--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel like I have to create the Keith…" description: "\"I feel like I have to create the Keith Whitley sound. That doesn't mean I can't borrow from the people I grew up listening to, but it doesn't serve any..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/keith-whitley-18150_come_i-feel-like-i-have-to-create-the-keith-w_3181182.jpg" --- # I feel like I have to create the Keith Whitley sound. That… ![“I feel like I have to create the Keith Whitley sound. That doesn't mean I can't borrow from the people I grew up listening to, but it doesn't serve any purpose to sing the same kind of songs they sang. When you do that, it's going to come out sounding like an imitation, whether it's meant to or not.” quote by Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/keith-whitley-18150_come_i-feel-like-i-have-to-create-the-keith-w_3181182.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/keith-whitley-18150_come_i-feel-like-i-have-to-create-the-keith-w_3181182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/keith-whitley-18150_come_i-feel-like-i-have-to-create-the-keith-w_3181182.jpg) > “I feel like I have to create the Keith Whitley sound. That doesn't mean I can't borrow from the people I grew up listening to, but it doesn't serve any purpose to sing the same kind of songs they sang. When you do that, it's going to come out sounding like an imitation, whether it's meant to or not.” [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating music that mimics past artists leads to imitation, not authentic expression. **In simple terms:** Copying loses originality. Key Takeaway Seek your own voice. Themes authenticity creativity influence Mood thoughtful inspirational Type artistic creative When to use this quote - songwriting - performing - recording Key Concepts artistic integrity musical heritage Questions to Reflect On - What makes a sound truly original? - How can you honor influences without copying? A Different Perspective Originality can be hard to define. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create/) [Create Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-keith-5829091/) [Like Imitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-imitation-2401395/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Purpose Sing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-sing-4964789/) [Sing Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sing-kind-1122795/) [Sounding Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sounding-like/) ## Related quotes > [“What I’ve learned is that the muses’ decision to sing or not to sing is not based on the elevation of your moral purpose—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/what-i-ve-learned-is-that-the-muses-decision-to-sing-or-not-to-sing/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him has no need of any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/he-who-lets-the-world-or-his-own-portion-of-it-choose-his-plan-of-3/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Oftentimes in films, the female character, if she's not the protagonist - and often, even if she is - feels like an imitation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-thompson/oftentimes-in-films-the-female-character-if-she-s-not-the-protagonist/) [Tessa Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-thompson/) > [What's the point of being a lesbian if a woman is going to look and act like an imitation man?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/what-s-the-point-of-being-a-lesbian-if-a-woman-is-going-to-look-and/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [He who lets the world choose his plan of life for him has need of no other faculty than that of ape-like imitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/he-who-lets-the-world-choose-his-plan-of-life-for-him-has-need-of-no/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [You go in and record and sing them some and you go back in and rerecord and sing them some more. 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I write knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perfume-genius/it-used-to-be-enough-for-me-to-get-on-stage-and-sing-i-kind-of-crave/) [Perfume Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perfume-genius/) > [A singer must be able to sing any kind of song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-janaki/a-singer-must-be-able-to-sing-any-kind-of-song/) [S. Janaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-janaki/) > [I started taking singing classes just two years ago. It was great. I never knew I could sing but I kind of found my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/i-started-taking-singing-classes-just-two-years-ago-it-was-great-i/) [Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/) > [I can't seem to fathom that the things important to me are not important to other people as well, and so I come off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-can-t-seem-to-fathom-that-the-things-important-to-me-are-not/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Some things don't wind up sounding like you'd expect, which is just as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/some-things-don-t-wind-up-sounding-like-you-d-expect-which-is-just-as/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [I always come across sounding like I hate my children. I actually love them very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-bowen/i-always-come-across-sounding-like-i-hate-my-children-i-actually-love/) [Julie Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-bowen/) > [When people start writing songs for award shows, there's a very limited palette you can use. You end up not sounding like you. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-dirnt/when-people-start-writing-songs-for-award-shows-there-s-a-very/) [Mike Dirnt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-dirnt/) ## More by Keith Whitley > [Shortly after I started in bluegrass, Ricky Skaggs and I got together and the bluegrass career just snowballed. Being 15 or 16 and making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/shortly-after-i-started-in-bluegrass-ricky-skaggs-and-i-got-together/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [I did so many crazy things while drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/i-did-so-many-crazy-things-while-drinking/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [I grew up listening to my mother's collection of Hank Williams, George Jones and Marty Robbins records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/i-grew-up-listening-to-my-mother-s-collection-of-hank-williams-george/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [The whole deal with my music has been the emotional quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/the-whole-deal-with-my-music-has-been-the-emotional-quality/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [I believe in 'Hard Livin'.' The song has a lot of potential. I sang it on the road for about a year before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/i-believe-in-hard-livin-the-song-has-a-lot-of-potential-i-sang-it-on/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [I thought everybody had to drink to be in this business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/i-thought-everybody-had-to-drink-to-be-in-this-business/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [Lyrics mean a lot to me, and I won't record a song unless I can feel it. That's something I learned from Carter Stanley.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/lyrics-mean-a-lot-to-me-and-i-won-t-record-a-song-unless-i-can-feel/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [I learned to do things the way the old-timers did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/i-learned-to-do-things-the-way-the-old-timers-did/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [Even when I was 3 or 4 years old, I'd go out riding in the car with mom and dad, and I already knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/even-when-i-was-3-or-4-years-old-i-d-go-out-riding-in-the-car-with/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [I keep progressing with each record, and that's a positive sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/i-keep-progressing-with-each-record-and-that-s-a-positive-sign/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [It's not so uncommon for me to get so wrapped up in a song that I cry several times when I sing them. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/it-s-not-so-uncommon-for-me-to-get-so-wrapped-up-in-a-song-that-i-cry/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [Songs I do have to strike an emotional chord the first time I sing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/songs-i-do-have-to-strike-an-emotional-chord-the-first-time-i-sing/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [You may not hear much bluegrass on the surface of my music, but I feel the emotion I put in a song comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/you-may-not-hear-much-bluegrass-on-the-surface-of-my-music-but-i-feel/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [I don't remember ever not wanting to be a country singer. Even as a little kid, that was my dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/i-don-t-remember-ever-not-wanting-to-be-a-country-singer-even-as-a/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) > [We did the 'L.A. to Miami' album, with the song 'Miami, My Amy,' which really saved my life as far as confidence goes. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-whitley/we-did-the-l-a-to-miami-album-with-the-song-miami-my-amy-which-really/) [Keith Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) [Explore all 35 Keith Whitley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-whitley/) ## More Come quotes > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. 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There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“More we know, more we come know that how less we know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souvik-khamrui/more-we-know-more-we-come-know-that-how-less-we-know/) [Souvik Khamrui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/souvik-khamrui/) > [I mean, you've kind of got the track down, especially with ovals. 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