I recently reviewed Rosie Abbott's latest album Magnified for Leftlion Magazine and she kindly agreed to a follow up interview for this feature;
Can you tell us about your musical background Rosie - where we might have heard your work before? I've released two albums previously - "Rosie Abbott" and "After Image". Both are available on Bandcamp and Spotify, Amazon, iTunes etc. I started making music at a very young age. I've always loved layering up sounds and building unusual chord sequences and melodic vocal lines. I used music as a form of escapism when I was at school because I was badly bullied and a bit of an outcast. During those years I started recording demos onto a four-track recorder and discovered that I could sing harmonies. After I left school I went to music college and was in a band for three years. The experience gave me the confidence to play live which led to me eventually going solo and performing acoustic gigs by myself.
How would you describe your style? That's a tough one. My style varies from song to song but I always somehow manage to sound like me! There are elements of pop, rock, psychedelia, prog, folk, experimental and even some classical and jazz in there. I don't try to be clever, I just can't help how the songs present themselves. It very much depends on my mood on any given day. Sometimes I wake up and only want to play the acoustic guitar. Sometimes I just want to make the heaviest, dirtiest sounding dirge imaginable. Eventually I end up with enough ideas for an album.
What challenges do you think females in the music industry have that males do not experience?
I can't speak for everyone, but I've certainly experienced sexism as a female musician. When I was in a band, I was the only female member and people (mostly blokes) would presume the guitarist or bass player had written all the songs. I've also had issues with sound guys talking down to me as if I don't know how to use my own equipment. I don't know if that is because I'm female, but they never spoke that way to my male band mates. I also had a bad experience with a producer who insisted that he knew what was best for a song that my band and I were recording. The guitar riff that he suggested clashed terribly with the chords, and no matter how many times I pointed it out, he arrogantly went ahead with it anyway. He sent us the finished song a few weeks later and it was so awful it went straight in the bin. I've never set foot in a studio since because of that experience. I don't need validation or approval from a man in order to make the music I want to make, thank you very much. Has lockdown impacted you creatively at all, and how have you found the past few months?
I was furloughed from my day job, so I found lockdown great in terms of having more brain space and time to play and write music. Apart from that though, like most people, I am missing my family and friends terribly and I can't wait to be able to give them the biggest hug ever when all this is over.
Your latest release is the album 'Magnified', can you tell us the idea or theme behind the project?
There are several themes running throughout the album. The title track is about zooming in on the seemingly insignificant and discovering the universe inside. I guess each song is almost like putting a slide under a microscope and zooming in. Except the slide is an element of my life or an experience that I want to sing about. The themes of "time" and "perspective" run through all three of my albums. The new album is perhaps the most positive lyrically out of the three. Between album two and three I met my fiancé and so a few of the new songs were written from a very happy, secure place. I'd never really had that before. Love songs don't always have to be cheesy. There are also a few references to my love of nature as well as my fears about climate change. "I Forget To Breathe" is basically a panic attack set to music.
Who's worked with you on the album?
Nobody! I've had a few comments along the lines of "so who played all the guitar solos?". Yep, it was me. "What about the drums though?" Yep, still me. My sister designed all the artwork though. She's a fantastic artist and you can check out her work on Instagram @caroloife
Where can folks get to listen to the album?
At the moment the new album is available only on my Bandcamp page www.rosieabbott.bandcamp.com. I feel quite passionately about the way artists are ripped off by streaming platforms. It doesn't seem fair that I should spend years working on an album and then to only receive a couple of quid in return. Any other item that has been created by a human e.g a painting, a vase, a table, clothing, food etc. you expect to pay for it. I don't see why music should be any different. Bandcamp at least gives artists a fair cut of each item they sell, especially physical copies.
Above portrait of Rosie is by Ian Gordon Craig
What's next for you?
I have a couple of my tracks featuring on an exciting project called "Miniatures 2020". It's a 40th anniversary celebration in honour of Morgan Fisher's original album and should be out in December sometime. There are over 100 artists contributing a track of a minute or less. Artists include Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers, Billy Bragg, Terry Riley, Toyah, David Cross (King Crimson) and Ric Sanders (Soft Machine, Fairport Convention).
I'm also a member of the band Famous Groupies and our new album "The Furry White Album" is also out in December. Our last record did really well, especially in Japan where it reached number 1 in the Disc Union charts.
On top of that, I'm hoping to keep writing and recording new material for my next album. I have to fit it around my day job which isn't always easy! I've been doing a few backing vocals for musician friends of mine recently, and I'm hoping maybe to explore that avenue further as a means of generating some extra income to help subsidise my own music. I'd also like to make some more music videos. They're so much fun to make!
Anything else you'd like to add about the project, or a message for the readers?
Thanks for taking the time to read this interview! I'd like to say thanks to my wonderful fans who have stuck with me on my musical journey and continue to tune in and support what I do. Also, "welcome" to any new listeners! I hope you'll check out more of my work.
Here is a link to where you can buy my new album: www.rosieabbott.bandcamp.com
And these are my social media pages: www.twitter.com/rosieJabbott
Keep On Keeping On
Bassey
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