--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, I always wanted to be…" description: "\"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 ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af8/alice-merton-13102_always_when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be_1499134.jpg" --- # When I was younger, I always wanted to be either a pianist… ![“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.” quote by Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af8/alice-merton-13102_always_when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be_1499134.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af8/alice-merton-13102_always_when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be_1499134.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af8/alice-merton-13102_always_when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be_1499134.jpg) > “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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes a childhood dream of music performance that transformed into songwriting, opening new creative pathways and expanding artistic identity. **In simple terms:** She shifted from performance to songwriting. Key Takeaway Explore new creative doors. Themes music career evolution creativity self‑discovery Mood reflective inspirational hopeful Type personal narrative motivational When to use this quote - songwriting - career counseling - personal growth workshops Key Concepts artistic identity skill transition inspiration Questions to Reflect On - What new skill could open a portal for you? - How do you integrate past passions with new ones? A Different Perspective May romanticize career shifts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pianist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianist/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) ## Related quotes > [I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasn't my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/i-wanted-to-be-a-pianist-but-it-just-wasn-t-my-thing-i-guess-i-wanted/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [For the longest time, I wanted to become a pianist. That was kinda my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zedd/for-the-longest-time-i-wanted-to-become-a-pianist-that-was-kinda-my/) [Zedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zedd/) > [My dad wanted to be a pianist. But as a working-class Italian American kid he was the first person in his family to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-barbaro/my-dad-wanted-to-be-a-pianist-but-as-a-working-class-italian-american/) [Monica Barbaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-barbaro/) > [Songwriting is like editing. You write down all this stuff - all this bad, stupid stuff - and then you have to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/songwriting-is-like-editing-you-write-down-all-this-stuff-all-this/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [My songwriting... it's almost like a kind of self-therapy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/my-songwriting-it-s-almost-like-a-kind-of-self-therapy/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [I often say songwriting is like trying to climb down a ladder at night. You put your foot on the next rung and test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crowder/i-often-say-songwriting-is-like-trying-to-climb-down-a-ladder-at/) [Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crowder/) > [Most songwriting like poetry takes a careful selection of words. Sometimes you're just channeling something and a selection of words come out that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-joy/most-songwriting-like-poetry-takes-a-careful-selection-of-words/) [Vance Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-joy/) > [I was drawn to it much to my father's dismay. He wanted me to be a pianist like he was, but I had coarser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ferrer/i-was-drawn-to-it-much-to-my-father-s-dismay-he-wanted-me-to-be-a/) [Miguel Ferrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ferrer/) > [I consider myself to be an inept pianist, a bad singer, and a merely competent songwriter. ... I'm probably writing music now for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-consider-myself-to-be-an-inept-pianist-a-bad-singer-and-a-merely-2/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I love, love, love songwriting. It's like the most therapeutic thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troye-sivan/i-love-love-love-songwriting-it-s-like-the-most-therapeutic-thing-in/) [Troye Sivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troye-sivan/) > [Songwriting is like ... being possessed. You try to go to sleep but the song won't let you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/songwriting-is-like-being-possessed-you-try-to-go-to-sleep-but-the/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Songwriting is like working on a jigsaw puzzle, and it doesn't make any sense until you find that last piece. It has to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/songwriting-is-like-working-on-a-jigsaw-puzzle-and-it-doesn-t-make/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [When I'm songwriting, I like to expand the biggest emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruel/when-i-m-songwriting-i-like-to-expand-the-biggest-emotion/) Ruel > [When you're songwriting, it's like talking about your own life experience. When you're with a band, you have to compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-b-schmit/when-you-re-songwriting-it-s-like-talking-about-your-own-life/) [Timothy B. Schmit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-b-schmit/) > [For me songwriting is very...it's almost like an accident. 'Oh I accidentally wrote about that.' I sit down with the urge to write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lea-mayfield/for-me-songwriting-is-very-it-s-almost-like-an-accident-oh-i/) Jessica Lea Mayfield ## More by 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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/home-for-me-is-with-the-people-who-i-really-love-whether-that-s-in/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [I would bake for my grandma because she has never had anything I've baked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-would-bake-for-my-grandma-because-she-has-never-had-anything-i-ve/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-was-on-the-beach-and-i-was-just-thinking-to-myself-that-i-have-no/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/baking-is-more-like-chemistry-following-certain-instructions-and/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [If I don't feel the music, I can't perform it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/if-i-don-t-feel-the-music-i-can-t-perform-it/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [I get mad about something, and then I have this melody in my head, and then afterwards, the lyrics come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-get-mad-about-something-and-then-i-have-this-melody-in-my-head-and/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [There's a few kids out there who like singing to my songs. They're, like, five, six, seven years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/there-s-a-few-kids-out-there-who-like-singing-to-my-songs-they-re/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-m-definitely-sleep-deprived-it-is-so-hard-to-sleep-on-a-tour-bus-it/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [I like eating yummy things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-like-eating-yummy-things/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/at-the-end-of-the-day-it-s-not-the-labels-buying-the-music-it-s-the/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [Music is something I can control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/music-is-something-i-can-control/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [I wanted to take the seriousness out of everything a little bit, because it kind of fits my style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-wanted-to-take-the-seriousness-out-of-everything-a-little-bit/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-m-putting-out-music-that-i-love-and-they-re-basically-just-stories/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [I have complete creative freedom. If I want to put a song on the album, there's no one stopping me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-have-complete-creative-freedom-if-i-want-to-put-a-song-on-the-album/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) > [I don't like being dependent on other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/i-don-t-like-being-dependent-on-other-people/) [Alice Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) [Explore all 51 Alice Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be-either-a-pianist-or-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be-either-a-pianist-or-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af8/alice-merton-13102_always_when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be_1499134.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af8/alice-merton-13102_always_when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be_1499134.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af8/alice-merton-13102_always_when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be_1499134.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was younger, I always wanted to be either a pianist or a classical singer, and when I discovered…” — Alice Merton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was younger, I always...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be-either-a-pianist-or-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-merton/when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-be-either-a-pianist-or-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```