“I started all this as Sheila Escovedo, then became this persona named Sheila E. Now Sheila E. and Sheila Escovedo are the same person, still making music that comes from the heart.”

“The best songs I’ve ever wrote, I never wrote. They wrote themselves. The best show I ever played, played itself and had little to do with me or talent.”

“The beauty and ferocity of your questioning is the measure of the world that awaits you.” -Owen Ó Súilleabháin

“If Americana really means music of the Americas, then that would be my music – the idea that it incorporates all of the Americas, so it’s in English and Spanish, and we use instruments from all over the entire continent.”

“What’s the story? Where’s the poetry in this? To me, that’s always the motivating factor in songwriting.” – Marc Cohn
“We sing from the heart, and what comes from the heart reaches the heart.” – Jimmy Carter, Blind Boys of Alabama

“More than talent and ambition, the thing that really makes a difference is having curiosity. Wanting to learn and see what happens next, and then everything follows that.”