New York singer dishes on inspirations, sound and her love life.
At a rapid pace, singer Rose Villain spits empowered lyrics over jubilant electronic beats for a catchy sound that's full of attitude, on par with pop star Charli XCX and old-school electro rapper Uffie. In her lyrics and video, Villain is a spitfire who appears to relish in being unruly and through that, she's built a following ready to join in the party and anarchy.
Over the summer she released her debut single "Get The Fuck Out Of My Pool," followed by "Geisha" in the fall and closed out 2016 with a feature on Salmo's popular "Don Medellin" track. Now that she's signed to Universal, she's certainly on the cusp of breaking big. We got to chat with her about her sound, writing process and the music she's been listening to lately.
Hometown: Milan, Italy
Homebase: New York, NY
How did you develop your sound? What was your path and key influences?
It took a year to experiment and really find the right original sound I was looking for. My producer SIXPM and I really clicked and dug into every genre to find the right mix. I think the key influence has been Tarantino visuals and cinematics. I take a lot of inspiration by imaginaries, more than I take from other artists.
How did you start making music to begin with? What inspired you to start?
I think music has always been part of me since the very beginning. For a couple months after I was born, the only way I would stop crying was if my mom played Prince. Not Sade or Ray Charles. It had to be Prince. Then at 3, I started taking dancing lessons and after a few years it escalated to lip sync dancing... so my dance teacher told me hey you know what, you should sing. And I was like, "Okay. Bye."
What's your song writing process like? What's the timeline for a song from idea to finished track? If you have a specific song's story, please do tell.
It takes me really little time to write and finish a song. To me it is essential to have a great concept to work around and be original, then I try to conceptualize it with a simple relatable message. The lyrics always flow once I start, the problem is just getting started! When I record we usually keep the first takes because they're the most natural ones. If I learn the song too much then I start to use too much technique that gets in the way of the instinctive emotion.
What's it like being a musician in New York?
To me it's the best place ever. I know LA has a lot more producers and studios, the buzz is over there but there are less pop stars wannabes in NY so I think it's easier to come out if you really rock.
What's the ideal place to listen to your music?
I think wherever you are at ease to let yourself go and dance/sing/cry the shit out of it. To me it's in front of a mirror with a hairbrush as a mic. Still my fave.
You were recently featured on the Weekly Buzz Spotify playlist. What artists and songs are on your current playlists? How do you discover new music?
I'm mainly a rock girl. I love the Led Zepplin, Nirvana, Rolling Stones and a good Johnny Cash [song]. They are always in my playlists, to me that is the real thing. Recently I'm a lot into hip-hop and especially Kanye, I appreciate his experimentation, I find his creativity similar to mine in some way. I've gotten pretty lazy with discovery. While writing the album I don't want to be influenced by other things, I care about keeping it authentic Rose. So usually songs come to me. I Shazam a lot.
What's one of the most bizarre or fun things that has happened to you in relation to making music/your career in the past season?
Well, something bizarre did happen. I totally, completely, overwhelmingly fell in love with Sixpm, my producer. We moved in together, built a home studio and building our success together. It's crazy how cool it is to share any small success with the person you love.
You just signed with Universal. What can we expect next?
Oh, you have to fasten seat belts. I'm in for a long long ride. It will be a bumpy one!
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