Rosie Lowe - Symphonies of the Mind

Ahead of the release of her second album, “YU“, we meet the British singer-songwriter for intimate confessions, inner dramas finally resolved, and new visions. A long, intense conversation to uncover everything surrounding this latest effort, and to delve deeper into a musical path considered among the most elegant in the new British singer-songwriter scene. A journey that began on the family farm and has now reached the heart of London. 

With “YU” I worked very differently from my first record. For that one I followed what I'd call an “insular” process, whereas “YU” is a fully collaborative record. I wrote most of the songs in London, with my long-time collaborator and old friend Dave Okumu. We brought in our favourite musicians for the record. For us, it was a dream come true.

Produced, indeed, by the great Dave Okumu (who has worked with artists like The Invisible, Grace Jones and Jessie Ware), “Birdsong” features backing vocals from Jamie Woon, Jamie Lidell, Jordan Rakei and Kwabs. So, what was it like working with Okumu? When did you decide to bring in four such important musicians for backing vocals?

I love working with Dave and I feel lucky to keep developing our musical relationship. We didn't have a studio as a home base for this record yet, so we worked in a lot of different places and our time was pretty staggered. It's a testament to our trust and to a shared vision that's quantifiable through all this synergy. For the dream choir, I pictured male voices. So we talked about how incredible it would be to feature our favourite male voices. We specifically asked those four and they all said yes. It was such a joy bringing these incredible voices together.

“Control” is a record that talks a lot about you, while the songs on “YU” shift the focus towards personal relationships. What brought about this change?

My music represents the exact point I'm at in my life at any given moment, and a large part of this record is about sharing myself with another person who is at once a lover, a partner and a friend. My partner and I started couples therapy five years ago, and it's had an extremely positive effect on how I feel about love today. “YU” explores the politics of love and the complexities it brings to light, from lust to resistance, from friendship to acceptance.

I know you're training to become a psychotherapist - how's that going, and where did this passion come from?

I've always been extremely drawn to everything around the mind and individual emotions. Seven years ago I had various health problems. I was in and out of hospital, going through countless operations and tests that I now see as a manifestation of emotional suppression. I went into therapy to deal with the trauma of the illness, and it changed my life. I started experiencing everything from a perspective I hadn't grasped before, namely how to let go of anger and guilt for good. And so my health improved. I saw how powerful therapy can be, and as a result I wanted to keep learning more.

On “Pharoah“, the second official single from this, your second album, you sing: “I’m grown from earth, I fell from a sky. I’m in your water, I’m a butterfly. I’m every color, though many sides. And choosin’ what to show you is my delight. My power’s in my self conscious believin'”. Where do these lines come from, how did they take shape, and above all, how much has growing up immersed in nature, far from the chaos of the city, shaped your outlook on life and on things?

When I wrote “Pharoah” I was exploring the power of the mind, the idea that we only become as great as we allow ourselves to be, and that there's so much more than what we can see. The song became a real positive mantra for me, for my inner battles. I think my outlook on life has been strongly shaped by growing up surrounded by nature and feeling the power of what's around us, but at the same time I don't think you need to be out in the countryside to feel that. I feel it in the city too, and sometimes even more so. There's nothing I love more than the juxtaposition of nature and concrete, ivy cracking through walls or tree roots breaking through pavements.

On “YU” I sense a more frenzied use of synthesizers - would you agree? How important was Okumu's contribution in that respect?

I'd be more inclined to describe “YU” as a warm, positive record. That's the hermetic representation of what Dave and I wanted. Dave's contribution was huge, and it's incredible how he manages to interpret me through music. He always wants to bring out artists for who they truly are, and he did that on “YU” too.

“Apologise” closes the record with a stripped-back piano played by Sam Crowe, while your voice whispers such tender words as “Why is it me who has to apologize? Things you say got me so deep inside, yeah. Every time you make the victimize. Guilty gets me, on my horse I ride into save you”. But do you think people today tend to play the victim more because of the collective self-glorification fostered by social media, or is it a human inclination that has always existed? Have you ever truly felt like a victim of something?

I think that if someone is playing the victim, there's always someone else ready to step in and play the rescuer. We act out these roles and they're cyclical. For the cycle to break, one person has to stop playing their part. This song is about my resentment towards those kinds of roles. Then I realised that I could actually be blamed for it too, since in the end I've also had my own part to play. Aren't we all victims in some way? And if we're playing the victim, why are we doing it? Maybe because we're always chasing some kind of recognition, a bit of empathy and compassion? Maybe we all need to show compassion for others because we're not good at being compassionate with ourselves? Sure, I know that it was exactly this that made me unwell in the past.

Who are your musical guiding lights? And who do you like most among young musicians?

I love Tirzah, Erykah Badu, Joni Mitchell, D’Angelo, Patrice Rushen, Sault, Kokoroko and many others.

How did you prepare for the tour? Do you like Italy? Will you be coming here too?

I can't wait for it to start. I love my band and we've worked so hard to give the songs new life in the live setting. That really excites me. I love Italy! My nephew is half Italian and I'm very close to his Italian family, it feels like a second home to me. I really hope to come to Italy soon and perform live.

Ride the wave of great music

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