Tracy Chapman Quotes

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Tracy Chapman

Profession : Musician

Birth : March 30, 1964

I think of the audience the way I would think of another person: You meet someone, then you take it from there; you see what's interesting to both of you.

Tracy Chapman

I never assumed I would have that commercial success, so it was a total surprise. And honestly, I never assumed that it would ever happen again.

Tracy Chapman

Music was never just a hobby for me. I'd pick up a guitar every day to work on whatever I was writing at the time. I would put my ideas in songs the way some people might put them in diaries or journals.

Tracy Chapman

What does the future look like if the heads of society ask our young people to risk their lives for questionable causes? I think it looks rather bleak.

Tracy Chapman

Men are able to sustain a career into their 50s and 60s and still present themselves as sex symbols. With women, on the other hand, people say, 'Why doesn't she retire?'

Tracy Chapman

As you might imagine, I'm approached by lots of organizations and lots of people who want me to support their various charitable efforts in some way. And I look at those requests, and I basically try to do what I can.

Tracy Chapman

I love living in California and being able to go to the beach or go to the woods.

Tracy Chapman

As a child, I spent a lot of time at the library.

Tracy Chapman

I'm not sure about anything as far as religion and spirituality go.

Tracy Chapman

A lot of kids spent more time out of school than in, but I always loved school and thought it was my way out of Cleveland, and out of poverty.

Tracy Chapman

It's fun playing small venues.

Tracy Chapman

I grew up with music in the house. I was told I could sing as soon as I started talking. Everybody in my family sang, always lots of records, blues and jazz and soul, R&B, you know, like Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Coltrane, that kind of thing.

Tracy Chapman

I started playing and writing songs when I was eight.

Tracy Chapman

Honestly, I think, as an artist, it's everything that's in your life that informs what you do. So, obviously, growing up in Cleveland has played a big role in how I see the world.

Tracy Chapman

When we started making 'Where You Live', I bought a bunch of Polaroid cameras in so that people could record the experience. Some of those pictures are in the CD sleeve.

Tracy Chapman

It all comes together. It's - that's the way it's always worked for me with songwriting.

Tracy Chapman

I had a ukulele when I was much younger. I have no idea what happened to it but I think that was part of it, just being inspired and wanting to try to play an instrument that, to me, sounded beautiful.

Tracy Chapman

That's what everyone should do with their lives: stand up for what they believe in or try to do some good in the world. I don't think artists have a greater responsibility than anyone else.

Tracy Chapman

We do need to think about how we have security - everyone has a right to that - but we also need to think about how we maintain civil rights and personal freedom.

Tracy Chapman

I never travelled when I was younger.

Tracy Chapman