Zauner

I don't think a lot of Korean people even make kimchi. My mom certainly didn't, so it's a very extra thing to do in the same way that I guess baking bread can be an even longer process that you're unsure about for a long time.

Michelle Zauner

There was a couple weeks when I was like, I'm going vegan and gluten free. Then I was trying all these weird diets because I think there was this element of control over my surroundings that that gave me.

Michelle Zauner

I feel so overwhelmed by the kind of double hitter of a successful book and record. I just assumed at least one of them... would hopefully stick. So it's nice that both did so well.

Michelle Zauner

I just miss the heartbeat of the band and crew. Watching everyone have their individualized tasks, and it all coming together to accomplish something huge every single night. Of course, seeing the kids and having songs that you wrote some back to you and yeah, just getting to do it all.

Michelle Zauner

I started going to chess clubs when I was in fourth grade. From fourth grade to seventh grade, I was in chess club.

Michelle Zauner

So chess is kind of this nice thing that I have no real aspiration for. It's just a frivolous thing I can enjoy.

Michelle Zauner

I finished the rough draft of 'Crying in H Mart' in July of 2020. My editor had it for five to six months, so I was free from it for a little while. I decided to take that time to start working on a new album.

Michelle Zauner

When I write a song, that process is sort of entwined with a lyric or a chord progression that suits the vibe, and that'll work off each other.

Michelle Zauner

My favorite thing that I'm learning, in particular, is that the type of love between an immigrant parent and their child growing up in America is a particular nuanced type of love.

Michelle Zauner

When I was growing up, I didn't realize that the idiosyncrasies of my mother's character had something to do with our culture. After growing up and reflecting and making more Asian-American friends, I learned that a lot this is something a lot of people grow up with.

Michelle Zauner

I'm a very impatient person. I like things to be done. So I complete a lot of projects, but it helps to partner or collaborate with someone who's the opposite because they can tell me when to slow down.

Michelle Zauner

I was very much a work horse my whole life.

Michelle Zauner

I only wanted to play the guitar so I could write music. As soon as I learned my first three chords I wrote my first song. It was just a tool to get me to be able to do the thing that I wanted to do.

Michelle Zauner

I quit music and decided I was going to work a 9-to-5 job in advertising... which in New York City is more like, 8-to-7.

Michelle Zauner

One of my more recent favorite memories is of traveling to Jeonju with my aunt and uncle. After my mother passed away, my aunt and I became a lot closer, and I've really grown to cherish the relationship we formed together as adults.

Michelle Zauner