As a woman especially I've found a lot of freedom in music. Valerie June More Quotes by Valerie June More Quotes From Valerie June I have a lot of different collections of cards at home. It's hard to say my favorite deck, but there is a deck called the medicine cards, and it's Native American animal cards. Valerie June home native-american animal If you want to get broken in good, put four girls on the road together in a van and tour up and down the country. Valerie June girl broken country There are a lot of murder ballads out there, but most of them are about killing the woman. I was like, "We've gotta turn this around!" Valerie June ballads murder killing Even the sad roots songs have a lot of good stories to them, and the murder ballads are good too. I mean, who doesn't like to watch a nice gory murder film on TV? Valerie June nice song mean When I was a kid, I always wanted to go to Europe, to go to Africa, to go traveling. Valerie June wanted europe kids The point is to raise your voice and be heard to God. You really are just celebrating being in the presence of other people that believe the same things you believe. Valerie June voice believe people I think it's funny how people get confused when they think about church music, because a lot of times there is a soloist who stands out, but my church wasn't like that at all. Valerie June church-music confused thinking Memphis held onto me until I was far enough along in my art and then it let me go. Valerie June memphis enough art There are so many different versions of "Tennessee Waltz" and they're all so good. Valerie June waltz tennessee different If you're going to be stuck somewhere forever, you might as well be around good people! Valerie June forever might people When I talk about music in Memphis, it's a place you can go if you are a beginning artist or anywhere in your career, and you can incubate. Valerie June memphis careers artist I love to read things that have moral messages, and I love to hear stories where it's not just a hook, you have to follow the story, you have to listen to the message of the song, and get it and use it in your everyday life. Valerie June everyday use song When I think about singing, and music, I think about how the people who live on the East Tennessee side have more of a curve or yodel to their voices, and then you think about the curve of mountains. Valerie June curves voice thinking I feel a lot of cities are like, you go and you are trying to do your art, and there are so many other artists there who are so brilliant. And it's kind of like they stomp on the scene, and they are like, "You're not already Picasso? Get the hell out of here!" And Memphis is like, "Well, you'll get there one day!" Valerie June cities trying art I know a lot of people that don't pray or anything, and that's fine - but I need to. I don't even want to call it prayer, I just want to call it talking to something bigger than me. Valerie June prayer talking people I've always kind of been in the middle of every room, trying to get people together, no matter what color they were. Valerie June color trying people If my parents hadn't been made to do that from living in the Bible Belt, maybe it wouldn't be something that matters to me - maybe I wouldn't even know how to talk to God. Valerie June parent matter made I create my own reality. And I'm not the only one. My reality is becoming more prominent. Valerie June my-own becoming reality Even from when I was in grade school or church or wherever, I was always like: we're one, and we should respect each other and grow as one. And respect each other's diversity, of course. Valerie June diversity church school I can't believe the ignorance there, so I don't allow it to affect my life, I don't allow it to come into my zone, and it's not in my world, really. Valerie June ignorance believe world