Q&A: A Reach into the Past Ignites the Future With Chelsea Rose’s ‘Truth or Consequences’
FULL TO THE BRIM WITH DREAMY INTROSPECTION AND NOSTALGIA — Chelsea Rose’s newest record, Truth or Consequences, takes listeners on a cathartic journey through the pains of loss and the joys of rediscovering oneself.
While many might recognize Rose from her days performing with her sister, Justine, as the dream pop duo Summer Twins, Rose is forging her own musical path and identity. Her debut record as a solo artist, Truth or Consequences, was released June 3 via Paul is Dead Records.
Rose tackles each of her endeavors with passion and confidence — whether it is through songwriting, producing, or even directing her own music videos, she puts forth her vision and does not stop until she gets it right. This perseverance is evident within the record, and after tirelessly working on the album for years, Rose is more than ready to have it out in the world.
Intertwining elements of 1960s and ’70s pop with bossa nova influences and a dash of R&B flair, Rose pulls together a cohesive 10 tracks that demonstrate her prowess over her art. The sonic landscape of the record covers everything from a folky acoustic guitar sound to the occasional heavier rock vibe.
Each track serves as a close examination of Rose’s continuous journey of self-discovery, tackling learning how to let go, living with loss, and adjusting to life in a new city.
Rose’s musical callback to the past has created an innovative and bright record that will propel her career into the future, sealing her place in many peoples’ hearts and playlists.
Continue reading to learn more about Chelsea Rose, her newest record, Truth or Consequences, and the importance of holding on to a dream.
LUNA: Let's start from the very beginning. When did you know that you wanted to be a musician?
ROSE: I knew from a very young age. I grew up in a musical household and started learning violin as a child — that never really stuck. I also did band in high school — I played flute. Around age 13 is when I really got into bands like The White Stripes, The Strokes, and The Donnas … I started learning guitar and my sister learned drums — we started our first band in middle school. I've been playing in a band ever since then, and I'm 32 now. I played in another band with my sister for about 10 years called Summer Twins, and that was a pretty big part of my career.
LUNA: That perfectly segues into my next question. As you said, you've been playing music for a long time, first under Summer Twins with your sister and now you have a solo project under Chelsea Rose. How do you keep your life as a musician fresh so you don't face burnout or get bored?
ROSE: Life happens in cycles and so does creativity and my relationship with creativity. I do have periods of burnout. In those times, I try to take the pressure off creating something and just trust that my flow will come back when the time is right. Sometimes I have to experience things and process before I'm ready to start writing again. It does help to be in LA and to be surrounded by other musicians and constantly go to shows.
LUNA: Definitely — it's so helpful to have that community to bounce ideas off and to pull inspiration from! After splitting from your sister musically, you faced a period of limbo where you had to rediscover yourself and redefine your whole career as an independent artist. What helped you through this process of practically restarting your whole career?
ROSE: I have this vision inside me and this drive to bring it to life. That is what has kept me going. It was a difficult journey… My identity was so tied to Summer Twins that when it ended it was kind of like, “Woah, who am I without this band?” But I have this drive to create — these ideas come to me, and I have this dream of getting it out there and connecting with people.
LUNA: Going off that, creating art of any kind comes with criticism, not only from external sources but also internally. How have you dealt with experiencing self-doubt and things like that?
ROSE: It has been such a journey. Especially with creating this album — I spent years working on it. I was touring and playing guitar in another band, and I would come home and work on the album and then go back on tour, so I worked on it in increments. I would get in a perfectionist state of mind where I was always redoing the vocals and redoing things, trying to get it perfect. I am happy that I didn't settle and that I worked on the album until I felt like it was finished… After [the pandemic] experience, I try to be a little bit less of a perfectionist and just celebrate where I'm at. I'm hoping to get music out into the world while it's still fresh. There's something special about sharing something when you're excited and when you're still in the energy of creating it, rather than waiting a long time where you can feel a little bit disconnected from it. I definitely still feel connected to my album, but it feels like a different version of myself. I still struggle with self-doubt, I think all artists do — it's just part of the process. I do my best to overcome that and come back home to myself and find compassion for myself and let it go.
