By: Shayla Lee
With over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, a recent collaboration with Lisa Hannigan, and a highly anticipated album which is set to be released in January, Irish singer-songwriter Rosie Carney is definitely one of folk music’s most buzzed about musicians. After moving to Ireland at the age of ten and falling in love with the beauty of the country, Rosie turned to music when she needed a creative outlet to express how she was feeling. With her music in the same realm as Daughter, Siv Jakobsen, and Phoebe Bridgers, Rosie’s innate sense of lyricism and musicianship places her well beyond her years.
Gently weaving around layered productions which include strings, drums, and guitars, Rosie’s delicate voice is always the star of the show; she gently pulls the listener into her compelling narrative and doesn’t let go. Listening to Rosie’s music feels like peering into a beautiful handwritten diary. Her art is honest, quiet, and emotionally raw which makes it easy to connect with.
We had the chance to chat with Rosie about how she fell in love with music, how she practices mindfulness in her personal life, and what we can expect from her highly anticipated album ‘Bare’ which will be released on January 25th.
Femme Riot: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What inspired you to become a musician?
Rosie Carnie: Well, I moved from Hampshire, UK to Donegal, Ireland when I was only 10 year old. That’s really when music started for me. I had previously taken piano lessons when I was young, but truly developed my love for music when I was a little tweenager. I was so overwhelmed with the beauty for Ireland, I just had to find an outlet to express how it made me feel, that’s where the music came in.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
Well, I would say it’s honest, sometimes sad, sometimes more sad than sad. Although I could currently be categorized as just a folk singer-songwriter, I’m becoming more experimental with my production. I’m obsessed with detail when working on my tracks. I love creating different textures, even if it is something as minimal as a single piano note drowned in reverb. Gotta love that ambience.
Where do you draw inspiration for your music? Do you have any musical influences?
I definitely draw inspiration from my own experiences. More so because it helps me to vent certain things, but another thing that heavily inspires me, is the world around me. Although the world is pretty fucked up at the moment, and also experiencing a lot of pain, my home in Donegal is surrounded by beauty. The mountains, the ocean, the trees, it is all a part of me now, and again, I’m obsessed with the detail of it all. I try to give it a sound through my music. I have lots of musical influencers, I listen to so much music, and always have. Musicians like Bon Iver, Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Lana Del Rey to name a few, have all helped me to really experiment and find my own sound both lyrically and musically.
Your new song ‘Thousand’ is absolutely beautiful and I understand that the song is very personal to you. Can you tell us more about “Thousand?” What was it like working with Lisa Hannigan?
Well the meaning and story really is in the song. It was written about my mother and grandmother who has dementia, and just getting through the things that life presents us with. I didn’t actually work with Lisa in person, I just reached out via twitter, and she sent me the vocals within a couple of days. So surreal. She recently asked me to accompany her at 2 sold out shows in the National Concert Hall, Dublin with the orchestra Stargaze. I was SO happy when she asked me, I got to learn songs I’ve been listening to for a long time. It was so wonderful to work with her then, she is so down to earth, and I feel like she believes in me which is an amazing feeling.
Your highly anticipated album ‘Bare’ is set to be released in January. I can’t wait! What was the creative process for this album like? What can fans expect from this album?
I’ve really been working on this album since I was 15, so it’s 6 years of life experiences turned into an expressive story. Starting with the first song I ever wrote ‘What You’ve Been Looking For’ it then goes through each song which represent different stages of my life so far. The reason I named it ‘Bare’ is because I feel like I really am baring my soul in this album. I always try to be honest about who I am throughout my career as a musician. I think honesty is key. So expect a Whole Lotta Rosie (pun intended lol).
I always try to be honest about who I am throughout my career as a musician. I think honesty is key.
Mental health is something that is really important to us at Femme Riot and we love hearing about how others maintain balance in their lives. Being a busy musician, what practices do you implement into your life to ensure your health and well-being are being taken care of?
I try to be as gentle as possible with myself on my hardest days. Taking each moment at a time. I have a tattoo of moon phases on my inner right arm to remind myself that it is all just temporary, and that it just makes up the whole, complexed cycle of who I am. We are beings of emotion, and understanding and educating ourselves in the complexities of our emotions is a very important thing for us to do. Practice mindfulness. Draw a continuous line for 30 seconds. Pick up a leaf and study it for a while. Find that inner silence and breathhhhe.
Have you faced any challenges being a woman in the music industry? If so, how did you overcome the adversity and do you have any advice for other women facing challenges?
Yes, of course. I’ve been in some pretty uncomfortable situations because of my gender. I’ve met some seriously sexist A-holes who have made me feel very uncomfortable. Some have even been women. I do have anxiety with certain things I’m faced with because of my gender, which is a great shame. Every industry is hard work, it’s just crazy that it is STILL harder if you’re a woman. But it just drives me to work harder to help make this world a safer place for all females, mothers, daughters, sisters and ANYONE who identifies as a women, to live in. It’s a very disheartening time at the moment, certain headlines have shattered the hearts and confidence of many women. It seems that we have no safe place. But we have to learn how to thrive. How to make the fire in our bellies burn with passion when faced with this bullshit. Every single human has the ability to change the world. It’s all about perspective.
Every single human has the ability to change the world. It’s all about perspective.
What songs are currently listening to?
I listen to so much music, so I honestly can’t narrow it down to just a few songs, but I find myself listening to a lot of RnB recently, Daniel Caesar, H.E.R.. I love it. I’ve been listening to a lot of folk too like Adrianne Lenker, Moses Sumney… I just listen to so much music, it’s pouring out of my ears.
Anything we haven’t asked that you want to add?
What my favorite color is and the answer is Teal.
Also favorite animal and the answer is all of them xxx
You can stay up-to-date with Rosie by following her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Rosie has just embarked on a European tour and tickets and information can be found here. Find Rosie’s tour dates and beautiful collection of music below!
FEMME RIOT 