Fresh Music Friday: Rozee - Blue Sky
Get ready for your hearts to be touched this Fresh Music Friday. Rozee's latest track, "Blue Sky' showcases not only her sheer talent, but also touches on the subject of lost. Take a listen:
"Blue Sky" is about her sweet mother's passing. In this Q&A we discussed the development of the track, how she got her start in the business, and she even shared the best and worst song she ever wrote.
Musik ID TV: "Blue Sky" is a such a personal track that uncovers your emotional journey about your mother's passing. What was the process of creating this heartfelt track from concept to completed single?
Rozee: Blue Sky came about by happenstance. It was around the anniversary of my mom's passing in April 2017, and I was on my way to Hollywood for rehearsal with my guitarist (Taylor Lebowe). I remember my mom had been on my mind heavily that week and I wanted to make something in her memory. I just kept saying the words “flowers in the ocean” into my voice note. I came up with the melody and by the time I had gotten to Taylor’s house, I had a first verse and a half a Hook. We sat in his living room and the song was made that day as a voice note in my phone. It sat in my phone for over a year until I was given the opportunity to shoot a music video. The song had not been recorded professionally, so the day before the video shoot we went to the studio and we recorded guitar and vocals and the next day we shot the video. I wanted this song to be a journey for everyone to connect with. We all experience loss and even though it is very emotionally straining process there’s a lot of healing that comes from it. I think we did a great job of conveying that through this song. I realize that we had something great when a friend of mine said to me “you make me want to have a better relationship with my mother, so that I can really relate to this song”.
MIDTV: So, tell us a little bit about yourself, how did you get started in the music business?
Rozee: I am originally from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. I’ve been singing ever since I can remember. I grew up in church, my father was a minister my mother was a musician and educator. I left home for College in Miami and I started recording sort of as a hobby while I was there. I would say I’ve been doing music professionally for about three years now. I’ve met a great group of talented people here in LA and through them opportunity has presented itself. I had a chance to work on music for the movie “Sister Code” and it really helped to cultivate and nurture my love for the craft and now I’m always looking for opportunities to work in film/tv. It has become one of my favorite types of projects to work on. MIDTV: Do you remember the moment you realized that you wanted to be a singer/songwriter/actress? Describe that moment. Rozee: I’ve always known I wanted to create in some capacity. According to my mom, when I am was 2 or 3 years old, I’d walk around the house making melodies and singing about any and everything. I grew up watching musicals like “The Sound of Music”, “My Fair Lady” and “The King & I”. I probably watched those on a daily if not weekly basis and can still recite them word for word.
I moved to LA around January of 2013 and had previously decide to quit doing music altogether. So for the first 2 years here I did no music at all. Until I went to dinner with a friend of mine who was a producer. We got to talking and I let him hear some of my previous recordings. He was blown away and basically told me I would be “crazy” to walk away from my talent. That was a re-defining moment for me and shortly after I got back in the studio. Here I am with Blue Sky 3 years later.
MIDTV: What is the hardest song you ever wrote? Why?
Rozee: The hardest song I’ve written would have to be “Midsummers Dream”. It’s an unreleased record I co-wrote with Troi Irons in 2015. It’s a song about fighting the good fight and persevering from the perspective of a car crash survivor on a rainy night. We wanted the lyrics to really capture what that would be like so it took a lot of rewriting and revisiting to really paint the picture.
MIDTV: What is the easiest song you ever wrote? Why? Rozee: The easiest song I’ve written would have to be “Hey Young Love”. It’s another unreleased record that I wrote in 2013 and it’s an love letter where I came to the decision to walk away from my relationship at the time.
It came from such an honest place and I probably wrote it in about eight minutes.
MIDTV: What advice would you give those who would like to pursue a career in songwriting? Rozee: As a songwriter, it’s important to work on your craft and surround yourself with individuals who can bring another perspective to your work. I’m always writing or creating new melodies. When I’m driving in my car I always have my voice memos recording. I’ve got hundreds of song ideas and melodies in my phone at this very moment. It’s also important to educate yourself. One of the best books I’ve found is “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting”. Read poetry, watch old films, listen to scores, listen to nature. Inspiration is all around us. Another key component is to network! You have to meet the right people who believe in you and your talent. Whether it's management, PR, other producers or writers; connect with them and always create timeless art. MIDTV: Please share any upcoming projects that you are releasing soon. Rozee: I’ll be releasing my 3rd single, “DejaVu” towards the end of June-beginning of July. I’m also working on completing my 7 track album for a Fall Release.
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