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Emerging Australian Alt-Pop Star, Blake Rose is The One To Watch


Australian Blake Rose

Hailing from Perth, Australia, Blake Rose is now ready to establish himself in the musical mecca of Los Angeles. Fusing elements of alt-pop, indie-rock, and soul, Blake Rose defies genre boundaries as he carves out a musical lane of his own.ean


At only 21-years-old, Rose brings a depth to his music that is wise beyond his years. Marked by profound and picturesque lyricism, his songs are vibrant, powerful, and deeply authentic. His debut single “Hotel Room” was released on November 2nd and was welcomed with rave reviews, being heralded by Ones To Watch as “not just a debut single, but a promise from the aspiring Rose to be a force of nature.” His second single “Lost” was an even bigger sensation - it was premiered by Zane Lowe on his Beats1 show, added to 30+ Spotify playlists, and has amassed over 3M+ Spotify streams to date. Thanks to the success of his first two singles, Rose has inked a deal with Billie Eilish’s management team at Hard 8 Working Group, signed with Kobalt publishing, and is now repped by Matt Galle at Paradigm (Halsey, Shawn Mendes).


Blake Rose has had a keen musical curiosity for as long as he can remember. One of the first instruments Rose ever picked up was the didgeridoo, a wind instrument created by indigenous Australians. However, the didgeridoo has its limitations and by the age of 12, Rose had started to teach himself to play guitar. However it wasn’t until a 3-month long camping trip around Australia with his family that really developed Rose into the songwriter he is today. As they drove from campsite to campsite, teenage Rose started to write his own songs in the back of his family car. On the return home, Rose started to experiment with GarageBand and Pro Tools, falling in love with the idea of creating a song from start to finish.


After the trip, Rose was accepted into was accepted into a school program called World Challenge which would take him to Sri Lanka for 2 weeks. The only issue was the expensive price tag attached. Only a teenager, Rose was limited in job options and decided to give busking a shot. Taking to the streets of Perth, Rose quickly raised the money necessary but more importantly, he discovered his love for live performance. Continuing to busk for the last few years, the budding artist has invested the money he earned into learning to produce and release his own music.


Blake Rose’s music is electrifying. It’s the kind of music that hits you right in the feels. He is a rare voice hellbent on defining his own sound and his own path. Blake Rose may only be two releases deep, but he is a name you’re going to want to keep an eye on.


To find out a few more things about this talented 21 year old, I asked Blake a few questions.


MT/Tracey: Hi Blake, it’s a pleasure to cyber meet you ;) I see you’re a Perth boy, where are you residing now a day’s?


Blake: Currently residing in Perth due to some visa issues but I will be heading back over the USA as soon as that’s sorted.


MT: With so many instruments to choose from to begin learning as a young child, why the didgeridoo?


Blake: I didn’t deliberately start on the didgeridoo, I kind of just began experimenting with it because there was one in our house. I never intentionally practiced/nor got that good but I can get some somewhat distinguishable noises out of it. The first instrument I actually started learning was the Cello in grade 4 at primary school.


MT: What music and who did you listen to when growing up?


Blake: As far as my early musical introductions, my household wasn’t really one to have those old classic artists on repeat all the time apart from maybe Elvis Presley but my parents used to listen to throwback radio a lot so I’ll often hear a song from their era and know the words but not know who the artist is or what the song is called. Regardless some of those classic vibes have definitely had somewhat of an impact on me. As I was growing through school I used to listen to this iPod shuffle all the time. I never understood how half the music that was on there came to be but there was a lot of random tunes. I remember one of the first songs I learnt the lyrics for was Eminem’s “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” as well as a bunch of his other tracks from the mid-late 2000s. I remember there being a lot of those commercial Punk Rock artists like Good Charlotte, Green Day, Simple Plan who I used to blast all the time. There was also of that top 40 Pop/R&B that was happening during that period from artists like Chris Brown and Usher as well as other artists like ColdPlay, Michael Jackson, etc.


MT: When your family took up a 3-month long camping trip and you discovered the joy of playing guitar, did you play for people in the camping grounds?


Blake: I did but it was usually indirect. I always remember the first song I learnt on guitar that our whole camp knew how to sing as well was Leonard Cohen - “Hallelujah” so I just kept playing that over and over until someone eventually came out of their tent guns blazing and told me to shut up.


MT: I get the feeling you’re a very motivated person, it’s not all that often that young teens would raise their own money to attend the World Challenge in Sri Lanka. Can you tell us what the World Challenge is, and what your learnt from the two weeks there?


