Norah Jones’ sensitivity to criticism
The 30-year-old Grammy winner admits that criticism about her slow music—she is sometimes called "Snorah"—and limited range gets to her.
Norah Jones still gets stung by jokes about her putting audiences to sleep, says Will Hodgkinson in Mojo. “They call me ‘Snorah,’” says the 30-year-old Grammy winner. “But Jesus, that slow music touches people!” Having sold 37 million records, Jones doesn’t see any reason to change her style now—not that she could if she wanted to. “I realize my strengths,” she says with a hint of resignation. “The truth is, I sing ballads. People like it when I sing ballads. I seem to have a way with them. And if the cool kids can’t say anything nice about me, that’s how it is.” Jones writes a lot of songs about longing and loneliness, which can be draining for her but cathartic for audiences. “It’s probably how your dog feels when you go out of the door. We’ve all had that feeling, right?” Still, Jones admits that criticism about her limited range does get to her. “I’m too sensitive. All I have to do is pick up Newsweek and glance upon a bad review and it will crush me for a week. Some Joe Schmo writes a snarky comment in a blog and I’m destroyed.” But she quickly recovers. “I’m like, Oh, I make slow music. I guess that’s okay. Maybe it’s a good thing to sound like yourself.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Assassin: action-packed caper is 'terrific fun'
The Week Recommends Keeley Hawes stars as a former hitwoman drawn out of retirement for 'one last job'
-
The EPA wants to green-light approval for a twice-banned herbicide
Under the radar Dicamba has been found to harm ecosystems
-
Sudoku medium: July 30, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle