When I’m writing, it’s the weirdest thing: it’s not even a conscious process. I’m not even thinking when I write, and then all of a sudden, I’ll have a song that makes me feel so much better than I did before. – Banks
My voice has always been kind of distinct – even when I was four years old, my mom told me that people would be like, ‘Why does your daughter always sound like a chain smoker?’ I’ve always had this deep, raspy voice. – Banks
It’s so inspiring to be around other people who have ideas you haven’t thought of, and all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Wow! That’s so amazing!’ I definitely want everything I do to just get better and better. – Banks
I’ve never really been into social media – I don’t have a Facebook; I don’t do Twitter or Instagram or anything. – Banks
I have a very feminine voice when I write, a very womanly point of view. My last name feels strong and powerful. To me, it’s almost a bit masculine. I like the dichotomy of the two. Two sides perfectly represented within my name. – Banks
It’s that beautiful thing to love your weaknesses, your insecurities, and then put them all on blast. That’s why I started writing, and that’s why it was so hard to do it in public. – Banks
I really believe that if you want something bad enough, and you work so hard to get it, and you have it inside, then if you just never stop, it’s gonna happen. – Banks
I love grey. My mom told me that when I was younger, I would get mildly depressed when it was grey all the time. I’d be darker when it was dark out. But as an adult, I really love it. – Banks
It’s a big theme throughout my music to just embrace everything about your own mind and to always feel powerful. It’s not just a feminine thing, but for men, too, whether they feel weak, or strong or crazy or reclusive. I want everyone to feel powerful no matter what little beasts they have in their head. – Banks
I grew up in L.A. I actually grew up in the Valley, which was a pretty amazing place to grow up because everybody has nice, big backyards, and I was kind of a little nature being. – Banks
I always say my music is like dark blue or black, like a punch to your gut that feels really good. – Banks
I used to swallow people’s energies, and then I learned, as I got older, that I’m too sensitive, and I had to stop doing that. Now I don’t take as much in. – Banks
Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around, and it felt like there were 25 extra pounds of gravity on my shoulders. It’s like you’re mute or something. – Banks
Once I discovered how important writing music was to me and just what a huge weight it lifted off of me, I knew that it was going to be the biggest part of my life, the biggest love of my life, the biggest thing in my life. – Banks
I love Lauryn Hill, Tracy Chapman, Fiona Apple. People like that. People you can really connect to on the most basic human level. – Banks
Human emotion is more interesting than anything. Everything that is so overtly sexual is not real. Real emotion is sexy. It’s vulnerable and raw. – Banks
When you broaden the little box that you’ve been living in for so long, it can be very uncomfortable at first. – Banks
I love fashion. I like dressing how I feel, and my music shows how I feel – they go hand in hand. My performance style is pretty much the same as my everyday style. – Banks
I’m very moody, so I dress for whatever mood I’m in. Sometimes I want to be a little more boyish and flowy and comfortable. Sometimes I want to feel a little sexier and more composed. – Banks
I got into writing music when I was, like, 14 or 15. It was a very private thing for me because I used it as an outlet and emotional release. I kept it very close to myself and didn’t tell too many people about it. – Banks