---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively…"
description: "\"On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively on sung music, creating a collection of songs that directly address heartbreak and its ensuing emotions in a wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/anoushka-shankar-7068_emotions_on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on_383005.png"
---

#  On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively on sung music…

![“On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively on sung music, creating a collection of songs that directly address heartbreak and its ensuing emotions in a way that instrumental music can only hint at.” quote by Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/anoushka-shankar-7068_emotions_on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on_383005.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/anoushka-shankar-7068_emotions_on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on_383005.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/anoushka-shankar-7068_emotions_on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on_383005.png)

> “On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively on sung music, creating a collection of songs that directly address heartbreak and its ensuing emotions in a way that instrumental music can only hint at.”

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She uses vocal music to express heartbreak directly, which instrumental music can only suggest.

**In simple terms:** Songs convey heartbreak more clearly than instruments.

Key Takeaway

Explore vocal storytelling.

Themes

Music emotion storytelling heartbreak

Mood

reflective artistic

Type

creative emotional

When to use this quote

- Album production
- live concerts
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

Vocal performance songwriting emotional expression

Questions to Reflect On

- Can lyrics ever fully capture feeling?
- How does vocal tone affect listener empathy?

A Different Perspective

Instrumental music may also convey depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Exclusively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exclusively-433137/) [Exclusively Sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exclusively-sung-3470414/) [Heartbreak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreak/) [Instrumental music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrumental-music/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-letters/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs Directly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-directly-1438930/) [Sung Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sung-music-3470415/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [On 'Love Letters', I focused exclusively on songs with lyrics, creating a collection of songs that directly address heartbreak and its ensuing emotions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on-songs-with-lyrics-creating-a/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [“I have personally spoken to loved ones on the other side about the process of dying through the song oracle. My Mom sent me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-ophelia/i-have-personally-spoken-to-loved-ones-on-the-other-side-about-the/)

[Ayesha Ophelia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-ophelia/)

> [I feel 'Love Letters' has been part of a longer journey towards a very simple, international sound in which the sitar is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-feel-love-letters-has-been-part-of-a-longer-journey-towards-a-very/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [I'm not exclusively into R&amp;B. I like Usher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-dhupia/i-m-not-exclusively-into-r-b-i-like-usher/)

[Neha Dhupia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-dhupia/)

> [“All the knowledge I possess every one else can acquire, but my heart is exclusively my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-the-knowledge-i-possess-every-one-else-can-acquire-but-my-heart/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I work in the mornings almost exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-work-in-the-mornings-almost-exclusively/)

[Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/)

> [Our brains deal exclusively with special-case experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/our-brains-deal-exclusively-with-special-case-experiences/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [Certitude belongs exclusively to those who only own one encyclopedia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/certitude-belongs-exclusively-to-those-who-only-own-one-encyclopedia/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [I have a deep-seated belief that marriage is between a man and a woman exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hogg/i-have-a-deep-seated-belief-that-marriage-is-between-a-man-and-a/)

[John Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hogg/)

> [I don't think anything that I have done has been forced by commerce exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-don-t-think-anything-that-i-have-done-has-been-forced-by-commerce/)

[Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/)

> [The assets of the Jewish National Home must be created exclusively through our own work, for only the product of the Hebrew labor can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/the-assets-of-the-jewish-national-home-must-be-created-exclusively/)

[David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/)

> [I'm not interested in anything but emotionally driven stories; that's why almost all of my work is exclusively anchored by women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/i-m-not-interested-in-anything-but-emotionally-driven-stories-that-s/)

[Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/)

> [My experience of dancing is exclusively at weddings or parties with alcohol involved and in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-fletcher/my-experience-of-dancing-is-exclusively-at-weddings-or-parties-with/)

[Kelvin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-fletcher/)

> [“Freiheit ist immer die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden Freedom is always, and exclusively, freedom for the one who thinks differently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-luxemburg/freiheit-ist-immer-die-freiheit-des-andersdenkenden-freedom-is-always/)

[Rosa Luxemburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-luxemburg/)

> [Science deals exclusively with things as they are in themselves; and art exclusively with things as they affect the human sense and human soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/science-deals-exclusively-with-things-as-they-are-in-themselves-and/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

