Michael Pena Quotes

As soon as I got into music, I tried to be a working, real artist who gets paid for what he does, who doesn't have a day job.

There are artists who make their living now going to conventions... because now you can.

I wanted to be an artist, because it's a much better scam than being an architect.

I've been asked often what is the difference between an amateur and a professional artist, and I will tell you. An amateur artist is one who works all week at something else so he can paint on Saturday and Sunday. A professional artist is one whose wife works so he can paint all the time.

I feel very blessed we can still have a career making music.

I love Shakira - she is such a beautiful person. She does so many good things for the world on top of making good music. And she is an awesome mom. When you are Latina, it is all about family, and to see that she prioritizes family and her career at the same time is really nice.

If you can play live and support yourself, it's one of the few ways you're going to actually get paid in this business these days.

I get to sing and act and write and create and produce for a living and share art with people, and I feel like a piece of that is in honor of those who came before me.

I am a muso, and I love doing it. I assumed that would be my career for a long time. I always wanted to be a writer, but I didn't think that anyone could actually be that full-time, so I always go back to conducting and arranging and playing. If you scratch me, I'm a musician.

I am so blessed that all I've done in my professional life, since I was 17-18, is play music and somehow make a dollar here and there.

Although I still have a long way to go, I would like to become the pride of Asia. When another Asian artist enters the U.S. market, I would like him to think, 'There was an artist called Rain who succeeded in the U.S. market.' This is my dream.

I've admired Alicia Keys since before I got into the music industry, just everything she represents as a female artist.

I love music and love a good audience and still have to make a living. Why would I quit?

Bruce Springsteen really got any creative person's dream career, and his good-heartedness and good-spiritedness are part of it: both because it made the people behind the scenes want to do their jobs that much better, but it also means that he connects with an audience in a way that holds them close.

My parents were so far from the music world that they couldn't conceive how you could make a living. But for me, it was the only solution for the rest of my life.

I have mentors like Erykah Badu. She's been like a big sister to me.

Sam Shepard is - I didn't tell this to Sammy, but if I had to point to one artist that made me want to do this for my life, it's Sam Shepard.

I'm lucky that I enjoy touring as much as I do. I'm not going to make a living just making records.

I feel very fortunate to be in a position to where I can continue to make music and have people appreciate it.

If it weren't for this, I'd probably be working a normal job and playing on the weekends for 10 people at the Irvine Spectrum.

The film, 'Searching For Sugar Man,' has excited my music career.

I want to keep representing for all Latinos - for men, women, young girls, and young kids that have a dream.

It doesn't matter how big the shows are, as long as I'm making a living playing music. That's all that matters to me.

I have so much gratitude that I get to do this for a living and that I actually have fans who come to the shows and buy the records and support me online.

I have a weird and undying love for George Michael. He's the reason why I want to do what I do.