I love being in the woods, when I can just walk barefoot in the grass and just sit down and breathe. I love that so much.
Jessie Reyez
I think life would be a lot easier if people were able to stand in their mistakes and not backtrack. If you did something wrong, own it. Like, hold your own.
My demons are not that easy to shake.
I'm just happy to know that no part of me thinks that I made it. Everything in me says you need to keep going, keep working.
There are things I still criticize myself heavy for. There are days I have to pick myself back up, but that, to me, is success; it's getting to both sides: physical and the spiritual, mental. Just peace. Peace of mind.
I think about legacy, of course. I don't want to make my life nothing. I want to know that I died and made a massive difference. I want to know that my life purpose was bigger than myself, and I want to pay forward because the amount of people that have helped me... the list of people that have contributed to where I am now is insane.
You just need to create and be open with that energy. The second that you are precious with it, it's almost like you showing the world you have a limited amount.
Ugh, I'm a Gemini!
I want to make something great. I want to make something that I can be proud of in 10 years, something that is timeless.
The first time I went crowd surfing was heaven.
First time I met Kehlani was through Jahaan Sweet - a really dope producer; then we linked up in Toronto, and the vibe was just lit. She's a really warm human being.
I ended up moving to Miami and bartending, but the party atmosphere is a black hole down there. People party all the time, and if you're working in the industry, you're sleeping all day and at the club all night, day after day.
When you come from an immigrant home, you're in a whole different world until you leave your house. In my teenage years, I had to learn to switch cultures the second I left my house and, when I came back, to go back to my fundamentals.
I'll never pretend to be I'm something I'm not.
Kali Uchis is a dope person. Her voice, her style - she's so unique.
My mom says that she caught me one day in front of the TV watching opera. I was trying to sing back the opera. She saw that I really liked music, and so she put me in piano lessons when I was about three years old.
If you're serious about your music, there's this thing called The Remix Project in Toronto, and it's an art incubator, and it's basically like free school. If you don't got money for studio, you don't have the networks, they help you.
When I sing in Spanish, my tone is different. I feel more relaxed because that's how I speak to my family.
You can give a bunch of opportunities to people, but if they are not ambitious, nothing is going to happen.
If you consume something that's poisonous, you don't consciously think of vomiting; your body just does it. It's a reflex. When I'm happy, I don't instantly feel the need to get rid of that feeling. But when I'm sad, I think maybe that's what happens.
I feel like my objective in music is to take a hammer and nail and chip away a piece of my heart and give it to someone, so I feel, with merch, it's a tangible parallel of that.
Canada has this really cool way - specifically Toronto - of encouraging you to wave both flags: if you've been born there, like, wave your flag and then wave your parent's flag, too, and be proud of it.
I'm all about polarities and juxtapositions.
To be honest with you, the fact that people vibe with my music is just a really positive byproduct of something that is just a reflex to me. The fact that people even care to listen means a lot to me.
I remember that I wanted the Razor scooter, and my dad went to the garage, spent one or two days, and built one out of wood and painted it with the Colombian colors.
I thought, 'Maybe if I become a cheerleader, I can meet managers or agents. Maybe I can sing the national anthem at a game, and someone in the industry will hear me.' I saw everything as an opportunity to further my music. I was literally the cheerleader who had a mixtape in between her pom-poms at events.
I remember going to audition in Toronto for a girl group. I was 15 or 16. I went in with my guitar. I had the wickedest nerves, man! I was decent, but not good enough.
I feel like humans, when you're faced with decisions, you can go up and down: duality.
I feel like truth resonates, and you can taste when something is synthetic.
I have really dope parents.
My God, it's laundry and family when I come back home. I've got to see my brother and kids, and my sister-in-law, my aunts, my uncles, cousins; everybody is here.
I was very small when I started making music. I think the first song might have been when I was, like, in grade one, maybe? It was really ironic, cause it was a kid talking about taking time with growing up.
Someone can be miles away, but if they're in your heart, that means they're locked in your head, too.
I want to be remembered for doing something bigger than myself and making a positive impact on the world. I want to make my life worth something and to die a legend and to make my family proud.
All of the songs on 'Kiddo' were a part of my soul; they're songs that I could never give away.
Some people's parents listened to the Beatles... but my family is Alquimia, Celia Cruz, and Carlos Vives - this old, rich Colombian music. I loved hearing that while I was growing up.
I'm a fan of leaving people hungry; I don't like leaving people satisfied.
In life, unfortunately, I've had multiple experiences where people that I thought I could depend on have switched up, or I've caught them in lies, and their true colours have shown.
When I went to school, I didn't know a lick of English, but it was okay because there were so many immigrants in the area, a lot of the kids didn't speak a lick of English, either. It was normal to have a wicked accent.
I remember being in the States a few years ago, and when I said I was from Toronto, it doesn't really make a difference. Now you say you're from Toronto, and people want to talk to you a little longer. Drake's putting on and bringing a lot of eyes to the city, but I feel like the seed and the flowers have always been here.
I know I'm my own worst critic.
The last thing I want to do is get too happy.
I was all depressed because my ex cheated on me. It was hard for me to get over that.
I'm a child of extremes.
It's hard to get someone to sit down and listen to an album in its entirety.
When I'm performing, I have to tell myself, 'Wait a minute. You need to be here right now. You need to hold these memories and remember time is golden.'
At every show, I pray with my band. It's a big thing.
I think of legacy: I want plaques on the wall. I want a farm for my dad. I want an orphanage, preferably two, named after my mother. I want to positively and tangibly help the lives of millions of people and die a legend.
I like being able to just put everything out on the table and letting the cream float.
Sometimes if I feel the songs are too much, it hurts, but then I open my eyes: people are singing along or crying, and the 7-year-old in me is like, 'Yeahhh.'
