Sharon Van Etten Quotes

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Sharon Van Etten

Profession : Musician

Birth : February 26, 1981

I have a lot of alter-egos: I would love to be a back-up singer for someone someday. I have an electronic side-project. I have a '90s grunge side project; I have a piano project... I have this industrial, goth-electronic song, super creepy sounding, just really dark and dreary.

Sharon Van Etten

Singing a song like 'Your Love Is Killing Me,' people are worried about me. My mother called me, like, 'What's going on with you? Are you alright? I thought you were doing fine.' And I'm like, 'I am doing fine. It's just, this is what I do.'

Sharon Van Etten

I don't think I'll ever feel perfectly balanced, but I feel like I'm figuring it out, and I'm surrounded by really wonderful people that want to see me succeed and be happy. Life is wild.

Sharon Van Etten

I'm a really strong person. I've no regrets in my life.

Sharon Van Etten

I guess I usually write when I'm in a really intense headspace, because it's my form of self-therapy.

Sharon Van Etten

I love being domestic: making coffee, just putting on a record, and just sitting, not doing anything. It's so great.

Sharon Van Etten

I'm still learning how to be comfortable touring. I haven't found that balance yet.

Sharon Van Etten

Writing songs helped me figure out how to communicate with other people. I finally figured out that if I could express something in a song, I could probably express it in my real life, too.

Sharon Van Etten

I've always been really shy. I was always afraid of any kind of confrontation.

Sharon Van Etten

My mom used to ask me when I was gonna write a happy song. I still tell her that it's when I start to write really happy-sounding songs that everyone needs to start worrying.

Sharon Van Etten

Moving to New York City and doing what I do, social anxiety is a really ridiculous kind of curse to have. But I met people along the way who deal with it - performers as well - and they are learning to deal with it daily and deal with it in different ways.

Sharon Van Etten

I try to focus on the melodies and try to make everything else minimal. The melody and the lyrics are most important to me.

Sharon Van Etten

One day when I have a band I will have a band name, but since it's just me I feel it should just be my name. For me it doesn't make much sense since the music is from me and about me. I haven't ever been in a band.

Sharon Van Etten

I have a day job Monday to Friday. I work at a record label in Brooklyn called Ba Da Bing. It's a great indie label and I listen to music all day. I meet people online and find out about the cool new music blogs.

Sharon Van Etten

I'm getting bored performing the same songs over and over. Songwriting comes and goes.

Sharon Van Etten

The only thing that's helped me get through some really hard times was just being able to write and express - it's very cathartic for me. I'm hoping that, by writing and performing for other people, it affects them the same way.

Sharon Van Etten

I hate putting negative energy out into the world. But it's either inside or out. I mean, it's either get an ulcer or have a fight.

Sharon Van Etten

I don't want to bury anything in poetry.

Sharon Van Etten

I'm really out of touch with myself emotionally. I've always had a hard time talking about how I feel.

Sharon Van Etten

I think there are times in a lot of people's pasts where they've unintentionally fallen in love with really damaged people. You go out with someone who's a mess so you can feel less of a mess.

Sharon Van Etten