Sharon Van Etten

“I'm very democratic about stuff. I know what I want, but I also like getting opinions and people sharing ideas.”

“I work a lot with sounds based on stream of consciousness. I like the way it sounds, then I turn it into something that makes more sense.”

“I was pretty troubled for a long time. And I didn't know that. As a kid, I never talked about my emotions. My mom gave me a journal, but I didn't know what it meant. I just wrote all the time, not even thinking about it. But it also made me feel better.”

“I have a hard time not wearing my heart on my sleeve and answering people honestly. You know, my friends warn me that I should be more guarded 'cause sometimes I am too honest and open, but it's also just who I am.”

“I am my therapist, and I analyze what's happening and if I'm being hurt in the process. The result is songs that are very emotional, very deep, although I try to write them generally so they won't alienate the listener.”

“It's really hard to watch yourself.”

“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.”

“All the records I keep are like friends I visit.”

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

“My career is based off of me talking about my emotions.”

“Sometimes music should just be about you sitting on your bedroom floor, or in the back of the car, singing along stupidly. Evan Dando's music was all about that for me.”

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

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

“I think, in general, I find writing to be very therapeutic and singing in itself to be really therapeutic.”

“I don't want to bury anything in poetry.”

“I'm a sucker for a love song!”

“I'm a late bloomer in music.”

“I totally lucked out by meeting a lot of amazing people. I guess it stems from going to shows and being confident enough to meet people and be able to talk to them like a normal person rather than have my head down all the time.”

“I was without my own place for nearly two years. It's such a cliche to be a homeless musician in New York, but luckily, I had amazing friends who let me stay with them. I visited my parents a lot. It's not like I was sleeping in my car, though I might have done that once... But it was by choice!”

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