Rozes first got a taste of fame when she collaborated with The Chainsmokers on “Roses.” The song became a huge viral sensation climbing its way up to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Yet Somehow the young and talented singer with over half-a-billion streams to date still manages to keep that level of success in check.
“There’s a different side to [it], which is more important than materialistic things and paparazzi,” she said. “Everyone is famous in their own way through the people you surround yourself with because their love and attention will always make you feel like you’re in the limelight.”
She recently released her new single “Famous,” co-written and produced by Captain Cuts (Bebe Rexha, Grouplove, Tove Lo) that she hopes will empower women, spread body-positivity, and self-love, and promote mental health awareness. Rozes recently played the Brick and Mortar in San Francisco and on her way home took a little time to answer some questions for us.
You’ve had a lot of success with the single “Roses,” a song that you did with Chainsmokers. How did that collab come about and why do you think the song connected with people so much?
I got a notification that The Chainsmokers started following me on Twitter while I was grocery shopping on my college campus. And I freaked out. They said they’d heard my voice on one of my last collaborations and that they wanted to work together. We eventually met up and wrote the song together in Drew’s apartment. We didn’t think it’d be as big as it was, but it was something we really vibed to, and glad a lot of other people felt the same!
Did your name come from the single or how’d you come up with it?
My Grandmother’s name is Rose (I call her Nanny Rose), and she’s my absolute favorite person. When she was young, the love of her life passed away, which forced her to raise my mother and her two sisters alone. She took over the business and carried on with determination and her head held high.
To me, that is the most amazing thing for a woman to do — especially a woman who was born in the 1920’s. She defied the odds, and as a woman, raised her family alone, on her own dime. The strength she has instilled in her daughters has been passed on to me, and I’m forever grateful. I feel like I owe my perseverance to her, so I took on her name.
You just released a new single “Famous.” Can you tell us a little about it?
“Famous” is about not needing the lights and the glam to feel important. It’s the people around me that make me feel “famous”, and I wanted my fans to know that it’s not the material things that make me feel important day today, it’s the people.
I read somewhere that you’ve had over half-a-billion streams to date. How does that feel?
It definitely feels like a huge accomplishment! I’m someone who is constantly reaching for the next goal, so there are times I need to force myself to sit back and enjoy the things I’ve accomplished thus far.
What’s your favorite song to perform live and why?
I love performing my song with Cash Cash, “Matches.” It’s so energetic and emotional. I usually close my show out with it & it’s so amazing to hear people in the crowd singing along.
If you could collab with anyone dead or alive who would it be and why?
Twenty-One Pilots! I think they’re outrageously talented and I think our styles meshed together would be the ultimate blurring of genre lines.
When did you know you wanted to pursue music as a career?
I think I always knew I wasn’t fit for a traditional career. Even when I was young I walked around the house pretending to be Paula Abdul. I idolized these women in the industry and I looked up to them for providing an outlet for emotional expression.
What are some of your main influences?
I have a jazz background, so lots of my inflections are derived from Ella Fitzgerald.
When I was younger I loved Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, Corinne Bailey Rae, Colbie Caillat, and Adele. I loved that all these women wrote their own music and played their own instruments. It inspired me to practice my instruments and start writing music.
You’re a big mental health advocate. Can you tell us a little about that?
I guess I just understand what it’s like to struggle with your own mind. Mental Health something that I strongly believe doesn’t get enough attention. We are taught to be “chill” and emotionless. I want my fans to know that I’m here for them and with them in their struggles of any kind. We need to end the stigma. We need to start talking about mental health.
What’s one thing that most people would be surprised to find out about you?
I think it would be that I’m a shy extrovert … if that makes sense? I love talking to and meeting people, but I’m quite shy so it holds me back sometimes.
