Leon Bridges Quotes

I like to groove a little bit!

- Leon Bridges

Like, Little Bit, Bit, Groove

I'm coming from a Ginuwine and Usher background: slow and smooth songs. And that's why I really connected to Sam Cooke, because he was just very smooth. It's not like the James Brown types, which is all great stuff, but he was totally set apart from those guys.

- Leon Bridges

Why, Very, James, Great Stuff

I'm not trying to compete with any other revival soul acts. It's just Leon Bridges, a kid from Fort Worth trying to be himself and give people hope. It's great music to dance to and just love.

- Leon Bridges

Love, Compete, Other, Revival

Gospel music played a huge part of my life. I was too scared to audition for the choir, but through my own music, I was also able to find spirituality for myself.

- Leon Bridges

My Life, Through, Audition, Choir

My father would play Stevie Wonder in the car, but that never sunk in.

- Leon Bridges

Play, Never, Stevie, Sunk

The first time I heard Sam Cooke was in the 'Malcom X' film. I was with my father, and that's the first time I heard his song. I remember my father telling me the story of Sam Cooke.

- Leon Bridges

Song, I Remember, Telling, None

I love the pioneers like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, but when I write music, it comes out in my own way.

- Leon Bridges

Love, Pioneers, I Write, None

I want people to see an honesty within me. I'm not trying to be the next Sam Cooke or Otis Redding.

- Leon Bridges

Want, Next, Within, None

A lot of R&B cats are doing a lot of auto-tune. Tyrese went back to the basics. I love classic soul music and Ginuwine. Ginuwine and Usher laid the foundation back in the '90s. There's no one doing that anymore.

- Leon Bridges

Love, Doing, Basics, Usher

I don't live in this soul music bubble. I love Young Thug, Drake, Kendrick Lamar. I even heard that Kendrick was a fan of my music. Hopefully there's a door open for us to do music together. He's one of my favorite artists. I love Jazmine Sullivan, Lianne la Havas, Usher, Ginuwine. It goes further than classic soul.

- Leon Bridges

Love, Door, Young, Usher

I remember hanging out at Starbucks. There were these older guys who would sit around and play Crosby, Stills & Nash songs. I was just so in love with music. I would just go hang out with them, and I would try to sing and harmonize with them. I didn't even know the songs.

- Leon Bridges

Love, Play, Crosby, Older Guys

There are a lot of bands who would get really big in Fort Worth and play shows on a Friday night that everybody would come out to. But I've never been really big in my hometown. My shows would have 10 or 15 people at them.

- Leon Bridges

Play, Big, Everybody, Friday

My mother and my great-aunt told me stories, like how when my grandfather first met my grandmother at a party, he noticed her long legs and was like, 'Woo woo!' I like to incorporate those stories into my music. They just seem to fit.

- Leon Bridges

Long, Seem, Incorporate, Woo

One time, when I was about eight, these guys started throwing water balloons at me. That really did ruin my summer.

- Leon Bridges

Balloons, Started, About, Ruin

I think I'll always live in Fort Worth. It's great that I can now go anywhere I want to play music, but I love coming back here. I can roll down the streets and just reminisce.

- Leon Bridges

Love, Play, Here, Play Music

My music is more than me writing a flashy soul song. They're heartfelt songs about my family and true stories. I have also songs that aren't personal, but just painting a picture. I don't like being put under labels, but my music is going to continue to stay classic and timeless forever.

- Leon Bridges

Soul, About, Put, Heartfelt

I wrote my first song, 'Conversion', to this little hip-hop instrumental. I went to an open-mic, plugged my iPod into the P.A., and sang over the beat.

- Leon Bridges

Song, Over, Wrote, Instrumental

Fame and all that type of stuff is inevitable, but I'm very content having a good band with no negativity, and everyone is on the same page.

- Leon Bridges

Inevitable, Very, Having, Good Band

People tell me they use my song 'Coming Home' at their weddings. My audience seems to range from young to old, and it's cool when you really get to connect with all different people.

- Leon Bridges

Young, Tell, Use, Coming Home

For me, making music just starts with a simple melody, and lyrics will come sometime after that.

- Leon Bridges

Making, Melody, Sometime, Lyrics

I'm very content to have great management and a great label. But for me, success started when my managers came to me and told me, 'Go ahead and quit your job.' I told them, 'As long as I don't have to wash dishes anymore, I'm good.'

- Leon Bridges

Ahead, Very, Your, Managers

My whole life is a vacation.

- Leon Bridges

Life, Life Is A, Whole, Vacation

I was 10 years old when I first heard Ginuwine. I remember being at a friend's house, and the music video came on. I was just like, 'What is that?' I was just kind of drawn from there.

- Leon Bridges

I Remember, Old, Like, Music Video

It's kind of weird - I get shy when I'm around new people, still, even when I'm onstage. I come from not really wanting to be in lights or known or in front of people.

