But we got up there and decided to stick to this mix of power

The rock poet and fire-hearted dreamer Michael Hutchence, voice of INXS, once said: “But we got up there and decided to stick to this mix of power chords and funk and that's where it really started for us. In having the courage to take that decision. To take a gamble not just with our music but our lives.” In these words lies the eternal truth of every creator, every warrior, every soul who dares to carve their own path through the wilderness of conformity. Hutchence speaks not only of music — but of courage, faith, and the fierce act of becoming. He reminds us that all great beginnings are born of risk, and that to create something new in this world, one must wager not just their craft, but their very spirit.

The origin of this quote belongs to a moment of transformation — a crossroads in the life of a band searching for its voice. INXS, like many artists before them, stood between the safety of imitation and the danger of originality. It was easier to follow the footsteps of others, to echo familiar sounds. Yet Hutchence, with the fire of vision burning in his chest, chose otherwise. The blend of power chords — the raw force of rock — and funk — the rhythm of the body and soul — was not a safe choice. It was bold, rebellious, alive. That decision marked the birth of their true sound, a sound that would echo across continents and through time. Their gamble was not simply musical; it was a declaration of identity.

What Hutchence describes — this gamble with one’s life — is the sacred act of the artist and the innovator. Every person who has ever changed the course of history has stood before the same threshold. It is the moment when comfort must be sacrificed for creation, when one’s future becomes uncertain in the pursuit of something true. The ancients knew this as the “Hero’s Leap” — the crossing from the known world into the unknown. Whether it was Odysseus setting sail from Ithaca, or Galileo lifting his telescope to the heavens, progress is always born from risk. To stand still is to wither; to leap is to live.

Consider the story of Ludwig van Beethoven, who, upon realizing his hearing was failing, could have surrendered to despair. Yet instead, he dared to reinvent his art entirely. Deafness became not his cage, but his crucible. In taking that perilous gamble — to continue composing when silence had swallowed the world — he created symphonies that spoke directly to eternity. Like Hutchence and his band, Beethoven proved that the act of courage is not only the seed of greatness, but its very soil. To risk failure is the only path to mastery.

Hutchence’s words are charged with the spirit of rebellion, yet beneath them hums a deeper wisdom. For he reminds us that courage is not merely about defiance; it is about trust — trust in one’s instinct, one’s heart, one’s truth. The band’s decision to “stick to this mix” reflects an inner knowing, a refusal to betray authenticity even when uncertainty loomed. The world often seduces us to conform — to smooth our rough edges, to play safe. But greatness demands the opposite. It calls us to honor our uniqueness, even when that path leads through darkness.

There is, too, a lesson here about unity and conviction. Hutchence does not speak in the singular; he says “we got up there” — the courage of one becomes the courage of all. Every collective act of creation, whether in art, in love, or in life, depends on shared faith. When hearts beat together toward a common purpose, fear loses its hold. This is the power that moves bands, revolutions, and civilizations alike — the courage of the few who believe deeply enough to begin.

Let every listener hear this truth: to take a gamble with your life is not recklessness — it is devotion. It is to say, “I will not betray my calling for the comfort of certainty.” Whether you are a musician, a builder, or a dreamer, your power lies in that moment of decision — when you rise to the stage, literal or metaphorical, and choose to play your own song. The risk will always be there; the question is whether you will meet it with fear or with fire.

Thus, as the ancients would have said, fortune favors the bold, but not because chance smiles upon them — rather, because courage transforms them. The world belongs to those who dare to be authentic, who stand before the unknown with a heart full of rhythm and truth. Like Michael Hutchence and his band, when you find the courage to mix your own power and soul, your life will cease to be an echo of others — it will become music itself. And that, dear listener, is where it truly begins.