Self-taught and self-made, Rose Jones is a 20 year old singer/songwriter hailing from Toronto, Canada. She strives for her music to be emotionally-rich and writes about her own experiences. After her mother fell ill, Rose had a hard childhood growing up in foster care, bullying was a problem because of how often she was moved around. Rose’s father, who was a very large encourager of her music, passed from cancer when Rose was only 17 and since then she has been writing for him, herself, and others who have gone through similar experiences. Rose Jones fuses her alternative sound and pop/rock soul into unique compositions. She’s proficient at singing, playing piano, guitar, ukulele and harmonica.. All of which were self taught!
Multi-skilled and ambitious, Rose Jones just release her newest single “Bruised”. It’s an alternative/pop/rock anthem for those of us who have been through a struggle in our lives. Rose expertly gives the listener a retrospective look into her heart and soul. Her song writing style in “Bruised” is mysterious, alluring, and stays true to her unique nature. Rose Jones exudes a confident and original aesthetic, while still keeping up with a modern sound. The funky guitar riffs paired with Rose’s soft yet hard hitting vocals are hypnotizing. Rose is aware of her personal struggles and effortlessly plugs those feelings into her music. Cohesive to her goal of writing for herself and others that have been through similar experiences, “Bruised” is a track that fans can relate to. As an admirable songwriter and skilled vocalist and musician, Rose Jones has big things to come. Stay on the lookout for this up and comer from Toronto!
Listen to "Bruised" here and get to know more about Rose Jones below!
Hi Rose! What advice would you give to your younger self now, when you first started writing music?
Hey! I would tell her that everything is going to be OK and that she just needs to continue keeping faith and trusting. To also go out of her comfort zone and experiment with different styles, sounds, etc. Oh, and that it’s fine to write a lot of sad songs! Haha.
Can you tell us about the meaning behind the lyrics in “Bruised”?
I believe that songs are up for interpretation, so whatever you think it means then that’s what it is. For me, it’s you try really hard to be “perfect” and it becomes hard to accept your flaws because you don’t want to have any. Like anything you want in life, you want it to be great and successful. As a musician, I get down on myself a lot and compare my path to others, which is wrong because everyone has a different journey. Hence the lyric, “I’ll put on a show for you”. I feel like all my sadness comes from wanting to be the best I can be and when I don’t see results right away, I get down. All while you’re trying your best for not only you but everyone else. Emotions begin to feel like a mask. You’re smiling and say “everything is fine” when deep down you just want to scream. Your mom is asking what you’re doing with your life, things aren’t seeming to come together, and you become despondent and pessimistic. Which leads to holding everything in, and doing that can leave your mind and soul bruised.
What was the writing process like? What inspired the song?
Bruised is a song that actually took me a long time to finish. I started to write it when I was 16, but then put it down for some time. It began in a music room at one of my old high schools. It was after school. I didn’t really play around with electric guitar before and I had borrowed one from class, isolated myself, turned the amp on and felt the words coming out of me. But the inspiration behind it was feeling stuck, tied, and blocked by circumstances - most of the time it’s yourself holding you back. ‘90s rock/grunge also really had a part in this. I always wanted to be a woman of colour in the rock scene, as I look up to women in rock very, very much.
Who are your biggest musical influences and why?
My favourite genre is Rock and Pop Punk, so my influences range from many. But the ones that helped me find myself not only as an artist but person, are Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, The Beatles, Ani DiFranco, and The Front Bottoms. I believe that they all know what they want to say and say it with an “in your face” vibe but with such grace, and that’s so hard to do. Stevie from Fleetwood has always been like this fairy godmother figure to me - I look up to her a lot. I relate to Kurt from his upbringing to his lyrics. Ani DiFranco is just this kickass punk-folk, women of colour musician, and she can shred on an acoustic like nobody’s business. Lastly, The Front Bottoms have such a unique sound and songwriting style that inspires me to break the norm every day.
What are your career goals for 2019?
The career goals I have for 2019 are: to release more music, I’m in the studio working on more stuff now actually! Play more shows, write more songs, and to just continue to find my place is this big thing we call “The Music Industry”. Thank you for taking the time to hear my single, Bruised and for getting to know more about me!
Connect with Rose Jones on social media
www.instagram.com/rosetwentyseven
www.facebook.com/rosetwentyseven