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Music was always part of my life - my mother says I came out singing. I wanted to be Gene Kelly - or Judy Garland.
Imelda May -
I never got formal training in music. I would just sit with my ear to the speaker and my hand on the needle. I'd listen to Wanda Jackson and think, 'How did she do that?,' and lift the needle and try it myself.
Imelda May
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People expect you to change when you become a mother, and of course my priorities changed when I had Violet. She's number one in my life and the best thing that ever happened to me, but I still have fun. I am still myself, but that is made out to seem like I am rebelling against motherhood.
Imelda May -
I tried to be a goth for a while. I'd pour baby powder on my face and paint my lips black, but that didn't last long. I thought I looked cool at the time. But then you look back and wonder, 'Why did anyone let me out of the house looking like that?'
Imelda May -
I got my first leopard print coat when I was 15. I nearly got beat up, but I was happy with it.
Imelda May -
I'm on the road earning my money. I didn't get any million pound record deals. Not unless you're Jedward! I'm doing very well, but I still have a mortgage to pay off. So I'm on the road.
Imelda May -
I was brought up with old-fashioned values. I wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend until I finished school. I wasn't allowed to wear make-up: the nuns would scrub your face if they saw it.
Imelda May -
I'm lucky to come from a very musical family. If you put a record on and turn the volume up, there's a pretty good chance you'll have a lot of people dancing very quickly.
Imelda May
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I had a big time punk-rock phase and psychobilly phase. I used to go mad for the Guana Batz.
Imelda May -
With great artists like Elvis, sometimes the songs weren't the greatest thing about him. When I tried to perform some of the songs, I noticed some of the tunes weren't all that brilliant, but it was the performance that sold them.
Imelda May -
I started singing in church with my sister Maria when I was four, and I've been pretty much singing ever since. There's never been anything else for me to do.
Imelda May -
I know exactly what it's like to not have a penny. I know exactly what it's like trying to get a job. I know exactly what it's like having bloody one tin of Ambrosia left in the cupboard. But I know I can survive.
Imelda May -
I couldn't think of anything worse than hating your own music and having to play it every night. It would be a nightmare.
Imelda May -
I lost a boyfriend over Elmore James. You know that moment when you send mixtapes at fifteen? He sent me pop hits, and I sent him Elmore James, and I never heard from him again.
Imelda May
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I'm a big believer in 'pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start again.'
Imelda May -
Ooooh, I love Nashville! It seems like everywhere you walk, there's great music coming out of every wall.
Imelda May -
I'm sorry, but Juicy Couture tracksuits and Ugg boots don't move me in any way, shape or form. I refuse to wear them. Modern fashion doesn't appeal to me; the 1950s were better in every way, don't you think?
Imelda May -
I'm not a feminist that hates men by any means.
Imelda May -
My parents never told me to get a real job. They always said, 'Go for it! If this is what you want to do, work hard.' They were always very supportive.
Imelda May -
I have no big career plan. It is better for me that way.
Imelda May
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I always loved the bad girls in the movies. I loved Bette Davis; I loved Katherine Hepburn. I loved Ava Gardner.
Imelda May -
When I tell people that I lost my baby weight through breastfeeding, they think I'm exaggerating. But it was brilliant for that. It is great for bonding with your baby. It is hard when no one else can feed her, but it was worth it for me. I loved it.
Imelda May -
Music rules a lot of my life - I was bitten by the bug young.
Imelda May -
I love punk rock, The Clash, The Ramones, The Cramps. I love where it all came from, and music for my ears now, it has to have that same electricity, adrenaline and danger.
Imelda May