Tom Odell Quotes

When I’m in London, it feels like I am that character who is ‘Tom Odell.’

I’m a big Arcade Fire fan. I love the way they make records – ‘Funeral’ being my favorite.

Singing didn’t really come naturally to me, I don’t think. I had to really work at it. I just kept singing. I never was really worried about it, though, because I was writing songs, and that was the most important thing to me.

I don’t really have loads of friends – three or four who are close. The thing that I love the most is playing with my band, and with everything else I feel kind of uncomfortable. I don’t think I’m socially awkward. I just prefer being behind a piano.

I grew up in the suburbs of a small town on the south coast where the only opportunity I ever got to wear anything smart was a funeral, so I had never owned a piece of clothing worth more than £40.

I think I subconsciously put myself in these situations where the girlfriend isn’t pleased with me. I’m useless as a boyfriend. That’s how I managed to write all these songs.

The dominant male is history. Could you see a male Lady Gaga? The closest we’ve got is Justin Bieber, who’d be locked up if he tried the stuff Gaga gets away with. Women are the only rock stars now. Adele is brutally honest. I want to be like her.

I’m not saying you have to be totally despondent or anything, but… in New York, it’s cold sometimes; it rains sometimes; even if everything in your life is great, bad weather can set the mood. You can write songs in New York because it’s not always perfect. To write a good song, things can’t be perfect.

The strongest feelings I’ve had in my life are when love has gone right and when love has gone bad. And I think strong feelings make good songs.

Every musician writes about past relationships. And other than that, I can promise you, I have very little in common with Taylor Swift.

When I’m at home, I like to put records on, but because I travel a lot, I listen to a lot of music on my iPhone.

Songs are about just being totally honest and putting those words to music.

I wouldn’t mind being the male Adele. She came along, and people were like, ‘Damn, we haven‘t heard anyone this real for years.’

The first song I ever wrote was when I was 12, and it had, like, four lines in it. You progress and get better.

There’s always a part of my brain saying: ‘Stop getting comfortable. Don’t relax.’ Because I find it difficult to write when I’m happy. I have to go out there and get battered up and bruised to write anything. I have to feel something.

It’s like there’s the rest of the world, and then there’s America. Part of the reason I would really love continue to making music over here because so much of American music has inspired me, whether it’s Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen.

I have always liked clothes and fashion. And really, being a British male, I am automatically the best dressed person in any room – especially in America.

I don’t really use Facebook, because I find it a bit intrusive on your personal life.

I’ve only ever had one doubt about music. It came when I was 11. I hated playing scales.

I want people to hear the honesty in my singing, and that I’m not hiding behind anything. It’s raw. It’s not for any arrogance or ego. It’s just pure feelings.

Throughout my entire life, I constantly tried to fight normality. I hate it. I hate the idea of it. I hate routine. I hate anything that feels remotely regular or right.

There are a lot of women at my gigs. The first show I headlined was a sea of women, which I can’t complain about. I’m pleased these 18-year-old girls like my music.

One month I’ll be completely obsessed with Bob Dylan and the next Arcade Fire. I like early Elton John and David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. I listen to a lot of American bands. But I like listening to new bands, too.

Everyone in England knows about Burberry, and it kind of represents a standard of being well-dressed… But the nice thing is, they have a lot of clothes, so I still feel like myself whenever I’m wearing their clothes.

What’s nice about Twitter is that you’ve got that point of contact with your fans that artists have never had before. I think it’s good for musicians. Just as long as you don’t start tweeting things about your girlfriends or boyfriends – there’s got to be a line.