Blake: World Challenge is an organisation that takes high school kids over to a 3rd world country for 2-3 weeks to experience that side of the world. I definitely learnt a lot about how unpredictable life is and how lucky/unlucky people can really get with the cards they’re dealt. In saying that though, it really put happiness in perspective for me when meeting everyone we met out there as a lot of those people, the children especially, are truly happy even though they have so little in comparison to what the western world is used to.


MT: I’m blown away by your producing skills, (maybe I’ll get you produce something for me. Lol ) but seriously, just blown away by your talent. How do you listen to your tracks/music and know when they are good to release as an end product?


Blake: This is honestly the part of the creative process where I go clinically insane. I will literally sit there for 2 hours and end up tweaking an eq frequency on a snare drum or something stupid. It’s a lot of listening for a while, changing a few things, stepping away for a while, then repeat. When I make a change and keep listening to it over and over again I start to get used to it which is counterproductive. I find that for me, it’s about trying to simulate listening to the song for the first time. For example, step away from the song for a while then come back to it and imagine as if I’ve never heard it before and listen to it more mindfully rather than analytically. Then when it gets to a point where nothing sticks out to me, its done. On top of this though, I’m always making music based off a feeling so if it get’s to that stage of production but I still have a knot in my stomach, usually something isn’t right.


MT: Do you have any favourite tricks or gear you like to use consistently on producing your music?


Blake: OTT makes everything sound better.


MT: Your first songs, ‘Hotel Room’ and ‘Lost’ have exploded since November last year (2018) with millions of streams, and has garnered the attention of major management and representation personnel who also represent Halsey and Shawn Medes. How fast is this all happening for you....how do you feel about the pace of it all?


Blake: The response to this project has been very rapid which is super reassuring for me knowing that people are actually liking the music that I’m working so hard on to create.


MT: There are artists all around the world who strive for this kind of success and to be noticed. What do you think makes your music stand out?


Blake: I think what makes my music stand out aside from my voice is that it stems from such a diverse range of styles and genres. All those pop, punk rock, indie rock, alt-pop, folk, R&B, hip hop, type influences that I listened to growing up through to now have all moulded the music I make today, which I think sits in an interesting space between capturing elements from those different styles yet still keeping it authentic and fresh with lyrics that really make you feel something.


MT: Apart from your song writing and producing skills, you really know who to sing....do you produce your own vocals too?


Blake: Yes, I usually produce my own vocals but for “Best of Me” Justin Gammella produced them.


MT: When you write your songs, do you hear how it sounds for the production and vocals in your head first, or do work on the skeleton of the song on Pro Tools or Logic and build it?


Blake: The writing and production process is often blended for me. I’ll usually write some melodies and lyrics then start working on a scratch production idea which might inspire some other melodies and so on.


MT: Do you co-write with anyone or write and produce everything yourself?


Blake: I’m usually writing and producing everything myself however I often write with my roommate in LA, Joel Adams.


MT: Do you play and test your songs with anyone before you decide to record and/or release them? If so, who?


Blake: Yes, I have a group of about 8-12 friends I’ll send my music to when I finish a song to get opinions.


MT: Your new single is just incredible....(I can’t believe you’re only 21) Can you tell me what ‘Best Of Me’ is about?


Blake: Thank you! “Best of Me” is about someone very close to me who has battled with drug addiction for a long time and this song is a very personal depiction of what it feels like to watch that take hold of someone’s life.


MT: I saw a picture of you with a dog...(we like dogs here) who’s the dog?


Blake: I believe the dog you’re talking about is @Daniel ’s dog who is an incredible photographer and shot the artwork for “Lost” and “Best of Me”


MT: How do your family feel about your success so far in the music industry?


Blake: They are super supportive of what I’m doing and can’t wait to see everything unfold as time progresses.


MT: What’s the best piece of advice that’s been given to you?


Blake: Try to enjoy the journey and not to get too wrapped up in the destination.


Thank you so much for your time Blake, make sure you come back for another interview when you are a massive household name! And you will be a household name, I’m sure of it. ☺


Blake Rose is releasing his brand new single, 'Best Of Me' this Friday, 19th April on all good streaming and digital platforms.

Hear Blakes new single, 'Best Of Me' on 'Tracey Talks Indie' this Friday on

Hear the 'Best Of Me' here



LINKS TO BLAKE ROSE


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