by emma schoors
photo by ragan henderson
For singer-songwriter ROSIE, authenticity is a skill well-worth honing. The 21-year-old musician’s viral track “Never The 1” captured the hearts of millions of listeners last year, and every release since has been packed with vocal strength and lyrical vulnerability. ROSIE’s next monumental career step comes in the form of her debut EP, for which she is zeroing in on the five stages of grief — If “Sad Sad Sad” is any indicator, the musician is well on her way to musical stardom.
Your musical achievements and skills range from classical violinist to songwriter to vocal producer. Did you grow up around music?
ROSIE: “I grew up in an extremely musical family. My dad played classical violin, guitar, bass and piano, my brother played piano and guitar, and my mom was an actress and singer. The musical gene was even passed along to all my extended family. So not only was I supported in all my musical/creative endeavors, but I was also encouraged.”
When did you first realize music was going to play a large role in your life?
R: “I was a ‘late bloomer’ when it came to gaining confidence as an artist and songwriter. I started prioritizing music when I began attending Berklee College of Music. I kind of forced myself to put music first because I was learning my craft in an academic setting, and I’m so glad I was, because I believe Berklee is one of the biggest contributing factors as to why I am the musician I am today.”
Your upcoming EP explores the five stages of grief. Why is this subject matter important to you?
R: “The five stages of grief concept means so much to me for two reasons:
I have personally been through the five stages of grief twice. I wanted to share my true healing process in a simplified, more organized way instead of just throwing together an EP about a whole mess of emotions. I’d like to think of this concept as organized chaos while healing.
I think everyone is going through some type of loss right now given the current state of the world, and for that reason, we may all be going through the five stages of grief.”
“Sad Sad Sad” represents the acceptance stage. What was the songwriting process like for this track?
R: “I had such a blast creating this song particularly because I wrote it with two of my favorite co-writers, Matteo Scher and Florio. The songwriting process was quite linear, starting with the verse to pre chorus to chorus and so on, which is extremely rare for me. We didn’t have any revisions post session, we just immediately fell in love with this song.”
What does success mean to you?
R: “I am definitely still figuring out the answer to this question. At the moment my idea of optimal success is reaching the largest audience I possibly can so that I can use my platform to give back in a big way. Whether that means starting a non-profit, hosting fundraisers or doing hands-on service work, I want altruism to be the driving force behind me striving for my goals of getting hits as an artist and songwriter, playing sold out world tours, and playing huge arenas.”
What is the overall message you hope to convey with the release of the EP?
R: “I want all of my listeners to feel understood when hearing this EP. We cover a lot of emotions throughout these seven songs. Everyone has highs and lows, everyone has times of happiness and sadness, and most importantly, everyone is capable of healing and turning their pain into something beautiful.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share about you/your upcoming projects?
R: “I am so proud of this upcoming project, but more than anything, I am grateful for my team for their constant support, encouragement and overall great energy. There is power in numbers, especially when those numbers are as hardworking as Matteo Scher, Zeke Silvera, Daniel Vayness, Ellen Mangan, Gillian Bar and the rest of my incredible team!”