Baby Rose is the R&B/soul singer you need to have on your radar
Soulful singer Baby Rose has big name cosigns from J. Cole, SZA, and Kehlani, but she’s staying grounded by working with her friends and focusing on making music that will stand the test of time. Baby Rose has a one-of-a kind voice, but, as she explains in this episode of Making It, she used to lack confidence in her singing and her looks. With her debut album ‘To Myself’ out now and on a pause from touring, Baby Rose took some time out with us in Atlanta to reflect on her journey so far and share the best advice that she’s ever received.
Video Transcript
BABY ROSE: Last year, I was writing music and really just trying to figure out a plan of what I would do with it. Next year, I hope to be performing all of my music and writing more music and flourishing.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
People, when they first listen, the first reaction is like, wow, her voice. It took me a while to embrace that because at first I felt like it was kind of like a curse. Like, damn, why do I have to sound like this and look like this? It doesn't make sense.
For me, my influences artistically I would say Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, and Carole King because they were just incredible artists, and they wrote about their experiences. I like songs that will stay throughout time. That's a goal of mine to make songs like that, but I like-- also like Frank Ocean and James Blake and Rosalía. She's fly as hell.
People that push the boundaries, like they include classic elements in the art-- you know, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel, but I can add some rims to that ho or some shit. I'm just kidding.
The "Revenge of the Dreamers" album, incredible. I snuck in with my friend Tim. He asked me to drop him off, and he was just like, just come in. It was just so much energy going around. Like, create. Just create. Do as much as you can because there's heat in every room. There's heat in the hallways. Everyone's going crazy. Like, you would see DJ Khalid and Akon and all of these people-- TI-- next to just people who are just grinding it out like me. Like we're just like here in the room. It was like rap camp. Like, get better.
The people that are closest to me, my friends especially have been essential to my work. Like, my friend Nicole Hernandez shot my cover. I just hope that all of that energy just continues, like we all get lit.
- I think the best thing about Rose is that she's inspiring as hell. Like, you're so young. You're so talented. And you continue to just keep stepping up and making people just fall behind.
- Just a singer. You're a musician. Like, that is so rare, someone that really knows what works for the song and doesn't care about ego, doesn't care about, you know, self-service. You know what I mean? It's about the song service.
- The people surrounding you, right, we can talk so easily because you are so genuine, you know?
- You're still the same person that we were when we were kids. Like, you still be on the same type of time. You still bully me around. And like--
BABY ROSE: Oh no.
- --we still-- but it's just all good. Like, you popping.
BABY ROSE: So "To Myself" was an album that I had written about a breakup that I was going through, like stepping away from being very emotionally and just all around dependent on another person, and this album is kind of like a rebellion against that. It's more of a coming of age, coming into my own, like, story in a way.
The best advice that I've gotten would be from my great aunt. It's better to love and be heartbroken than to never love at all. Life is so beautiful. So you can't become jaded by that.
Getting by, but I'm damaged because I gave it all to you. See it from my vantage. You're not the same person I once knew.
