by meghan brianna
photo courtesy of rozei
Blurring the lines and breaking barriers between genres of music, Rozei continues to reinvent himself through his music. Making waves with his viral hit, “Ooo La La,” garnering nearly 25 million streams on Spotify, Rozei is grabbing the reins of 2021 and steering the year in the direction he wants to go. Starting 2021 with a bang, Rozei has graced the world with two new singles, “Chase,” and “Heartbreak Hotel,” both of which were released 10 days apart from each other. This marks a new era for Rozei. We had the chance to talk with the rising artist about his two new releases, how he got his start in music, and more!
For our readers who are unfamiliar with Rozei, take a second to introduce yourself, your background, what got you started in music.
Rozei: “Of course! Hello, I’m Rozei! I’m just a guy who started making music in his bedroom in 2016. My family has been involved in music for as long as I can remember. I was surrounded by all sorts of genres. Growing up, I developed a passion for it and one day I decided to make my first song. One turned into hundreds and it was all I could think about. I ended up dropping out of college in 2017 to pursue music full time and haven’t looked back since! In 2019, I released a single titled ‘Ooo La La’ and it started blowing up. As a result, I had dozens of labels reaching out to me within a month of the song dropping. At the beginning of 2020, I ended up signing with Atlantic Records and that brings us to now!”
Was there ever any musical influence as a kid? A specific song you remember hearing that got you into music? A song that you still look back on and remember the first time you heard it?
Rozei: “I grew up listening to a lot of rock music. A few of my favorites bands growing up were Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, My Chemical Romance, The All-American Rejects. The most impactful first listen to a record I’ve had would have to be ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana, which actually was the reason I got into them.
You pursue music full time, what made you make that decision to fully commit to music?
Rozei: “Ever since I started making music, I’ve had this hunger. I want to keep getting better and better even though I’m never going to be satisfied. When I was in school full time, all I wanted to do was make music. I ended up dropping out based off a gut feeling that I was going to make it in the music industry and I wasn’t prepared to take ‘no’ as an answer.”
Let’s say you get three words to describe you and your music. Which three words would you use, and why?
Rozei: “‘This is Rozei.’ I put my everything into my music. The words I say are an embodiment of my emotions and thoughts.”
You dropped two songs, “Chase” and “Heartbreak Hotel,” practically back to back. What made you release these two songs at this time? What is the relation between the two?
Rozei: “The main reason we chose these two to release so closely with each other was to act as a smooth transition from my ‘Ooo La La’ and ‘Hollywood’ style music to a more alternative/punk sound displayed in the project.”
Take us through the creative process behind these two recent tracks. How did they come to be? What came first? A lyric, melody, chord? Were either of the songs, songs that just happened and flowed naturally?
Rozei: “Heartbreak Hotel is definitely more melody driven. Whereas, Chase is more of a story. I wrote and recorded both of these songs while out in LA surrounded by some very talented people. I love the fact that music is a collaborative effort and the ideas flying around the sessions all just worked together so well. Everything was natural.”
These are your first two releases for 2021. How do these tracks set up the rest of your year?
Rozei: “Everything we’re releasing this year is leading up to the project! I’m just focusing on shedding my skin and developing myself as an artist. This year is going to be one to remember.”
How do you want fans to consume “Chase” and “Heartbreak Hotel?” What message or feeling do you hope listeners get from the two songs?
Rozei: “I hope that my listeners feel the emotion behind the lyrics in these two. I’ve fallen in and out of love along with toxic relationships and I feel like as if that really resonates with these.”
Do you have a message to anyone who wants to pursue music?
Rozei: “My three biggest pieces of advice to aspiring artists and/or people who want to start in music would be to be original, don’t be afraid to do something outside the box. My second would be to not get unmotivated, continue even if it feels like you’re not getting anywhere. Finally, you can never stop learning, you’ll never know everything there is to know in a form of art.”