Artist Of The Week #116 - Rosie Carney
This week’s Artist of the Week is Rosie Carney - who has just released her EP ‘i dreamed i was the night’, the follow up to her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Bare’. The EP was recorded in New. York with Thomas Bartlett, who has worked with the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Florence + the Machine. Rosie took a moment to talk to us about visa fraud, the inspirations behind the EP and feeling at home on the label Color Study.
So, the EP is out there, how does it feel?
Relieved! The build up to a release always makes me very nervous, but now that it’s out in the big littleworld I’m so excited for everyone to hear how I’m growing and how my music is growing.
It’s been just over a year since your album ‘Bare’ was released, how does this EP differ from that?
Well since releasing Bare, I’ve experienced some more ‘Life’. My first love broke up with me, I moved from my parents place in Ireland into my own place in London, I toured for a lifetime. Although the Ep was written fairly soon after Bare, it feels like Bare was very much a reflection of the past 8 years whereas this Ep reflects more on what’s been happening more currently in my life. I also really wanted to push the production to give these songs a bigger feel. It has more of an urge to be heard.
It was recorded in New York with Thomas Bartlett, who is known for his work with Sufjan Stevens and Florence and the Machine, how did that partnership come about?
I’ve always really loved Thomas’s work, from The Gloaming to Florence, he’s always been someone I’ve wanted to work with, and after he did a record with Henry Jamison, an artist my manager also manages, the connection was made and we sent him my crappy garage band demos and we went from there.
What memories do you have of New York while recording the EP?
I had a pretty traumatic start to the trip after nearly being denied entry once I landed. The lady at passport control thought my visa was a fraud so that left me sitting in a small, empty office staring at a picture of Trump for what felt like a lifetime. So much fun for someone with anxiety. Other than that, Thomas always had silent movies playing whilst we were recording and that’s how I discovered Pina Bausch who was an inspiration behind my most recent music video. Yay.
The EP is called ‘i dreamed i was the night’, what is the meaning behind that?
I was scrolling through this Artidote Facebook page which shared different artists and painting tutorials which I find so satisfying to watch (big Bob Ross gal) and I found this series by a Mexican artist named David Álvarez called ‘I Dreamed I Was the Night’ and the images and title combined evoked me so much I knew I had to churn it into something of my own.
The first single you released from the EP was called ‘when i look at you’, which also features a video with a choreographed dance - can you tell us a bit more about the video?
Well, I knew whilst I was writing the song that I would dance in the music video. The lyrics are very literal and left me with really harsh memories and images in my head which I knew that in order to articulate them, I’d have to somehow move my body. It was quite a breakthrough for me as I’ve never been too comfortable in front of the camera, but I knew that if I wanted my music and art to truly grow the way I hope, I’d have to get out of my comfort zone. I had no dancing experience before the shoot, but since the video I’ve been doing lots of different dance classes, although now due to Covid19, they’ve all been cancelled, however I did install my own pole dancing pole into my room in my flat which has been a lot of fun for me. Pole dancing is my favourite.
Having already been through the record label system, this EP is being released via Color Study, an indie label founded by your manager. Do you feel more at home releasing it this way?
Absolutely. Luckily I’ve been working with my manager for a little while now and he knows my goals and there’s a strong foundation of trust there. It’s the first time in my career I’ve felt like the one in control and the driving force behind it all. I’m given a lot of space to develop creatively which is very invaluable to me.
What is your favorite lyric on the EP, and why?
Damn this is a hard question, obviously all the lyrics mean an awful lot to me, but if I had to pick afavourite line from one of the songs, it would probably be “I woke at the break of dawn / with tears in my eyes I guess that’s why they call it the morning.” There are better lines throughout this EP, but I remember when I first wrote this song, I had it written down as “I guess that’s why they call it the mourning” but I didn’t think people would understand what I truly meant. I found dawn to be extremely hard when I went through my breakup. Waking up beside someone you’re in love with is such a vulnerable thing to do. You know when it’s all new and you spend hours in bed, and then when its all over, you have that moment of being blissfully present and then you remember everything all over again. Yikes.
Now the EP is out there, what next?
I’ve been spending all my time writing and recording new music. I was supposed to be going into the studio, but since we’re all under house arrest, I’m back to making rough little GarageBand demos, although I have upgraded from my iPad to my laptop which is certainly promising. It’s such a crazy time at the moment. I’m so lucky to have such a beautiful flat although I do miss my family and my dog like you wouldn’t (or would) believe. For the meantime I’m going to keep writing heartbreak songs and pole dancing to them. Hi my names Rosie and I’m a masochist.