Essex-born, London-based singer-songwriter RosieMay brings her own blend of soulful electronic pop to the table with new single Forgiveness.
Singing of loss and seeking redemption, what starts as a relatively minimal arrangement showcasing emotive vocals soon blooms into a pop anthem with an infectiously catchy chorus.
I had a chat to RosieMay to find out more about the story behind the song, who and what inspires her and what’s coming up post-Forgiveness…
Hi RosieMay! When did you first start making music?
Hi Annie! My mum tells me I was singing at two and I haven’t stopped since.
At primary school, my music teacher noticed I could sing, loved music and became my musical mentor. He taught me to play the trumpet, which was his instrument of choice, and told me of his time playing in Shirley Bassey’s band, which inspired me big time!
Later in secondary school, I took piano lessons. I wrote my first song at around 13 for my music GCSE and was encouraged to take it into a studio to record professionally.
Congrats on your new single Forgiveness. What’s the story behind the song?
Thanks Annie. All of my songs are written from personal experience and Forgiveness was written about the feeling that I did not do enough to help a friend in their time of need. It’s all about losing, being lost and wanting to find redemption.
What was the recording process like?
I have quite a unique songwriting partnership with my former guitarist and friend Cal Owen who now lives in Vancouver. He sends the beats and I write lyrics, then we go back and forth over the internet until we have a song.
For Forgiveness, I then took the demo into the studio and recorded the track with the House of Spirituals. I loved working with these guys – they were fun and they really got what I am about. I really think they took the production to the next level!
What’s been your favourite musical experience to date?
On a personal level it was selling out the Queen of Hoxton in Shoreditch for my EP launch a few years back! That was my first real music release. I was lucky to have a very talented backing band and it felt like I was announcing myself as an artist for real!
I also enjoyed being played by Daniel P Carter on Radio 1 as his rock track of the week as part of my feature with US Band King 810.
If you could tour with any band / artist in the world, who would it be and why?
There’s more than one answer here!
Christina Aguilera or Alicia Keys, as I’ve grown up with them as my idols and the thought of spending time around them and on the same stage would be amazing.
Right now I would say I would love to tour with Jessie Ware, Lykke Li or Honne. I feel these artists have a similar vibe to me and I love their music.
What’s coming up next for you this year? Can we see you perform live any time soon?
I have just finished recording my next single which will be out in the coming weeks.
Songwriting and studio work continues as I’m hoping for a steady release of singles over the next year.
I love performing live and I’ve just started to think about getting a new band together (synths, guitar & a brass section!) to take the songs out, so watch this space!
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