Baby Rose Talks New Album, Healing And A Musical Renaissance [Interview]

When it comes to her artistry, Baby Rose trusts that committing herself to honesty and innovation will birth timeless music, and that’s certainly what her new album Through and Through is. Having already distinguished herself through her signature smoky vocals and poetic vulnerability on her debut album To Myself (2019), the 28-year-old is continuing to carve out her own lane with her latest project. Recorded between LA, Atlanta and Nashville, the 11-track LP embodies that fact that Rose doesn't write music to fit into a box.

Seamlessly merging psychedelic funk, pop, grunge, soul and R&B, the eclecticism of Through and Through is rooted in Rose’s belief in pushing boundaries and lending herself to the intention behind each track regardless of where it takes her. In the thick of the pandemic, the D.C.-born, North Carolina-raised artist began piecing together this compelling body of work which honours her experience of life’s different complexities—love, self-discovery, paranoia, self-sabotage and more. With an understanding that fulfilling her calling to heal others starts within herself, Rose hopes that opening up about her introspection and growth on Through and Through can help people get back to their true selves.

On a drizzly February afternoon in Shoreditch, I sat down with Rose to reflect on her new album, what healing means to her and the musical renaissance she wants to be a part of.

How would you compare the spaces you were in when you were crafting To Myself and Through and Through?

Well, so much has changed and I feel like who I am now and everything that is happening is a reflection of that—all this excitement, my mum being right beside me and all of the spirits being so high. Everything is flowing, even when there’s resistance.

When I was in the process of To Myself, I was very vulnerable, but not in a healthy way. I was grateful for everything that was happening, but I was also so scared and confused because the 4-year relationship I thought would be the rest of my life had just thrusted me in a completely different direction. So even though music is obviously more aligned with who I need to be, that process was so complicated and everything felt like it was moving so fast from the moment I started pouring out all the emotions from the break-up into the album.

But Through and Through came out of a totally different space. The last time I was in London, it was such a high because I was performing To Myself at a sold-out show and some of my favourite artists were in the crowd too. But when the pandemic came and shut everything down, the silence was just deafening. It made me realise how much I had been taking for granted and a lot of wounds I still had to heal. I think that back then a lot of us also went through a similar rebirth or reevaluation where we asked ourselves what we wanted to do and who we really wanted to be outside of everyone else’s expectations of us, and that's what inspired the new album. I went into it asking myself: ‘If this was the last thing I had to say, what would it sound like?’

Even though a lot of people gravitate to you because of the unusual frequencies your voice can hit, you don't believe that gives you a pass to create music without substance. So, what is the essence of Through and Through?

I feel incredibly grateful to have a distinct voice in a sense that I have something to say and this instrument allows me to separate myself when I'm heard, and that’s striking in a way. But that also comes with deep intention, honesty and vulnerability because we all have a purpose and I believe that being a healer is mine. I look at what I do as deeply spiritual so even though I believe that I'm somebody who needs healing as well, I’m going to do the best I can with what I’ve got (in the words of the great Mariah Carey). I just want to be like the people I long to see, people who aren’t afraid to say when they’re not okay. I struggle with it sometimes, but what I will do is continue to do the work, make sure I love myself through it and honour every piece of me.

When people listen to my music, I want to leave them with a sense that everything is working out for us, even when things seem fucked up. So even though Through and Through was born out of me dealing with complicated feelings like survivor’s remorse, growing pains and fear, I’m glad that I’ve been able to revisit them with a new perspective and position the records in a way that leaves people with a sense of hope after the chaos and release.

How did it feel to perform Through and Through in London?

So crazy! I actually had to take a moment during the set to take it all in because not only was I performing the tracks for the first time, after a week of being interviewed about the album and getting a lot of flowers, but I was also so grateful that I was able to do it here because I’ve always had pleasant, beautiful experiences in London. Things just hit different here. I feel like I'm really heard and seen in an appreciative light and I love it. I’m just so grateful to have had that experience before releasing the album.

You clearly experiment with different sounds and genres on Through and Through. Since your dad taught you the importance of being a producer, can you talk about the album from that perspective?

Producing is going in and knowing exactly what you want to hear and feel. I wanted to show the different sides of who I am and my journey, so it just felt more natural to lend myself to wherever the song’s intention led.

Inspiration came from everywhere because I was taught to be very versatile and appreciate different art forms from a young age. That’s why ‘Fight Club’ feels more alt and ‘Nightcap’ has a similar grunge type energy, for example. ‘Stop The Bleeding’ is a ballad because it’s me in the spotlight being very honest.

I didn’t want to feel confined to the expectations of what an R&B artist is ‘supposed’ to sound like, I just wanted to be honest with the work and the music to feel exactly like what I'm singing about. That took me in a lot of different directions and I'm proud that even though I have gone through a myriad of different sounds, everything still sounds cohesive.

‘Stop the Bleeding’ carries an emotional intensity reminiscent of a Bond theme song. Since you describe music as part of your healing, did writing and recording this song feel particularly cathartic?

Oh absolutely. ‘Stop The Bleeding’ is the climax of the album, it’s the breaking of the shell that encloses understanding (as Kahlil Gibran would say). It’s the feeling that while it may be dark as fuck right now, it’s only up from here and I will make it out. It’s pain, but it’s also a deep realisation that enough is enough and nobody can hurt me unless I allow it, so I’m asking myself why I'm allowing this to happen and how I can turn things around.

Since To Myself was received so well, did you feel any pressure to live up to that when you were creating Through and Through?

I didn't feel any external pressure because people are already going to think what they think. But I did feel like I really had to push things forward. I just knew that I really wanted to stretch myself. I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to put anything out because it was such a journey to even get to this point, so when we finally started the project, I said: “Fuck any holding back, all the fire shit need to go on here”.

Can you name a few of the artists who inspired you to stretch yourself?

I watched a Joan Jett documentary and felt really empowered to get into the bag that created ‘Fight Club’ and ‘Nightcap’. I also remember listening to The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd really high one day and thinking that it was so soulful and well-written because if an alien wanted to know what it’s like to be a human, these 45 minutes would literally encapsulate the whole experience for them. I also really got into Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill because how she bared her soul about God, growing pains and striving for power as well as love and heartbreak was just incredible. Her honesty definitely empowered me to stretch and not hold back as much.

You said that you want to be on the right side of history when it comes to the renaissance that you see happening in music. What does that look like?

In the reality we’re in right now, it seems like it’s easier to numb your feelings, turn up and get lit. But while there is a time and place for that, once that becomes the default, there’s going to be a shift because people need more substance to be ushered in.

I already see artists like SAULT, Cleo Sol, Steve Lacey, Fousheé, Little Simz, and Jorja Smith really putting themselves into the music. They’re reaching deep within their bags and souls to give something real, and it just hits different because there’s growth and longevity there and it sounds fucking amazing live. That’s the turning of the tide, that’s the renaissance.

Reaching my highest potential is how I see myself being a part of that because I believe that when you get out of that cycle of pain and self-deprecation, speak your truth loudly and aspire to be no-one else but yourself, you can open the minds of others.

How would you describe the headspace you’re in right now?

It’s about being present and stopping to smell the roses along the way. It’s about celebrating the little wins as they come and being grateful for what is right now. It’s also about remembering that peace is not passive. It's discipline and routine. Peace comes from actively tuning in with yourself wherever you are whenever and making sure you’re okay before you can do anything for anyone else.