“Traveling changed my personality and gave me ability to do the music I do and to think in a certain way that everything can be possible.” ThinkingWayCertainAbilityChangedPersonality Author:Rokia Traore
“I prefer simple things - monotone melodies repeating the same things all the time. Because I think life is like that.” ThinkingLife IsSimpleMelodyLife Is LikeSimple Things Author:Rokia Traore
“My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different countries like India and China. I think that would be a shame not to take advantage and do something... not unique, because I don't have this pretension.” ThinkingWorldKindDifferentCountryWould BeInfluenceRocksUniqueAdvantageIndiaShameJazzChinaPopsClassical MusicPop MusicRock MusicPretensionDifferent CountriesWorld Music Author:Rokia Traore
“You can't be unique any way. Music is made from seven notes. You will always come back to something. Even if you think you are unique, you will come back to something that existed before you were doing what you are doing.” IfsThinkingWayMadeMusic IsUniqueNotesSeven Author:Rokia Traore
“I don't think I'm unique or that I'm trying to do something unique, but I feel it is something I would like to hear. This kind of music I would like to listen to but I can't hear very often.” ThinkingFeelsTryingKindI CanUnique Author:Rokia Traore
“I think about all these influences and musical cultures, then the opinion of the audience is of course important, but when I'm working on an album or a new project, I'm not all the time thinking about what the audience will think about it.” ThinkingImportantCultureCoursesOpinionAudienceInfluenceProjectsMusicalAlbumsNew Projects Author:Rokia Traore
“Of course I am stressed after I finish working on an album about what an audience will think, if it will be successful or not.” IfsThinkingCoursesAudienceSuccessfulAlbumsBeing SuccessfulStressed Author:Rokia Traore
“In general, in painting sometimes people like Picasso or somebody are not very well known in the beginning, sometimes they become well known just before they die, or sometimes after they have died. I think these people start to be artists after they've stopped existing.” PeopleThinkingWellsSometimesArtistDiesKnownPaintingDiedWell Known Author:Rokia Traore
“American audiences don't react in the same way as European ones to African music because, I think, Europeans listen to this music through all the festivals that exist here.” ThinkingWayAudienceMusic IsFestivalsAfrican Music Author:Rokia Traore
“I can introduce new parts because when you are on stage in front of a very happy audience or people who love what you are doing, you are able to do extraordinary things that you yourself didn't think you could do before.” PeopleThinkingI CanAbleAudienceStageFrontsExtraordinaryIntroducingVery HappyDoing YouExtraordinary Things Author:Rokia Traore
