There are times in many readers and listeners lives where life just gets too much, this is where JJ Rosa’s music comes to play. Not only does it provide those good times if you’re wanting to get away from the bad parts of your life, but it’s also something special.
With Hendrix-Esque bursts of guitar and powerful lyricism such as diving into her battles of her making through a male-dominated music industry curating a message to those at the very top, JJ Rosa is one artist to keep an eye on.
We sat down to discuss everything from life during a pandemic, gaining press from her favourite magazines and discrimination, so grab a coffee and get to know the next big artist.
Good morning/afternoon, how have you been mentally during the pandemic?
Helloooo! It’s actually the afternoon as I’m answering these questions and I’m very happily chillin’ in the garden in the sunshine which is incredibly welcome right now I tell ya! On a daily basis I’m usually stuck staring at a screen with the blinds down, slowly getting rickets! Haha…
Throughout most of lockdown, I was stuck between the same 4 walls and very very vitamin D deprived, I was honestly turning translucent! In terms of how I’ve been mentally though, I would definitely say it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, it has been for most people. In one respect it was a blessing in disguise for my creativity as I very much used the time I had not gigging or prepping and rehearsing myself/my band for live shows, but to really concentrate on building my studio up, as well as working and improving my production and recording techniques (fully geeking out!) as well song-writing and practising my instruments.
I began investing more time and effort into producing my new material as well and being meticulous with where I wanted my sound to be.
I needed the comfort of at least song-writing/producing, as well as my daily yoga routines, exercise (when we were allowed!!) and dog walks… I suffer with anxiety and have in the past (and the odd time even now) had panic attack disorder where it really became life altering as I’d be having panic attacks daily totally out of the blue, all stemming from anxiety but the physical manifestation of it all didn’t hit me until about 3 years ago where now I have to medicate (and meditate!) to keep on top of it all. I think the pandemic provide some long awaited “me time” which helped me get on top of my mental health a bit.
The new track and you have a point to prove with this release – is this because you’re hard on yourself or because people have doubted you to the point where you felt you had to prove people wrong?
I think it’s a bit of both to be honest. The song’s meaning was really born out of experiences I’ve had in the past dealing with the music industry and all its trials and tribulations.
I think most creatives are overly self critical though, always striving to be better and always wanting to get to that next ‘level’ of success!
I’ve always felt music has been therapy in those tough times – I know you have felt the same about your music and writing so how have you found it going through those rough patches with this kind of music?
It sounds a bit cliche but music has been a kind of therapy to me for a long long time. The creative process that is (not so much the business aspect… I need therapy after dealing with the flippin’ business side of stuff, haha! It’s ironic really isn’t it?!)
I’ve suffered with various mental health related issues throughout my life. I had an eating disorder as a teen, stemming from anxiety to always want to be in control (I’ve always had underlying OCD and a bit of a control freak mentality, which has eased off a bit as I’ve got older though… ish! Ha!).
I’ve had to have a real lifestyle change since my anxiety and panic disorder took hold i.e. yoga and meditation is now a huge part of my everyday life, generally just choosing my battles essentially and knowing what is worth the headache and what isn’t!
I’ve made a real conscious decision to eliminate negativity in my life where possible i.e. toxic people or “emotional vampires” as someone once described them to me as; essentially friends and/or partners that are far better at taking from you rather than giving or reciprocating. There’s a lot of people like that out there unfortunately…
As a disabled music journalist, I’ve been discriminated because of my disability so I can relate to your situation in a way when you discuss the number of discriminating experiences you have faced – how have experiences made you the person you are today?
I think as a human being you have to go through SOME difficulties in life to be able to build that thicker skin, there’s not much benefit being totally cotton wooled in life, it’s just not realistic.
Don’t get me wrong, I wish we didn’t have to go through these ‘life lessons’ at the expense of our feelings and mental health because it’s not easy but it almost becomes that fire you need to show them/others you can do it and actually more than capable of doing it better than them!
Naturally as a female in the music biz you’re on the back foot. Looks and age are seen as far more significant for a woman trying to make it than a man. There are exceptions (thank god!) but they’re few and far between if you compare it to male successes we’ve had in music/acting etc.
I’ve had many a situation where I’ve felt looked down on or manipulated by powerful men in the industry. I’ve had men trying to dangle carrots (as it were!) to attempt to get something from me (sexually or other…) in order to ‘open doors’. I can proudly say I have never stooped to that level of desperation. It doesn’t matter how much you want to be successful in life, you should never be made to feel like you have to sell your body (literally!) and soul.
Live performances have made you a legend and have had people talking about you. How good does it feel to be back playing live after the last couple of years?
It feels amazing! I’ve actually just been confirmed to be one of the (many) supports at The Rolling Stones BST show in Hyde Park on June 25th. I’m actually buzzing to have been asked for this, it really is a dream come true. Big stages are always where I feel most at home too. I was gutted to lose 2+ years of shows over Covid but it’s just made getting back to it all that bit more special again.
How did you end up collaborating with Lexy P?
A good friend of mine Ben actually intro’d us a couple of years back. I was looking for a sh!*t hot rapper to collaborate with on a Hip-Hop mash up I put together over lockdown (when every man and his dog was doing zoom sessions n’ that…) and Ben was like, “I know just the guy…”. Lexy blew me away when I first heard him rap. I instantly had a bee in my bonnet about getting him on one of my tracks.
I noticed you were featured in Guitarist Magazine, which you used to buy as an up and coming artist, does press like that feel weird or amazing?
Oh god it defo feels amazing! Well actually it feels bizarre to think I’ve been considered highly enough to be featured amongst such talented musicians. I’ve worked hard over the years to master my musicianship so it’s extremely fulfilling and rewarding.
Finally, you have your label, new music out and a busy summer ahead, what’s next?
I need to keep climbing that mountain ahead really. Although the mountain seems to get higher as I go on but it makes me all that more eager to crack on climb! Haha.. Crap analogy but you get the picture.
I’m keen to get my next single out this summer to keep up the momentum post the release of my latest single ‘Rockstar’ (I’m currently in the process of finishing the next one which I’m excited about!). Then I guess it would be brilliant to get a tour around autumn/winter time really. I’m keen to get on the road again with the band.
If you want to keep up with JJ Rosa then check out the links below.