--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I'm trying to do is make music that…" description: "\"What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection to trying to make rev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/boots-riley-3549_audience_what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that_83881.jpg" --- # What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to… ![“What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection to trying to make revolutionary change, and I don't need to change my music to get to a certain audience.” quote by Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/boots-riley-3549_audience_what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that_83881.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/boots-riley-3549_audience_what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that_83881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/boots-riley-3549_audience_what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that_83881.jpg) > “What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection to trying to make revolutionary change, and I don't need to change my music to get to a certain audience.” [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker aims to create music that resonates personally while advocating for societal transformation, refusing to compromise artistic integrity for market demands. **In simple terms:** Music as personal expression and catalyst for change Key Takeaway Stay authentic, inspire change Themes authenticity social activism artistic integrity personal storytelling cultural impact Mood determined hopeful defiant Type lyric manifesto When to use this quote - songwriting - album production - live performance - community outreach Key Concepts music revolutionary ideas audience connection Practical Applications - musical activism - brand identity building Questions to Reflect On - How can artists balance personal truth with broader social messages? - What risks arise when refusing to tailor art for commercial appeal? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Need a change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-a-change/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/) [Revolutionary change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary-change/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [There's almost a fear that if you understood too deeply the way you arrived at choices, you could become self-conscious. In any case, many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/there-s-almost-a-fear-that-if-you-understood-too-deeply-the-way-you/) [Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/) > [Culture - art, music, literature - is the long game, because it's the way to change people's ideas in a more personal way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/culture-art-music-literature-is-the-long-game-because-it-s-the-way-to/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [The biggest thing about Pinterest is that people are there saving ideas for their personal lives. Not to rile up other people or make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/the-biggest-thing-about-pinterest-is-that-people-are-there-saving/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [“You can't make a revolutionary omelet without breaking heads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/you-can-t-make-a-revolutionary-omelet-without-breaking-heads/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [Being a victim of oppression in the United States is not enough to make you revolutionary, just as dropping out of your mother's womb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/being-a-victim-of-oppression-in-the-united-states-is-not-enough-to/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [They make revolutionary propaganda because they know the privileged class can never be overturned peacefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/they-make-revolutionary-propaganda-because-they-know-the-privileged/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [“You can’t change the music of your soul. —In Esquire, 1967”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/you-can-t-change-the-music-of-your-soul-in-esquire-1967/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Just like styles change, music changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac/just-like-styles-change-music-changes/) [Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac/) > [You can’t change the music of your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/you-can-t-change-the-music-of-your-soul/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Goes the song, "we change, we change." But the music is still mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/goes-the-song-we-change-we-change-but-the-music-is-still-mine/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [Commercial success won't come to us from a change in the music. It will gradually be the result of a change in the appetite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-thought/commercial-success-won-t-come-to-us-from-a-change-in-the-music-it/) [Black Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-thought/) > [If my Michael Jackson routine left even one person feeling uncomfortable or less joyful, I felt like it was in everyone's best interest to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katelyn-ohashi/if-my-michael-jackson-routine-left-even-one-person-feeling/) [Katelyn Ohashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katelyn-ohashi/) > [How did this or that change my music? The only time I have to think about it is when an interviewer asks me that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-schulze/how-did-this-or-that-change-my-music-the-only-time-i-have-to-think/) [Klaus Schulze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-schulze/) > [I'm not here to change the music world, but I'm definitely here to show what I can do and express myself through my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-dewyze/i-m-not-here-to-change-the-music-world-but-i-m-definitely-here-to/) [Lee DeWyze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-dewyze/) > [There's no new direction. It's not more poppy or more rocky. They're just rock'n'roll tunes. I'll never change the music I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/there-s-no-new-direction-it-s-not-more-poppy-or-more-rocky-they-re/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) ## More by Boots Riley > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I think it's important for us not just to edit the culture that capitalism creates but to create the material basis for a culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-think-it-s-important-for-us-not-just-to-edit-the-culture-that/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [The tech world is not a new phenomenon; it's a new era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/the-tech-world-is-not-a-new-phenomenon-it-s-a-new-era/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I thought my parents were always having card parties - and they were - but they were actually also having meetings to organize people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-thought-my-parents-were-always-having-card-parties-and-they-were/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [Going to school in San Francisco, you're not going to meet as many people that are making films as you would if you went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/going-to-school-in-san-francisco-you-re-not-going-to-meet-as-many/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What I like about music is that you make a song, you've got your ideas in it, and people make that song part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-like-about-music-is-that-you-make-a-song-you-ve-got-your-ideas/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What first got me involved in politics was being 14, and a youth organizer comes to my house with a van full of 14…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-first-got-me-involved-in-politics-was-being-14-and-a-youth/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I think most people would love for us to be a socialist society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-think-most-people-would-love-for-us-to-be-a-socialist-society/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [A lot of organizers tell me that while they are making signs or doing whatever they do, they are listening to the Coup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/a-lot-of-organizers-tell-me-that-while-they-are-making-signs-or-doing/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [When we were doing shows in the mid-'90s, the audiences were 95% black. What's happened now is the gentrification of hip-hop. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/when-we-were-doing-shows-in-the-mid-90s-the-audiences-were-95-black/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [You make art, you make it from what you know, and that's the best way to make art. You get lost in the details…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/you-make-art-you-make-it-from-what-you-know-and-that-s-the-best-way/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [If the only time you bang the drum is when it's time to get someone elected, and you don't get involved in a mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/if-the-only-time-you-bang-the-drum-is-when-it-s-time-to-get-someone/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [The Coup does not support the American flag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/the-coup-does-not-support-the-american-flag/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I'm not a classically trained composer, and I can't sing very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-m-not-a-classically-trained-composer-and-i-can-t-sing-very-well/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I wanted to write a song about sexism, but I didn't want to do it in a mechanical way and be like, "Don't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-wanted-to-write-a-song-about-sexism-but-i-didn-t-want-to-do-it-in-a/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) [Explore all 128 Boots Riley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection to trying to make revolutionary change, and I don't need to change my music to get to a certain audience.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Boots Riley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that-people-relate-to-that-talks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that-people-relate-to-that-talks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/boots-riley-3549_audience_what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that_83881.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/boots-riley-3549_audience_what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that_83881.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/boots-riley-3549_audience_what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that_83881.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also…” — Boots Riley", "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": "Boots Riley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What I'm trying to do is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that-people-relate-to-that-talks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that-people-relate-to-that-talks/#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 } } ] } ```