Blake Rose
Following his debut single “Hotel Room” revealed in November 2018, the Australian singer/songwriter/producer Blake Rose is back with a new single entitled “Lost”.
Written by Blake Rose himself and fellow Australian artist Joel Adams, the self-produced single opens up with an effective guitar riff that immediately catches the listener’s attention. As the record progresses, the singer/songwriter tells his story by painting timeless melodies that brilliantly support the track and Rose’s emotional vocals.
“Lost” delivers an authentic songwriting inspired by Rose’s personal experience.
“Lost” is a realisation of letting someone go that you never should have. When I was writing this, I was going through a somewhat similar situation which I was drawing inspiration from. I was stuck in a turmoil of whether to keep trying to make something work or whether to just let this person go,” explains Rose.
By closing the record with a powerful chorus, the Australian artist turns the song into an anthemic record that will surely make a difference in the pop music landscape.
The new single was premiered on Beats 1 by radio host Zane Lowe on February 7th and has already reached over 450k plays on Spotify.
“Lost” is now available worldwide.
Art: Ax Harman
Introduce yourself - where are you from?
I’m Blake Rose, 21, from Perth, Australia.
What's your story?
Music started for me from when I was very young. I would always perform around the house singing and playing whatever I could find as an instrument. I even went into a talent quest when I was about 5 years old and sang so I had my first taste at performing when I was very young even though I can’t really remember it. Although I was going through many different phases deciding what I wanted to do as I was growing up, music was always there. I played Cello through primary school and started singing lessons when I was 11 but it wasn’t until I was about 12 or 13 that I figured out that I want to do music properly. My mum got this classical guitar for her 21st birthday as a memento piece. It’d been sitting in our house since I was born but no one ever played it. I went to a friend’s house one day and his dad had started teaching him guitar. He taught me 2 chords and once I could do that I was hooked. I came home, picked up mum’s guitar and started playing it non stop.
When I was 14, I went on a 3 month camping trip around Australia with my family. This is when things started to fall into place musically for me. I took a guitar I had been given by a family friend with me and started to properly dive into songwriting. I would be writing songs and teaching myself guitar in the back seat as we drove from place to place. I also started to experiment with music production on GarageBand. I fell in love with the idea that I could create a whole song from top to bottom so once we got home I used the money I’d saved over the years to buy Pro Tools and set up my own home studio which became a haven for me throughout high school. Also, while I was on this trip I got accepted into a school program called World Challenge where we would go to Sri-Lanka for 2 weeks to experience life in a 3rd world country. To go on this trip I had to raise $6000 on my own so because I didn’t have a job I decided to give busking a go. This changed everything for me as it was my first proper taste of performing to the public and ever since then I knew this is what I wanted to do as a career. Busking basically became my part time job and funded all my future trips out to Los Angeles where I’ve been traveling back and forth for the past 2 years. During that time I met a lot of different people and had to navigate through some sketchy situations but last year I met and started working with an amazing team who have helped me launch my career in the best way I ever imagined. We released my first single in November 2018 and I haven’t looked back.
You were born and raised in Perth, Australia. Any favorite childhood memories?
My friends and I used to always ride our bikes everywhere. I remember every weekend riding around to all their houses and snowballing everyone together before heading off on random adventures around the town. I also used to make movies all the time and get my friends to act in them. We would make the strangest films you’ve ever seen replicating video games like ‘Call Of Duty’ and other random things but it was so fun!
Do you remember your earliest musical memories?
My earliest musical memory would be practicing for that talent quest I performed in when I was 5. I don’t remember the actual performance, however I always remember practicing my dance moves in front of our old TV the night before the show. I sang the DJ Otzi version of “Hey! Baby.”
Growing up, what did music make you feel?
Music would always put me in a world that was almost running parallel to the one we’re in. I would always play music on long car trips and they used to fly past because I was entranced. I would be singing along to the songs on my iPod shuffle at the top of my lungs as if there was no one else in the car and it was the best thing ever. It made me feel free.
What gave you the confidence to release your original music?
I waited a long time to release my music. I knew I wanted to have it in a really solid place before I started releasing and on top of that I also wanted to have the right team around me to do it properly. I was slowly building confidence to release my music through peoples positive opinions towards the songs I was making but once I wrote “Hotel Room”, I just had a feeling that it was time.
