Alice Merton

“I actually didn't think there was that many people out there who knew what it's like to not really have a home or have that home in one place.”

“I would bake for my grandma because she has never had anything I've baked.”

“We always watch 'The Polar Express.' I love that movie; that's a very, very nice Christmas tradition that we have.”

“I didn't have just one place where I could say, 'That's my home.'”

“Every time someone asks me where I'm from, I'm not sure how to answer that question... so I say I have no roots.”

“My mom used to bake so much when I was a child, and I have a big sweet tooth.”

“I wanted to write an upbeat song where I could feel good about the fact that I've moved around so much and not sad about all the goodbyes I've had to face.”

“I had no idea if 'No Roots' was going to work or not.”

“A lot of labels always feel the need to tell you how they think the music should be marketed and what songs work best where. I say make music you love doing, come up with a strategy, and put it out there.”

“I wish I wrote 'Paper Planes' by M.I.A.”

“I started quite late. I only discovered that I could write a song when I was, like, 17... some musicians, they're starting out, writing songs when they're, like, 12, 13. I never thought I would go into songwriting when I was that young.”

“I don't like being dependent on other people.”

“Baking is more like chemistry, following certain instructions and knowing what comes out in the end. It's almost reassuring! Songwriting is a creative process where you go into a session with nothing and can come out of it with something incredible in the end. I never feel like I'm taking a risk with baking, but always with songwriting.”

“I can do whatever I want, and I'm not going to let anyone tell me what language I should speak in.”

“I don't think I ever had a certain image of what touring was like... I think when you're young, you think it's very glamourous, but it's not.”

“I'm not going to release something just because they think it's the next hit. It's not what everyone wants to hear, but that's the way it is.”

“The actual thought of not really having a home was, for me, very depressing, and it was something that I was dealing with for quite some time.”

“I love spending time in England, whether it's for writing, producing, or seeing my parents and siblings.”

“I'm putting out music that I love, and they're basically just stories of my life and how I try and teach myself to think about things. They're kind of like notes to self, basically.”

“Home, for me, is with the people who I really love - whether that's in England with my family, Ireland with my relatives, or Germany and Canada with my friends.”