- Leon Bridges

New, Wanting, Still, Lights

When I started writing the music, I wanted everything to be consistent from the way I dressed to the way I presented myself online. I wanted everything to match what I was doing on stage.

- Leon Bridges

Myself, Doing, Match, Presented

My mom is very excited for the fact that I got signed and, of course, being a mom, she's going to be a little worried.

- Leon Bridges

Fact, Excited, Very, Worried

People have this perception of soul music of somebody shouting.

- Leon Bridges

Music, Soul, Shouting, Soul Music

When I first got into the music scene, I was inspired by different songwriters. I like to dress from the '50s and '60s. I like to paint a picture of that era through my music and clothes. I am inspired by a whole a lot of things, from doo-wop to gospel and soul music.

- Leon Bridges

Dress, Through, Music Scene, Soul Music

I like to wear short-sleeved collared shirts and high-waist trousers with shiny shoes. And at night, when I'm playing, I'll often wear suits. But it started with my uncle's vintage clothes.

- Leon Bridges

Night, Uncle, Like, Shiny

From the core, I'm a shy person, but when I'm on stage, I know how to put it aside. Of course, I'm not perfect, but I've definitely grown as far as being comfortable on stage.

- Leon Bridges

Shy, Perfect, Being, As Far As

If I went crazy and tried to make pop music, my band wouldn't record it! I love them too much to do that.

- Leon Bridges

Love, Too Much, Them, Pop Music

I never really thought about my music being universal. When I set out to write, it was just a feeling that felt good to me. I never thought about being able to reach everybody.

- Leon Bridges

Thought, Everybody, Set, Universal

I was washing dishes at Del Frisco's Grille and busing tables at a Tex-Mex place and writing songs the whole time. I did a lot of my writing at those jobs, thinking up melodies in my head.

- Leon Bridges

Melodies, Jobs, Dishes, Washing

I've always had a great work ethic, even when I was washing dishes.

- Leon Bridges

Work, Always, Had, Washing

I'm totally open to exploring different types of music. I just have to always remember to be true to who I am.

- Leon Bridges

Be True, Always, Types, Different Types

In the beginning, I was so inspired by the music. I had the option to make something modern with classic undertones, but I wanted to make something that was exactly like that old sound.

- Leon Bridges

Beginning, Old, Like, Option

I've just always been around great songwriters. To me, they were the standard.

- Leon Bridges

Always, Been, Standard, Songwriters

I believe that gospel is more than just a sound, it's a way of life. I don't really have any shame to talk about spirituality in my music. A lot of your favorite soul songs started out in gospel.

- Leon Bridges

Soul, Shame, Sound, Gospel

When I started writing, I just wanted to do something different and creative. I first thought neo-soul was a good pathway for me, so I tried that out but realized I didn't want to be placed in that box.

- Leon Bridges

Thought, Want, Placed, Pathway

When I write, I talk about stories and things that are happening in my life. I come from the church. There was a time in my life when I actually had that transformation and relationship with God.

- Leon Bridges

My Life, Stories, I Write, Happening

The thought of me not having to clock in for a job anymore is something that I can't really put into words, aside from 'amazing' and 'awesome.'

- Leon Bridges

Words, Thought, Having, Clock

I don't like a lot of attention. That's kind of who I am at heart. So I see everything, the people circulating around me and a lot of people know me - it kind of feels like a heavy weight sometimes.

- Leon Bridges

I See, Feels, Heavy Weight, Heavy

I shop at thrift stores and consignment shoppes. I wear my clothes as is, and maybe get them dry cleaned whenever possible.

- Leon Bridges

Stores, Maybe, Shop, Cleaned

The first time I shared my music and style with my mom, she said, 'Boy, you look like you came right out of the 1950s.'

- Leon Bridges

Mom, Like, Shared, 1950s

My mom is a very religious woman. So when I began recording music, I was afraid she wouldn't accept it. But when I played her a song, she loved it.

- Leon Bridges

Song, Religious, Very, Recording

I got tired of depending on other people, and I had this strong desire to make music of my own. I decided to start writing my own tunes and just see what could happen.

- Leon Bridges

Strong, Happen, Other, Depending

I've always had a very clear vision of what I wanted to do.

- Leon Bridges

Vision, Always, Very, Wanted

My mom was very religious. She might have let me buy records, but I assumed that she wouldn't.

- Leon Bridges

She, Religious, Very, Records

Dance really built my confidence on stage. I'm still a shy person. But I have a lot more confidence than I did when I started.

- Leon Bridges

Shy, Still, Built, Shy Person

Because my career has gone so fast, I haven't been able to become confident.

- Leon Bridges

Career, Fast, Been, Confident

I knew I had a gift. I wanted the world to hear my music, and I wanted it to be my career, but I didn't know how to go about it.

- Leon Bridges

Career, Go, Knew, Gift

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