How did you get into being a singer-songwriter?
I always sung as a kid, I was just that annoying child. I loved performing, I can’t deny – having eyes on me, being dramatic. I did classical training when I was younger but started writing music when I was around fifteen, though it’s taken me a while to write properly. I feel like I went in circles for a couple of years before I figured out my voice.
Is that voice – with its old-fashioned, nostalgic tone – the voice you’ve figured out and gone for specifically?
People ask me this a lot. I’ve got quite a sweet voice when I speak; I think they think I put it on, but honestly that’s just what comes out when I sing. Even as a kid, I had this soulful voice. I grew up listening to soul and Motown, which must have influenced me but it just comes naturally.
Your track ‘Blue’ has been seen in an especially nostalgic light, as a homage to the early 2000s – is that what you were aiming for?
‘Blue’ was about growing-up with my best friend; I wanted to capture how we went through everything together and lost our innocence. The video as well is quite early 2000s, with the karaoke. My friend and I grew up very close and were both those kids that were always in the school shows. I felt like we both had really high expectations of growing-up, becoming artists, being on the radio and travelling the world. It hit us both quite hard that when you grow up it’s actually quite scary – there’s more to it than just making music and being on the radio.
And how do you feel now you are up-and-running as an artist?
I love it. When I’m in the studio, I’m so happy just writing and being around crazy musicians – that’s my place. It’s everything and more. For the last year, even since I released my EP, I’m just making music and not overthinking it.
What’s your creative process like?
You know, I’ve started to realise that lyrics are going to be at their strongest when you first write them – when you’re in the moment. I find it quite hard rewriting things, but with vocal stuff I’m quite perfectionist. I wouldn’t say I know how to write, I just write. That’s a key element of my process, definitely: having the words first and then writing the song. I’m definitely still growing, though, and learning about the process. Every song I write, I write in a different way. I’ve definitely got a really cool group of people that I’m working with as well, so I think I’ve figured out who I really like to work with.
You undertake other aspects of performance in your work it seems, including working on the music video for your song ‘Blue’. What was it like working with your boyfriend, the actor Harris Dickinson, on that?
It was cool man – we’ve just done my video for [my new EP] High Again together. And it was lovely ‘cause we had a little bit more budget to properly do it. There were ‘creative differences’ but I guess it’s nice ‘cause we could really be honest and work out exactly what we wanted. Yeh, I guess when you’re an artist, you’re not really just a musician – you’re a writer, and if you make videos, you act, and you take on lots of different roles. That’s definitely my trajectory: to go more and be everything, not just a musician. I want to explore everything through my music, not just keep it as making music.
What new music have you got coming out?
I’ve just released my new single, ‘High Again’ – it’s very much about what’s going on in my life at the moment. I wrote it at the beginning of summer, and it’s just about me and my mates being out and about in London. I’ve got a few singles coming out up until summer now, which seems mad ‘cause it’s so far away. It’s not as down-beat, it’s not as slow. It’s still me but there’s definitely a different energy to my songs now – a bit more fun. I guess you could have a little dance to it.
And which other artists inspire you?
That’s such a hard question. When I was younger I was really lucky: my Paps had – no, he has – such a great musical knowledge. It’s so varied. I grew up with Radiohead, The Police, Dr. Dre, Al Green, Prince and so on. But even now, who I listen to and who I’m inspired by changes. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Lykke Li and Saint Etienne. I guess as an artist, it’s nice to always be changing. I don’t want to just stay the same.
How have you tried to stand out among the current scene of artists and musicians?
I’m aware that there are a lot of people in my lane that are soulful females. But I feel like it’s quite frustrating really because we are all so different; we all have different experiences; we all have different things that we want to write about. But I guess I just have to keep thinking I’m me, and write from what I’ve experienced and from the music I want to make. I also feel like there’s this really cool thing happening – there’s a lot of females coming together. In the last couple of months I’ve been making really good friends with lots of female musicians doing similar things. It’s a really cool way we’re supporting each other and recognising that we need to support each other, rather than seeing it as a little competition, which the music industry can sometimes make.
Rose Gray’s new single ‘High Again’ is out now.
At whynow, we’re particularly intrigued with cultural forms repeating themselves – take grime as a new form of punk rock…
Yeh, it’s cool man, like slowthai. His lyricism is amazing. I think these rappers are the new rock stars: slowthai, Octavian. They don’t care, do they?
And finally, when are you touring?
So, it’s not 100% but I’ve heard that in March I’m gonna do three or four dates around the UK – definitely in London.
In Walthamstow?
I don’t know – I did my headline show in Walthamstow at the beginning of this year. I mean, I’d love it if it was Walthamstow but maybe they’d have to find another venue. There’s an amazing venue, Mirth, Marvel and Maud, which is actually where I did my show. It’s a little, old cinema. It’s really cool. They’re doing it up actually, so in two years it’s going to be one of the biggest music venues in East London – it’s gonna be like 4,000.
Listen to Rose Gray’s High Again here.
