"The truth is, I initially became a singer-songwriter while still in my teens because it was the only way to guarantee that somebody on earth would sing the songs I was writing. Since then, I've performed just about everywhere: rock clubs, concerts halls, arenas, TV"
About this Quote
The subtext is control. Holmes is describing the singer-songwriter not as a genre pose but as a survival strategy: when no one’s guaranteed to champion your work, you turn your own body into the publishing platform. That choice contains a teenage ache for validation (somebody, anybody, please sing this) and a shrewd understanding of the music economy: performance is the leverage composers can create when the industry won’t hand it to them.
Then he scrolls through venues like a resume montage - rock clubs, concert halls, arenas, TV - not to brag, but to show the scale of that original workaround. The list compresses decades of professional mobility into a single breath, suggesting an artist who can translate across rooms and audiences without changing the core job: get the song sung. Coming from a composer associated with sharp, narrative pop craft, it’s also a subtle defense of songwriting as the real headline. The voice is the means; the song is the point.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Holmes, Rupert. (2026, January 16). The truth is, I initially became a singer-songwriter while still in my teens because it was the only way to guarantee that somebody on earth would sing the songs I was writing. Since then, I've performed just about everywhere: rock clubs, concerts halls, arenas, TV. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-truth-is-i-initially-became-a-85551/
Chicago Style
Holmes, Rupert. "The truth is, I initially became a singer-songwriter while still in my teens because it was the only way to guarantee that somebody on earth would sing the songs I was writing. Since then, I've performed just about everywhere: rock clubs, concerts halls, arenas, TV." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-truth-is-i-initially-became-a-85551/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The truth is, I initially became a singer-songwriter while still in my teens because it was the only way to guarantee that somebody on earth would sing the songs I was writing. Since then, I've performed just about everywhere: rock clubs, concerts halls, arenas, TV." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-truth-is-i-initially-became-a-85551/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.



