--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anytime something starts to feel like a…" description: "\"Anytime something starts to feel like a popularity contest or not about the music, I'd rather just not be involved. I'm not a big high-fiver. That real..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/gary-allan-15208_big_anytime-something-starts-to-feel-like-a_3228131.jpg" --- # Anytime something starts to feel like a popularity contest… ![“Anytime something starts to feel like a popularity contest or not about the music, I'd rather just not be involved. I'm not a big high-fiver. That really gets to people around me when we have a No. 1 or something big happen. I'm not a big, 'Let's go have a party about it!” quote by Gary Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/gary-allan-15208_big_anytime-something-starts-to-feel-like-a_3228131.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/gary-allan-15208_big_anytime-something-starts-to-feel-like-a_3228131.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/gary-allan-15208_big_anytime-something-starts-to-feel-like-a_3228131.jpg) > “Anytime something starts to feel like a popularity contest or not about the music, I'd rather just not be involved. I'm not a big high-fiver. That really gets to people around me when we have a No. 1 or something big happen. I'm not a big, 'Let's go have a party about it!” [Gary Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-allan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When competition eclipses art, disengage to preserve integrity; fame should not dictate creative choices **In simple terms:** Avoid fame‑driven rivalry Key Takeaway Stay true to your art Themes integrity creativity industry pressure Mood candid serious Type statement philosophical When to use this quote - studio sessions - award ceremonies - media interviews Key Concepts authentic expression commercialization Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel pressure to conform for success? - How can you maintain authenticity under scrutiny? A Different Perspective Popularity contests can pressure artists into compromising their vision ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Contest Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contest-music-4950535/) [Contests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contests/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Like Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-popularity-2625341/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-just/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Popularity contest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity-contest/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) ## Related quotes > [It's not a popularity contest to me. It should always be about the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriella-wilson/it-s-not-a-popularity-contest-to-me-it-should-always-be-about-the/) [Gabriella Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriella-wilson/) > [“Despite its revolutionary promises, Facebook can turn our everyday lives into that wedding we have all heard about: the one where the bride chooses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-jay/despite-its-revolutionary-promises-facebook-can-turn-our-everyday/) [Meg Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-jay/) > [I think politics in general are just like a popularity contest but McCain is just... old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-hughley/i-think-politics-in-general-are-just-like-a-popularity-contest-but/) [D. L. Hughley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-hughley/) > [I don't know. I don't care. It's like if we really cared in high school about like, who won best dressed or who got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/i-don-t-know-i-don-t-care-it-s-like-if-we-really-cared-in-high-school/) [Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/) > [Sometimes music can really seem like a popularity contest with beautiful people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-walker/sometimes-music-can-really-seem-like-a-popularity-contest-with/) [Tom Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-walker/) > [I'm not here to win a popularity contest. I'm here to work and have a career. Let the haters hate. I'm ready for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-huntington-whiteley/i-m-not-here-to-win-a-popularity-contest-i-m-here-to-work-and-have-a/) [Rosie Huntington-Whiteley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-huntington-whiteley/) > [Women on the way up generally fail to win popularity contests. The only compensation is that once you're there you will become very well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-wyse/women-on-the-way-up-generally-fail-to-win-popularity-contests-the/) [Lois Wyse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-wyse/) > [Ultimately the Emmys are a popularity contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-devane/ultimately-the-emmys-are-a-popularity-contest/) [William Devane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-devane/) > [Gore will not win a popularity contest, he will not win a personality contest, but he can win an idealogical battle, and he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-estrich/gore-will-not-win-a-popularity-contest-he-will-not-win-a-personality/) [Susan Estrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-estrich/) > [It's dangerous to think too much about how a film will be received. Filmmaking is not a popularity contest. Some would disagree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-leigh/it-s-dangerous-to-think-too-much-about-how-a-film-will-be-received/) [Julia Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-leigh/) > [Leadership is not a popularity contest; it's about leaving your ego at the door. The name of the game is to lead without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leadership-is-not-a-popularity-contest-it-s-about-leaving-your-ego-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't care at all about the mainstream; I don't care about popularity contests; I don't care about who's got the biggest-selling album; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-anselmo/i-don-t-care-at-all-about-the-mainstream-i-don-t-care-about/) [Phil Anselmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-anselmo/) > [Beating Newt Gingrich in a popularity contest is like beating Stephen Hawking in 'Dancing with the Stars.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/beating-newt-gingrich-in-a-popularity-contest-is-like-beating-stephen/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Art has never been a popularity contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-levine/art-has-never-been-a-popularity-contest/) [James Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-levine/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) ## More by Gary Allan > [Let's be naughty and save Santa the trip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-allan/let-s-be-naughty-and-save-santa-the-trip/) [Gary Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-allan/) > [My whole back's tattooed. I just wanted a twist. I was always in punk bands when I was little I think that's where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-allan/my-whole-back-s-tattooed-i-just-wanted-a-twist-i-was-always-in-punk/) [Gary Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-allan/) > [No matter who you meet in life, you take something from them, positive or negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-allan/no-matter-who-you-meet-in-life-you-take-something-from-them-positive/) [Gary Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-allan/) > [I've had fans come and knock on my door. I'm usually polite, but I'm usually very direct and say, 'It's not cool that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-allan/i-ve-had-fans-come-and-knock-on-my-door-i-m-usually-polite-but-i-m/) [Gary Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-allan/) > [I love the intimacy of venues like the House of Blues. 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I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) [Browse all 12,477 Big quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anytime something starts to feel like a popularity contest or not about the music, I'd rather just not be involved. 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