Laura Mvula quotes

I remember listening to Miles Davis in the car with my dad. I had just done my Grade 5 piano exam, and I was quite cocky. I said, 'It sounds like he's played the wrong note there.' I remember the look of horror on my dad's face, and thinking, 'Wow, I have to figure out why that is not acceptable.' (Laura Mvula)
I respect hippos. They just look the way they do; they can't do anything about it, but they don't seem bothered. View quote
Laura Mvula
My parents encouraged us to commit to things, so if we wanted to learn an instrument, it was all the grades and all the theory. View quote
Laura Mvula
I write songs from the heart, and I don't hold back. View quote
Laura Mvula
My songs are very personal, which means they are fantastically therapeutic to write, but performing them night after night is emotionally draining. View quote
Laura Mvula
I like pastels and lighter shades on darker skins. I feel like it lifts everything and accentuates being chocolate. View quote
Laura Mvula
I always said when I was younger, I wanted to write film music, and I think that's what my ultimate dream is. View quote
Laura Mvula
I really love jazz, but I will never be a jazz musician as much as I dream. But, I think that the jazz music I love is there in my music. View quote
Laura Mvula
I love church buildings, particularly cathedrals, and I like living in spaces that remind me of music or evoke that creative energy. View quote
Laura Mvula
Lizz Wright is my favourite singer. Her voice moves me and takes me to another place. She also grows her own food and that inspires me. View quote
Laura Mvula
London audiences have this reputation for being a bit too cool for school. (Laura Mvula)
I love my complexion, but like so many of us, in the early years at primary school, I grew up thinking that my dark skin wasn't a great thing. I've found freedom in music and songwriting, which has given me a freedom in how I present myself. I'm glad I've got makeup to celebrate that with. View quote
Laura Mvula
I envy those who can wear red lipstick or any bold lip colour, really. My top lip just doesn't seem to take colour - there's nothing I can do to change that, so I usually just use a nude on the bottom lip. View quote
Laura Mvula
I'm by no means a pianist. I think that's safe to say, but the piano, for me, I would say it's the enabler. It gave me what I needed and gives me what I need in order to write a song. And I think playing or improvising on the piano is where I feel most liberated and sort of less conscious of all my insecurities or inadequacies. View quote
Laura Mvula
'Green Garden' is about beauty and joy and lush green and dance and excitement and smiling from within. View quote
Laura Mvula
Taxi drivers used to ask me what kind of music I did, and I'd say, 'Well, it's kind of jazz, soul, classical' - but that makes no sense to anyone. View quote
Laura Mvula
I don't talk about Amy Winehouse as a 'singer.' She's a pioneer. I listened to her endlessly when I started writing. View quote
Laura Mvula
You don't have to aim to be the best of everything, thinking that one day you're going to be the top of the world; I don't think it exists. View quote
Laura Mvula