--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, the moment the mic is on and it's…" description: "\"For me, the moment the mic is on and it's rolling, it's impossible to vocally relax for some reason. But one day, I'm going to be able to sing the way ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/cat-power-19278_able_for-me-the-moment-the-mic-is-on-and-it-s_814559.jpg" --- # For me, the moment the mic is on and it's rolling, it's… ![“For me, the moment the mic is on and it's rolling, it's impossible to vocally relax for some reason. But one day, I'm going to be able to sing the way I sang when I was a little kid, completely open and free. That's, I think, the one thing that's changed: Growing older, I'm not ashamed to hear my…” quote by Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/cat-power-19278_able_for-me-the-moment-the-mic-is-on-and-it-s_814559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/cat-power-19278_able_for-me-the-moment-the-mic-is-on-and-it-s_814559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/cat-power-19278_able_for-me-the-moment-the-mic-is-on-and-it-s_814559.jpg) > “For me, the moment the mic is on and it's rolling, it's impossible to vocally relax for some reason. But one day, I'm going to be able to sing the way I sang when I was a little kid, completely open and free. That's, I think, the one thing that's changed: Growing older, I'm not ashamed to hear my voice.” [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When performing, she feels tension but hopes to regain childlike vocal freedom, shedding shame with age. **In simple terms:** She wants to sing freely like as a child. Key Takeaway Embrace vulnerability and let go of self‑judgment. Themes self‑expression growth confidence music Mood introspective hopeful Type personal motivational When to use this quote - studio recording - live concerts - personal practice Key Concepts psychology performance art aging Questions to Reflect On - What blocks your authentic expression? - How can age become a source of confidence? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Able Sing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able-sing-301835/) [Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Growing older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-older/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Little kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-kid/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Mic Rolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mic-rolling-301834/) [Mics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mics/) [Moment Mic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-mic-301836/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [One day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-day/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Relax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relax/) [Rolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rolling/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vocally Relax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocally-relax-301833/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [It's like a god-given gift that I've actually been able to go out and sing my songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-david/it-s-like-a-god-given-gift-that-i-ve-actually-been-able-to-go-out-and/) [Craig David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-david/) > [Like an opera singer, I am able to sing out my song in paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-curtis/like-an-opera-singer-i-am-able-to-sing-out-my-song-in-paint/) [Tony Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-curtis/) > [To just be able to sing and show off the chops is kind of why I got into the music industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-darwish/to-just-be-able-to-sing-and-show-off-the-chops-is-kind-of-why-i-got/) [Tiffany Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-darwish/) > [I can't sing. Never been able to sing. I can't do voices very well. Every impression I do sounds the same. I can't dunk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-can-t-sing-never-been-able-to-sing-i-can-t-do-voices-very-well/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [In music, you ain't really got to be able to sing. In comedy, you may be cute, you may be able to add a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/in-music-you-ain-t-really-got-to-be-able-to-sing-in-comedy-you-may-be/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) > [I'm looking for voices that are distinctive. That's the most important thing to me. I mean, obviously they have to be able to sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-luke/i-m-looking-for-voices-that-are-distinctive-that-s-the-most-important/) [Dr. Luke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-luke/) > [Being on a microphone nightly has made me better at what I do, made me better able to sing a little bit, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-finn/being-on-a-microphone-nightly-has-made-me-better-at-what-i-do-made-me/) [Craig Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-finn/) > [Like with acting, if you're charming or just good-looking, you might be able to get your foot in the door. But a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-thicke/like-with-acting-if-you-re-charming-or-just-good-looking-you-might-be/) [Robin Thicke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-thicke/) > [“They have me singing in a reformatory. My singing would be enough to get me in, but I'd never be able to sing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stenn/they-have-me-singing-in-a-reformatory-my-singing-would-be-enough-to/) [David Stenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stenn/) > [The one thing I thought I would never be able to do was sing on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mj-rodriguez/the-one-thing-i-thought-i-would-never-be-able-to-do-was-sing-on/) [Mj Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mj-rodriguez/) > [I have had the good fortune of being able to sing with many of the finest voices in the world, and for someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-bocelli/i-have-had-the-good-fortune-of-being-able-to-sing-with-many-of-the/) [Andrea Bocelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-bocelli/) > [I want to be able to sing like Whitney Houston did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/i-want-to-be-able-to-sing-like-whitney-houston-did/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [I was actually tone deaf until I had tumors in my ears - I had very small ear canals - removed. Once they fixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-worsham/i-was-actually-tone-deaf-until-i-had-tumors-in-my-ears-i-had-very/) [Lauren Worsham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-worsham/) > [One should write not unskillfully in the running hand, be able to sing in a pleasing voice and keep good time to music; and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/one-should-write-not-unskillfully-in-the-running-hand-be-able-to-sing/) [Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/) > [It's believing you can push through the exhaustion just to be able to sing after you do a cartwheel or a split.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naima-adedapo/it-s-believing-you-can-push-through-the-exhaustion-just-to-be-able-to/) [Naima Adedapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naima-adedapo/) ## More by Cat Power > [Usually, I'll just sit down at a piano or with a guitar, and I'll just be relaxed and playing music. Because that's what relaxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/usually-i-ll-just-sit-down-at-a-piano-or-with-a-guitar-and-i-ll-just/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [People tend to think I'm insane, and I'm really tired of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/people-tend-to-think-i-m-insane-and-i-m-really-tired-of-it/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [There's just a lot of stuff that really moves me, and I don't know how to express it, and I just want to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/there-s-just-a-lot-of-stuff-that-really-moves-me-and-i-don-t-know-how/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [I used to want to be a war photographer, and I used to want to be a ballerina and a comedian. I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-used-to-want-to-be-a-war-photographer-and-i-used-to-want-to-be-a/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [I need to be able to face things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-need-to-be-able-to-face-things/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [Playing the guitar, you kind of lock into a rhythm and a groove, and then it relaxes me to make up lyrics and sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/playing-the-guitar-you-kind-of-lock-into-a-rhythm-and-a-groove-and/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [I got more guts than brains, and that's my problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-got-more-guts-than-brains-and-that-s-my-problem/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [From folk to tribal to Cab Calloway, Cole Porter, Gershwin to the Rolling Stones, whose first record was all covers, to country-western, bebop, blues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/from-folk-to-tribal-to-cab-calloway-cole-porter-gershwin-to-the/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [Never give up, no, never give up If you're looking for something easy You might as well give it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/never-give-up-no-never-give-up-if-you-re-looking-for-something-easy/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [Everybody tends to think I'm crazy, which is the biggest problem in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/everybody-tends-to-think-i-m-crazy-which-is-the-biggest-problem-in-my/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [I still haven't been able to capture the joy of what it's like when I sing - you know, when I'm by myself, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-still-haven-t-been-able-to-capture-the-joy-of-what-it-s-like-when-i/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [I moved to Los Angeles to be with a man I loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-moved-to-los-angeles-to-be-with-a-man-i-loved/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [If your parents gave you fire to play with when you were two, you'd be standing in fire by the time you were an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/if-your-parents-gave-you-fire-to-play-with-when-you-were-two-you-d-be/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [I've always dressed like a dude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-ve-always-dressed-like-a-dude/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) > [I'm not a professional entertainer. I'm not Neil Diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-power/i-m-not-a-professional-entertainer-i-m-not-neil-diamond/) [Cat Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) [Explore all 33 Cat Power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-power/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [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/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, the moment the mic is on and it's rolling, it's impossible to vocally relax for some reason. But one day, I'm going to be able to sing the way I sang when I was a little kid, completely open and free. 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