ROSIN
German singer/songwriter ROSIN has released the fourth single off her upcoming debut EP Now I’m A Woman.
Titled “Tired of Dancing”, the pop-electronic ballad was co-written with Domziana Gibbels and produced by Jan Olthoff and Guy Sternberg. Coming from the feeling of loneliness, the new single reflects on a past relationship.
Combining folk, electronic and pop, the Brighton-based artist is painting vulnerable songs while delivering magical vocals.
Her debut EP Now I’m A Woman will be released on June 18th.
“Tired of Dancing” is now available worldwide :)
Photo credit: Valerio Amato
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I am an artist from Berlin, living in Brighton. I moved to England to study songwriting and pursue a music career. Both of my parents are artists. I actually wanted to become an actress before becoming a singer-songwriter, until I realised that I am better at being myself than taking on a role. I have always been singing and writing my own melodies. After doing lots of improvisation, I released my debut single in January last year, an electronic pop song called “Sad Sometimes”, and then in lockdown I decided to go back to how I started writing music. So my upcoming debut EP “Now I´m a Woman” will still have some electronic elements, but is mainly folk/pop inspired.
What did you grow up listening to?
I think the first time I was really obsessed with an artist was in fifth grade when I discovered Avril Lavigne. She was also the first concert I went to. I also loved artists like Kesha and Rihanna. My dad has always been a music enthusiast - as it is also part of his art - and listened to artists like The Cure, PJ Harvey, Jacques Brel or Tocotronic (a German band). So we always fought about which radio channel we were listening to in the car until I got into my teenage years and basically liked “everything but charts”. I would literally say that when people asked. Then I listened to lots of indie music like Ben Howard or Daughter. But always quite contemporary stuff.
When did you start making music?
I always sang in choirs and also took piano lessons as a kid. But I started writing my own melodies when I was about thirteen and practised my vocabulary by singing them to piano chords. Later, I used the CD booklets with lyrics of singers that I liked. So I always improvised a lot but did not finish a full song until going to uni.
Who was the first person to ever believe in you?
My mother probably. She always said that there is something special about my music but I was never sure if I could believe her because, as my mother, she is obviously biased.
How would you define ROSIN, the artist?
She is strong by being vulnerable.
"Tired of Dancing" is your latest single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
During lockdown I felt lonely sometimes and started romanticising my past relationship, which had unhealthy tendencies in reality. In this song, I try to remind myself about the things that made me want to leave it in the first place.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this particular song? Who helped you create it?
I wrote the melody and chords last spring at my grandparents’ house in the countryside in Bavaria (Germany). It came really naturally to me. When I was back in Berlin, I had a session with my friend and producer Jan Olthoff and we recorded a rough demo for it. At that point, it still needed lyrics so I got my friend Domziana Gibbels to work on it with me, as she is a great songwriter but also my best friend, who knows what I have been experiencing. Writing with her always feels more like a deep conversation than actually working on a song. Another friend called Albrecht Kleinlein played Cello and we recorded it in Jan´s studio. Jan and I tried some different things with the demo and even made a trap version, but were not sure where to take it next, so we left it aside for a bit. Around Christmas, I came back to Berlin and went to the Lowswing studio to work with Guy Sternberg. We re-recorded the vocals and piano. He added synths and finished the production for it. So it was quite a long process from start to finish.
What did you feel when writing this song?
I think I was just really confused about my feelings and I tried to organise and analyse my thoughts. So I would say sad but also hopeful, because I was at the point where I could reflect on something that I was so deeply emotionally involved in before.
What's your favorite thing about this song?
I really love the lyrics, cause to me they make perfect sense to me and writing them helped me understand my own situation. But I also love the cello line in the second verse.
What can you tell us about your upcoming EP Now I'm A Woman?
All the songs were written and recorded during the pandemic, so the EP is like a summary of different things that I was going through. Although it was a really difficult time, it allowed me to find my way back to the roots of how I started making music. Just my voice and the piano. It is the base for most of the songs on it. The whole EP feels very intimate, musically and lyrically. At least for me. But I hope the listener will feel the same way.
How's it like to release new music as an independent artist in 2021?
Exciting and exhausting sometimes. The great thing is you can do everything by yourself and you don´t need a label to release a song or to do ads, etc. On the other hand, doing everything by yourself is hard because you have to manage so many different tasks at the same time.
What does singing make you feel?
Singing has always been a release for me and something that makes me feel good. My mother used to say that whenever I was upset about something she knew I got better when I was singing again and I still notice that today. Singing always makes me feel better.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
For me personally, it is hard to not compare myself to others and to stay focused on myself. The best part is to be surrounded by other creatives who inspire me.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
The music industry is rough and as a young artist, it feels like everyone tells you to be careful to not get thrown under a bus. If I could change one thing, I would raise the streaming pay.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Know what you want before you ask others for advice, and do what feels right to you.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
If people would be more compassionate and if we would abolish capitalism.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Be vulnerable and kind, because the world needs it.
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