Nate Ruess quotes

Nate Ruess is an American musician, songwriter, and lead vocalist best known for his work with the bands Fun and The Format. His unique voice and dynamic stage presence have made a lasting impact in the indie pop and alternative rock scenes. He has also collaborated with several renowned artists and achieved commercial success as a solo artist. Here are 34 of his quotes:

Lately I've been falling asleep listening to 'Common One' by Van Morrison, specifically the song 'Summertime in England.' It's 15 minutes long, so to make it through the entire song is a real task unto itself, but Van has that emotional payoff that makes even his most tiresome songs more powerful than most people's entire catalog.

Nate Ruess

It takes a lot to still believe in people.

Nate Ruess

I picked up 'The Hunger Games' thinking it was written at my regressed reading level. I've spent hours reading it, and I'm not even halfway through. Our bass player, whose name is also Nate, ended up reading all three novels and loved them.

Nate Ruess

I was in a really crummy pop-punk band. I think we did a whole bunch of Blink-182 covers, and we were on the fringe of losers and jocks. So we invited all the cool kids to come watch us play in our bass player's brother's bedroom. And it was terrible, but everyone thought we were so cool.

Nate Ruess

My dad dragged me to a Bruce Springsteen concert as a kid. It was my first concert, but I fell asleep in the middle. My second concert was Weezer on the 'Pinkerton' tour, and 'Pinkerton' is the reason why I'm doing this.

Nate Ruess

I think any branding for me is band-related. It's really weird to get used to the exposure, because I am a naturally introverted person, and I'm not exactly social. Occasionally I can get comfortable enough to talk, but I spend a lot of my days not talking, especially when I'm at home and not on tour.

Nate Ruess

If you can make the song a soundtrack to what you're living at the time, I think that's the most important part of a song.

Nate Ruess

I prefer to connect with fans from the stage. Like, I don't have a Twitter page, or anything like that. So for me, that's what the show is about. For me - is a way to interact with fans; being up onstage and showing them, through music - which is all I really know - the best way to say thank you.

Nate Ruess

My girlfriend is a fashion designer. She has her own company called Rachel Antonoff. She is doing a collaboration with Urban Outfitters right now, a shoe collaboration with Bass. She sells to Barneys, stuff like that.

Nate Ruess

I try and get about eight hours of sleep every single night. And I like to think that I drink more water than anyone, ever.

Nate Ruess

In a city like New York, any night can be completely different, even in a subtle way.

Nate Ruess

A lot of times when I'm writing lyrics, I just think about insecurities that I might have and turn them into a scene. Some things may be true, and some things may not.

Nate Ruess

I was signed at 19 years old to a major label, and dropped by the time I was 22.

Nate Ruess

Lyrics are so important, I hate every second of writing them, but it's something I take great pride in when it's finished.

Nate Ruess

I idolised bands like Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins, who wanted to reach as many people as they could.

Nate Ruess

I came from somewhat of a musical family. I had an uncle on Broadway. My dad kind of knows how to play instruments. Although, I always find it annoying when he does play an instrument.

Nate Ruess

It's important that I get time to run, to just go for a jog for about 30 minutes. It helps with my voice, but it also kind of gives me a little bit of time to myself - and you get to see a city.

Nate Ruess

I think it's really cool, but Jimmy Eat World and Gin Blossoms did it better than anyone. People don't realize just how awesome the Arizona history is, especially for alternative music. Growing up, that's all I ever wanted to be was those two bands.

Nate Ruess

I kind of like being depressed.

Nate Ruess

But as long as you're creating the art you want to create, if people start liking you, you shouldn't have to apologize. You want your stuff to be heard by as many people as possible.

Nate Ruess

If you look at a lot of the songs I've been involved in, there's always been this retro vibe. I started getting worried that I wasn't moving forward very much, nor was I even in tune with the music today. I almost scoffed at it.

Nate Ruess

Running in Central Park is my favorite thing to wake up and do. I have my own specific path that I have to run every single time. There's a little bit of OCD involved, but I love it.

Nate Ruess