During the 2020 pandemic, a girl named Rosie dropped out of college to pursue a career in music. With the industry on pause amidst the pandemic, she soon retracted her decision and returned to school to finish her degree. Five days later, she went viral on TikTok.
Since that very moment, she has signed with both a record label and a publishing company, released an EP titled 20mg of Happiness, and sold out her first ever show. In just one day, she became the artist she had always dreamed of being: ROSIE.
BTS: How has your life changed since going viral on tiktok?
ROSIE: It honestly went zero to one hundred; everything changed. I went from indie to signed. I went from a shy, nervous performer to a girl announcing a spring tour. My following grew overnight. But the one thing that didn’t change is that I’m still the girl writing songs in her bedroom. Every like, every comment is just a gratitude moment for me. As long as I stay true to myself, I’m okay.
BTS: Who has helped you along the way?
ROSIE: My brother/manager, Matteo. He believed in me before I believed in me. And of course, my parents. My lawyer has literally been my rock through all of this; she’s such a powerful woman. My label, Arista Records, is super friendly. My publishing company, Warner Chapell, is super supportive. One of my producers, Noah Conrad, really helped me with this whole project. I feel it’s the people you meet when you’re young and starting out that end up meaning the most to you. If I can’t celebrate success with the people I care about, what’s the point in celebrating?
BTS: What was the process like for your debut EP 20mg of Happiness?
ROSIE: This EP is my soul, my diary. I am a firm believer in collaboration and worked with multiple producers, both in person and virtually. It was really cool to have people working from different continents, different countries, on my project. I’d say the whole process, start to finish, took about a year and a half.
BTS: Who or what inspired the EP?
ROSIE: My sophomore year of college I had a boyfriend that I fell hard and deeply for. He had me convinced he was the one. All I can say is, he was unfaithful. When we broke up, it broke me. I ended up writing a breakup EP on the five stages of grief. Going through this was kind of a blessing in disguise. When I wrote “Sad Sad Sad” it was actually my one year anniversary of being on Prozac. The song resembles the final stage of grief: acceptance. I remember thinking, why am I still sad? But then I realized, maybe I’m supposed to make a career off my sadness- maybe that’s my purpose.
BTS: What do you hope listeners take away from your EP?
ROSIE: I want them to find something to relate to. This is just a human being creating a human project. Everyone has their own 20mg of something. I just want people to feel heard.
BTS: What’s your favorite song on the EP and why?
ROSIE: I’d say “All my favorite songs”. That was the one I knew the least about before going into it. I just like the way it was written. I’m proud of that one.
BTS: How would you describe your sound, overall?
ROSIE: Singer/songwriter pop. Some songs are more singer/songwriter. Some songs are more pop. I like to make music that makes you want to dance and cry at the same time!
BTS: How has your childhood/life influenced your music?
ROSIE: I come from a very musical family. Everything in my family was based off creativity. At first, music was just a hobby for me. My brother did music and I followed. My parents were actually the ones that pushed for me to apply to music school- I figured I would major in psychology or some kind of social work because I didn’t have the belief in my music. Now, I know that my life is music. There’s no life without music and no music without life.
BTS: What is your favorite thing about being an artist?
ROSIE: I get to connect with people through music. As an artist, I’m the face of all my songs. Any love people give to the song, they give to me- it’s direct love.
BTS: What are you most excited for in the future?
ROSIE: I’m excited to continue finding ways to give back through my music. I’m excited to just keep doing what I love.
BTS: What should we expect from you next?
ROSIE: A spring tour! I will be opening for Chelsea Cutler starting March 9, 2022 with Adam Melchor, too. You can also expect a lot of new music of all different sounds.
BTS: If you could talk to yourself one year ago, what would you say?
ROSIE: If I could talk to ROSIE one year ago, I’d tell her take your time in making big decisions because they will impact the rest of your life.
BTS: What final message do you want to give your fans and listeners?
ROSIE: Remember that by being yourself, and by being a human being, your feelings are valid and relatable. If you feel alone, you can always turn to music. I hope my music helps you feel understood.
When it comes to lyrics, ROSIE wears her heart on her sleeve. The pairing of that with her bubbly beats will make you want to both cry and dance while listening to her EP, just as she intended!
Listen to ROSIE’s EP on Spotify now!
Follow her on Instagram and TikTok here!
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