“When I was thirteen years old, and we had just moved to Germany, I definitely felt I was missing out on normal teenage life. I was watching my old school friends from Canada grow up without me while I was in Germany trying to learn the language and trying to pass each year without failing.”
― Alice Merton
“I wanted to take the seriousness out of everything a little bit, because it kind of fits my style.”
― Alice Merton
“I wanted to write an upbeat song where I could feel good about the fact that I’ve moved around so much and not sad about all the goodbyes I’ve had to face.”
― Alice Merton
“I get really nervous when I’m performing or meeting new people.”
― Alice Merton
“I was on the beach, and I was just thinking to myself that I have no one place where I actually feel like I’m at home. I came up with the idea of having no roots – never being grounded to a certain place but having your home with people who you love.”
― Alice Merton
“I don’t like being dependent on other people.”
― Alice Merton
“Baking is more like chemistry, following certain instructions and knowing what comes out in the end. It’s almost reassuring! Songwriting is a creative process where you go into a session with nothing and can come out of it with something incredible in the end. I never feel like I’m taking a risk with baking, but always with songwriting.”
― Alice Merton
“I was realizing that I didn’t have a home. I didn’t really feel at home in one place.”
― Alice Merton
“Every time someone asks me where I’m from, I’m not sure how to answer that question… so I say I have no roots.”
― Alice Merton
“I make music… and it helps me figure out life.”
― Alice Merton
“Every song is true and has its unique story behind it.”
― Alice Merton
“When you’ve moved 13 times, you lose track of where you’re from.”
― Alice Merton
“I didn’t have just one place where I could say, ‘That’s my home.’”
― Alice Merton
“I have complete creative freedom. If I want to put a song on the album, there’s no one stopping me.”
― Alice Merton
“I loved a lot of the romantic composers.”
― Alice Merton
“Being an artist and a human in this world always means confronting people who make you feel like you have to act according to their rules.”
― Alice Merton
“The idea – or, if you like, the need – to write and record ‘Lash Out’ was born of a feeling within me.”
― Alice Merton
“Like most people, I wanted and still want to live by my own rules.”
― Alice Merton
“Music is something I can control.”
― Alice Merton
“I can do whatever I want, and I’m not going to let anyone tell me what language I should speak in.”
― Alice Merton
“I feel it’s much easier to be honest or be myself in songs when I’m playing. That’s why I felt, ‘You know, I’m going to write the truth.’”
― Alice Merton
“I always wanted to do something with music, but to be honest, I never thought I’d be good enough.”
― Alice Merton
“I love writing about things I know, and I like to be very honest in my music.”
― Alice Merton
“If I don’t feel the music, I can’t perform it.”
― Alice Merton
“I had no idea if ‘No Roots’ was going to work or not.”
― Alice Merton
“Home, for me, is with the people who I really love – whether that’s in England with my family, Ireland with my relatives, or Germany and Canada with my friends.”
― Alice Merton
“I love spending time in England, whether it’s for writing, producing, or seeing my parents and siblings.”
― Alice Merton
“I don’t really see myself as a pop star. I guess I just really enjoy being able to play my music for people who actually want to listen to it.”
― Alice Merton
“I wish I wrote ‘Paper Planes’ by M.I.A.”
― Alice Merton
“There’s a few kids out there who like singing to my songs. They’re, like, five, six, seven years old.”
― Alice Merton
“I started quite late. I only discovered that I could write a song when I was, like, 17… some musicians, they’re starting out, writing songs when they’re, like, 12, 13. I never thought I would go into songwriting when I was that young.”
― Alice Merton
“I think nowadays it’s important to have the support of a group of people who are ready to invest time and effort in your music and vision.”
― Alice Merton
“Mom+Pop aren’t just a label, but they were the group of people that seemed to really care about a long-term relationship. I can be honest with them, like I would with my family, but at the same time, I can expect for them always to be upfront and honest with me.”
― Alice Merton
“It’s a really hard decision, picking my second single.”
― Alice Merton
“The actual thought of not really having a home was, for me, very depressing, and it was something that I was dealing with for quite some time.”
― Alice Merton
“I didn’t want to write a sad song to remind me of the fact that I’m always moving around. I wanted something to cheer me up.”
― Alice Merton
“I actually didn’t think there was that many people out there who knew what it’s like to not really have a home or have that home in one place.”
― Alice Merton
“We always watch ‘The Polar Express.’ I love that movie; that’s a very, very nice Christmas tradition that we have.”
― Alice Merton
“A lot of labels always feel the need to tell you how they think the music should be marketed and what songs work best where. I say make music you love doing, come up with a strategy, and put it out there.”
― Alice Merton
“I wanted to sing about things that moved me and experiences I had collected throughout life.”
― Alice Merton
“My mom used to bake so much when I was a child, and I have a big sweet tooth.”
― Alice Merton
“I would bake for my grandma because she has never had anything I’ve baked.”
― Alice Merton
“I like eating yummy things.”
― Alice Merton
“When I was younger, I always wanted to be either a pianist or a classical singer, and when I discovered songwriting, it was like a new portal had been opened.”
― Alice Merton
“I don’t think I ever had a certain image of what touring was like… I think when you’re young, you think it’s very glamourous, but it’s not.”
― Alice Merton
“I’m putting out music that I love, and they’re basically just stories of my life and how I try and teach myself to think about things. They’re kind of like notes to self, basically.”
― Alice Merton
“I get mad about something, and then I have this melody in my head, and then afterwards, the lyrics come.”
― Alice Merton
“I’m not going to release something just because they think it’s the next hit. It’s not what everyone wants to hear, but that’s the way it is.”
― Alice Merton
“I’m definitely sleep deprived – it is so hard to sleep on a tour bus! It moves around so much, and we have really weird time schedules.”
― Alice Merton
“You don’t really learn how to write songs; you learn to develop as a writer, and you get to meet lots of musicians and figure out what kind of sound you want. You have the time to just develop and try different styles, and that’s what I did.”
― Alice Merton
“At the end of the day, it’s not the labels buying the music: it’s the people out there, and you have to be behind the music and not anyone else. You’re the one representing it, you’re playing it for everyone; you’re doing promotion and travelling around the world.”
― Alice Merton
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