ROZES fiery vocals and distinct sound will captivate any audience, and her carefully crafted lyrics really connect with her fans. From the sleeper hit titled “Roses”, which she worked on with The Chainsmokers, to her own epic tracks like “Canyons”, ROZES has consistently demonstrated her raw talent and knack for honest lyricism. Each of her songs truly tells listeners a story.
We had the chance to catch up with the superstar vocalist this past weekend at Firefly Music Festival, where she took the stage on Sunday, June 18th, to deliver a powerful performance. Read on to learn more about this awesome artist.
First hit play on her amazing single with The Chainsmokers’ “Roses”:
How are you?
I’m good, but it’s really hot! The summer has definitely hit us.
Have you had the chance to explore the festival grounds or check out any other artists yet?
Yes! I got to see this band called SHAED – obsessed. She sounds like Grace Potter mixed with Misterwives and I just wanted to stay there forever. And then I saw 21 Pilots and that was obviously amazing.
To shift to your music, can you share a bit about what you were thinking and feeling as the track “Roses”, by yourself and the Chainsmokers, gained all its success?
It was kind of a funny journey because I had just met my boyfriend and, obviously, the song is about him. The Chainsmokers and I were going around and showing labels, like “Hey, here’s what we’re working on” – they’d be like “Oh the selfie guys?” I think there was little faith in us at that point. Nobody really wanted to commit to the song, or sign the song.
So when we released it, we didn’t really expect anything, we were like “Okay, this will probably be a fun buzz song, people might enjoy it.” Then it ended up going viral! We had literally no idea this was going to happen. To them, and to me, it was like a tornado – I think we are still catching up.
So just about the title of “Roses”, why did you guys choose that name? Is it dedicated to you?
It’s really funny because I actually didn’t help with naming the song. We wrote the song and I was like “Hey guys, can you send me a really quick demo of what we did?” – and they sent it over as “Roses feat. ROZES”. I literally could not argue against that, they were literally attributing me.
Other than “Roses”, which is an epic track, which of your other songs did you really enjoy working on? Any of your original work?
There’s this new song that I have out, called “Matches”, with Cash Cash and that, to me, is one of my most emotional, real tracks. Literally, every lyric in that song is 100% honest. I think I really enjoyed working on that one because if the person it’s about listens to that song they’ll be like “that’s definitely about me”.
There’s also my new single “Canyons” which I really enjoyed working on because it was during the whole election time – I grew up in a Roman Catholic family and so did my best friend. For me, things could get offensive and I wondered how she couldn’t support our friends. So I wrote “Canyons” with an “I love you, but I have to disagree with you” theme.
Can you share a few artists, and maybe songs too, that you always have on repeat or that are just your favorites?
I literally always have 21 Pilots on. Other than that, I’ve discovered Khalid, and I’m so obsessed. I love Maren Morris. I think lately it’s taken a lot for me to feel emotionally attached to something as far as music goes. The last record I was attached to was Adele’s 21. I felt every word she sung. Lately, people have been singing other people’s diaries – it’s not really genuine.
What was your first concert experience or, if you can’t remember, your most memorable?
My first concert was James Taylor – I sat on the lawn with my parents, my best friend and her parents. I loved it.
What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t playing shows?
It’s so funny because people ask me this all the time – I write music all the time. It’s my job, my hobby, my life. Like someone who would tell you they love to color, I love to write music. It’s literally all I do. People have to beg me to stop!
Do you feel like anything really inspires you when you are trying to write lyrics?
Sometimes I’ll just like sit down at the piano and I’ll just feel a type of way. Or I’ll read a book that leads me to feel something. I might watch a TV show and hear a certain line, and it just leads me to writing out some kind of emotion.
Are there any particular vocalists that inspire your singing style, or lyricists that inspire you?
Totally – as far as lyrics go, I think that Sia is very intelligent, I love her. As far as vocals go, definitely Adele. I love Gwen Stefani. Camila Cabello, too, she has an amazing voice. I think that all of these people have an influence on me.
What advice would you give to someone trying to make it in the industry right now?
My biggest advice is to kind of do it yourself. If you have to rely on other people, you’re never going to get there. It sucks, but it’s true.
What’s something that you’ve always wanted to try or always wanted to do?
I’ve always wanted to do the polar bear plunge, I know that’s not so risqué. Also, ride in a hot air balloon!
Lastly, are you planning anything big for the rest of 2017? Any goals that you want to achieve by the end of this year?
I’m going on my first long-term tour – the first tour is with AJR, the second is with Max. I’m really excited. As far as the year goes, I’d really love to be at the Grammys and maybe win Best New Artist. Just witnessing the love of music at the Grammys makes it a goal for me.