## More by Anoushka Shankar

> [In the last few years in particular, I've found that it's okay to let go of culture rather than hold on to it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/in-the-last-few-years-in-particular-i-ve-found-that-it-s-okay-to-let/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [I would say 'Home' is a lot richer and deeper than my earlier classical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-would-say-home-is-a-lot-richer-and-deeper-than-my-earlier-classical/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [I feel 'Love Letters' has been part of a longer journey towards a very simple, international sound in which the sitar is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-feel-love-letters-has-been-part-of-a-longer-journey-towards-a-very/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [I love it that my father is such a classical musician and such a traditionalist, and at the same time has had a wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-love-it-that-my-father-is-such-a-classical-musician-and-such-a/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [As a musician, it's only natural that my music mirrors my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/as-a-musician-it-s-only-natural-that-my-music-mirrors-my-life/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [But there was a lot of pressure to achieve and to get things right, whether in school, on stage or with my peers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/but-there-was-a-lot-of-pressure-to-achieve-and-to-get-things-right/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [The lockdown, in general, left me with a sense of needing to become more independent and instead of being intimidated, I decided to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/the-lockdown-in-general-left-me-with-a-sense-of-needing-to-become/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [Home' was a special album for very specific reasons. It is an homage to my father. And it is the first classical album I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/home-was-a-special-album-for-very-specific-reasons-it-is-an-homage-to/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [Someone like my father will improvise as much as 90% of the music in concert, but with me it's maybe 10 to 20%. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/someone-like-my-father-will-improvise-as-much-as-90-of-the-music-in/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [As far as using electronics in my music, I have to do that as honestly as possible. Also, I have a broad range of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/as-far-as-using-electronics-in-my-music-i-have-to-do-that-as-honestly/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [Music is my passion, it's my fun - but what's really important are the people I build a family with. That comes first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/music-is-my-passion-it-s-my-fun-but-what-s-really-important-are-the/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [I have been given something really, really special and really unique, and it is not just in and of itself having learned from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-have-been-given-something-really-really-special-and-really-unique/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [Even though my parents raised me in a very individualistic way, they were also strict and traditional, which was good. It was hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/even-though-my-parents-raised-me-in-a-very-individualistic-way-they/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [It is that kind of space, that little space of longing, whether it is in something like romantic love, or whether it's in something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/it-is-that-kind-of-space-that-little-space-of-longing-whether-it-is/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [I think we are all individuals at the end of the day. There's nothing about culture that can prescribe who you're meant to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-think-we-are-all-individuals-at-the-end-of-the-day-there-s-nothing/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

[Explore all 95 Anoushka Shankar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

## More Emotions quotes

> [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [On stage, you can bring all those strong emotions that you don't have the opportunity to live. You don't want to die for love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/on-stage-you-can-bring-all-those-strong-emotions-that-you-don-t-have/)

[Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/)

> [You will never fully understand how much you mean to me, because there are no amount of words that can begin to describe my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-fully-understand-how-much-you-mean-to-me-because-there/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/)

[Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/)

[Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My mind has trouble processing all the emotions I feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mind-has-trouble-processing-all-the-emotions-i-feel/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Its a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/)

[Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/)

> [“When love carries us away on its brittle wings, we are too intoxicated to comprehend its power. We just want to soar and feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balroop-singh/when-love-carries-us-away-on-its-brittle-wings-we-are-too-intoxicated/)

[Balroop Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balroop-singh/)

> [God, help me to focus on Truth instead of the trial. Help me to give thanks instead of giving into fear. Help me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-daugherty/god-help-me-to-focus-on-truth-instead-of-the-trial-help-me-to-give/)

[Whitney Daugherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-daugherty/)

> [Love is an ocean of emotions entirely sorrounded by expensee..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-an-ocean-of-emotions-entirely-sorrounded-by-expensee/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/)

[Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/)

[Browse all 4,415 Emotions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively on sung music, creating a collection of songs that directly address heartbreak and its ensuing emotions in a way that instrumental music can only hint at.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anoushka Shankar"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on-sung-music-creating-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Emotions"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on-sung-music-creating-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/anoushka-shankar-7068_emotions_on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on_383005.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/anoushka-shankar-7068_emotions_on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on_383005.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/anoushka-shankar-7068_emotions_on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on_383005.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively on sung music, creating a collection of songs that directly address…” — Anoushka Shankar",
                "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": "Anoushka Shankar",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on-sung-music-creating-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on-sung-music-creating-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