You recently released your new single "Lost". What's the story behind this song?
“Lost” is a realisation of letting someone go that you never should have. I wanted to portray this emotion as visually and specifically as possible by describing that emptiness you feel when stumbling upon reliving certain moments in your life that you once shared together, realising how lost you are without that person. When I was writing this I was going through a somewhat similar situation which I was drawing inspiration from. I was stuck in a turmoil of whether to keep trying to make something work or whether to just let this person go. That internal push pull became a big part of the song lyrically and built the concept of the verses. The chorus then became a release of emotional frustration where I decide, in a moment of clarity, that I’m not going to watch something that means so much to me slip away so easily. I left the story open and hopeful as that’s how I felt at the time even though I was broken.
When did you start working on this song? Who did you work with?
The first idea for “Lost” was the guitar riff. Around March last year I was chatting to one of my roommates, Bmike, whilst mindlessly strumming on my guitar. I was so focused on the conversation that I had no idea what I was playing but as soon as my attention shifted I instantly heard what I had been subconsciously creating, which was the main riff. The next day I tracked the idea and began producing it out. All I added at first was a kick drum, bass guitar, tambourine and a simple “chi-kah-ahh” vocal percussion part which I beatboxed into the microphone. Soon after this my other roommate, Joel Adams came home and we instantly started riffing melodies. It didn’t take very long to come up with the melodic structure for the song thanks to Joel’s help but after we had that, I really took my time to get the lyrics right. I re-wrote the verses about 3 or 4 times and the chorus probably 6 or 7 times because I really wanted the lyrics to lock in with the track and compliment the melody while still holding the level of depth and narrative I wanted. It was a very tricky sweet spot to find but I got there. Over the rest of year I kept building on the production in-between working on other songs until around December when I finished it up and sent it off to Rob Kinelski to mix then John Greenham for mastering.
What made you want to release this particular song as a single?
I always loved the vibe of “Lost” and thought it could be something but when I played it to my publisher, Amanda Samii (Kobalt), her reaction really got me excited about it.
What appeals you the most about making music?
Watching something start from nothing and become a complete piece of art has always been really exciting and interesting for me. When I listen back to original voice memos of songs I’ve written, I get absolutely blown away with how far such a tiny idea can come. It’s a strange and incredible feeling knowing the best song you’ve ever written could pop into your head at any given moment.
Could you describe us your songwriting process? How do you usually work?
My writing process is always changing but I tend to lean more towards starting with melodies. In saying this though, sometimes I’ll think of a certain lyric that really catches my attention and start forming a song around that or, like with “Lost”, I’ll come up with a guitar riff or production idea that really inspires me and go from there. Often I will produce the song and write it at the same time as sometimes production elements and ideas can spark a lot of inspiration. Lyrics are usually the last thing I finish.
What's the first thing you are looking for when listening to music in general?
The first thing I look for in a song is the vibe. I generally curate my music in correlation with my mood so when a song has a strong and distinct vibe I can instantly connect to it as I’m thinking “this would be great to listen to while doing this that etc.” Next is melody, then lyrics but those are often interchanged.
In your opinion, what makes a good song?
A song that people can connect to off the first listen. Usually I find this is when a song has great lyric, melody and production all complimenting each other.
At what point did you decide to move to Los Angeles?
I haven’t officially moved to Los Angeles yet as I’m trying to navigate visa issues but once I have the right one I will be moving across. I decided to do this as from my experience of visiting there, LA is the place I need to be for where I’m at in my career.
What was your biggest challenge when you first got to LA?
My biggest challenge was finding the right team. I had a few close calls with different managers that could have screwed me over but luckily I had good people around me who I trusted and listened to who were advising me.
What advice would you give to anyone who'd like to pursue their dreams in another country?
My advice would be to make the most of the opportunities that arise. Get out of your comfort zone, go out, meet people and eventually you’ll find your circle.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Everyone appreciating the magnitude of Climate Change and how important it is to do your part. Also be kind to people!
What biggest lessons have you learnt as a human being and as an artist?
Forgiveness.
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