Discomfort is Comfort to ROSIE

ROSIE knows that there is no growth without discomfort. As a 25-year-old young singer-songwriter with multiple EPs, many viral videos and collabs, three million listens monthly, a songwriting portfolio including songs for icons like Céline Dion and more under her belt, she has felt the uncomfortability of change. “I always joke like, ‘Oh I must be growing because I am so uncomfortable all the time.’ As soon as I started to embrace the discomfort, I felt more confident in putting myself out there,” she said. The New York City based artist began playing the guitar around the age of twelve and began writing and singing her own music when she was in middle school as a way to escape her anxiety and visual processing disorder. When it was time for deciding where she should go to college, she wasn’t going to apply to any music schools until her family told her she should give it a chance. After going to Berklee College of Music, she never looked back. “I never thought that I could do it professionally. I didn’t think I was capable and I didn’t have the confidence. Nowhere in this story early on is me being confident in being an artist and a songwriter and I think that’s important to specify for anyone out there who wants to do it too. Sometimes, the confidence comes from the people around you,” ROSIE said. 

Eventually, she started posting her music on TikTok where she found her community and her music gained popularity quickly, which led to her getting signed by Arista Records. Posting your own music to a social media platform consistently and effectively is not always easy and can create room for comparison, which ROSIE says she struggles with sometimes. However, using TikTok as a platform has given her a place to not only share her music but to connect with others on topics that she really cares about, such as mental health, anxiety, insecurity, transparency and more. To remain as transparent and honest as she can, ROSIE also does not wear makeup or use any retouching or editing on her photos. The singer still has to work through those struggles of comparison but as she’s gotten older she has learned to stand tall in self-doubt. “If I’m insecure, I’m going to be confidently insecure. I am confident about the fact that I am very insecure. I’m not denying any feelings and honestly it’s an exciting time in my life.” Through this no makeup journey, ROSIE has found her vulnerability to be a strength. She has a lot of support from her team and her community, even though she was faced with some hesitation and skepticism at the beginning. “They said I could never be a pop star and tour if I had dark circles under my eyes. I got so much pushback but personally, it kind of fueled my fire a little. Now when I’m vulnerable, whether it reaches one person or millions, I know that it’s making some type of impact,” she said. “Even if it’s one person, one person is a whole human life which is a huge deal.”

Another way ROSIE has reinforced that impact and connection with her fans is by partnering with Softside, a Brooklyn based merchandise company that lets fans upload their own merch designs for their favorite musicians. Artists can partner with the platform to approve the merch designs, making the fan created designs officially licensed merch. After hearing about Softside, ROSIE immediately knew she wanted to work with her fans. “The reason that I was so inspired by Softside is that it was another way of connecting with people who feel connected to you. Fandom can be one sided and any opportunity where you can get the fans involved and get creatives involved is a win. I firmly believe that your fans are smart. I’ve never subscribed to the concept that consumers or your listeners are stupid. Mine are smart!” she said. “Utilizing their creativity is just another way of making the world a better and more creative place. Some artists feel like they don’t owe their fans anything and I have the opposite mentality where I know I owe my fans everything because if I didn’t have them then where would I be?”

With all of the lessons she’s learned thus far, ROSIE is eager to continue growing in new ways. With her past EPs, 20mg of Happiness and What Scares Me The Most, she explored feelings of grief and loss and then healing through those tough emotions. After those projects, she wasn’t sure where her music was going to go next or what feelings she wanted to explore in her work. “Now, what I feel like I’m preaching and standing for, is a very specific kind of confidence. That confidence is not only, ‘Oh, I feel great about myself and I love myself in my skin.’ The confidence I’m talking about is the confidence to feel your feelings deeply, vulnerably and unapologetically,” ROSIE said. She looks forward to expanding her thoughts and feelings on this new type of confidence and is eager to expand her sound. “The most growing I’ve done is to grow back into that 12-year-old self and find my inner child. I think that’s where the excitement, passion and curiosity are. My proudest accomplishment is growing back down into that kid,” she said. “I’m excited to keep getting to know myself and to keep opening up more and more until I’m just an open book.”

Words: Jessica Spiers

Photography: Ragan Henderson