LUNA: I totally understand that. You want to put your work out there when it's fresh because playing the same song for two years can definitely be tiring. What differentiates your work as Chelsea Rose from work that people might have heard earlier on in your career?
ROSE: It's a lot more sophisticated, and the content of the songs — the lyrical content — has a little more life lived. I've gotten older and I've experienced a lot more. I've experienced a lot of heartbreak and tough situations, and the music reflects that. Whereas, with Summer Twins, when we first started that band I was 18. I was very carefree. People would always call it “sunshine pop.” I would like to think that I still have that in my music, but there's something that's a little bit more rooted and grounded in the human experience.
LUNA: Yes, there's a little more nuance within the sunshine, I agree! I want to switch focus to talk about your newest album, Truth or Consequences. I've gotten a sneak peek and it's super fun and fresh. You channel so many nostalgic influences but don't sound like a carbon copy, which is really amazing. What musical inspirations did you pull from when writing this record?
ROSE: So many! A couple specific ones are ’60s bossa nova and Brazilian music, and also ’70s pop. There's also a little bit of a disco influence on my song "Let Go." I listen to a lot of old music — timeless classic music with string arrangements and lots of dynamics and lush arrangements. Though, a lot of my ’90s R&B that I grew up listening to is finding its way in there.
LUNA: It's really interesting to see how those influences intertwine into the record — it's very cohesive. Many of the songs on the record really explore this vulnerable — and, like you were saying — more sophisticated and authentic space of introspection. How has songwriting helped piece through and process these vulnerable emotional states?
ROSE: Songwriting is definitely therapy for me. It's a way of diving into your emotions — in order to write about them and express them into words and music, you have to sit with them and dive into them. That can be really uncomfortable, but that's the only way to get to the other side. There's something really powerful about channeling and pulling these emotions outside of yourself and creating something external. It almost feels like an extraction — you're pulling it out. It lives on as its own little story, and then other people get to connect with it in their own way. It becomes therapy for other people in a way because they get to get in touch with their emotions as they hear it and connect with it in their own way. Songwriting is such a powerful form of feeling.
LUNA: Writing about it almost makes it objective to yourself so you can have an easier time processing it. It's not only in your brain — it's on paper and in music.
ROSE: Yeah, totally. You can almost get a step outside of it and gain a new perspective.
LUNA: I'm glad that songwriting works for you in that way. One of the tracks on the record, "L.A.," discusses life as an artist in LA. Could you provide some insight into your experience trying to make it as a musician in the city of stars?
ROSE: I wrote that shortly after I moved to LA. The chorus is saying "LA is the loneliest place." I felt very isolated at the time. It took me a while to find my people here. Now I have a close little network of friends that I can rely on, so I definitely feel a little less lonely these days. It can be such a struggle sometimes. On one end, it's expensive trying to pay rent, and working all these different jobs can be such a struggle. You're also surrounded by so much talent that it can be intimidating. That's how I felt when I first moved here, but now I find it really inspiring. It helps kick my butt into gear and make me want to be better. It's really refreshing and inspiring because a lot of people move here because they have this dream — they want to do something and they're going for it. Being surrounded by people in that same mindset is really inspiring. I'm really grateful to be here at this moment in my life. I can't say that I'll stay in LA forever — I do appreciate a smaller town vibe, a slower pace — but it's really exciting, and I'm grateful to be here at this time in my life.
LUNA: Another standout single on the album is “Let Go,” which you have been sitting on for a couple years. Has it gotten any easier to let go of things like the song says?
ROSE: It has, but I also still need that reminder. I write a lot of my songs as little reminders, pep talks, and advice to myself. My song "Down the Street" is a similar thing, where it's a message that I still need to hear over and over again.
LUNA: That's so cool because then you're always playing them so you always remember the messages.
ROSE: Yes! I heard an artist talk recently about putting certain messages or affirmations in her music and then hearing it played over and over again, or playing it live and hearing the audience sing it back to her. It’s so powerful to reaffirm it over and over.
LUNA: It's almost a manifestation of self-worth, which is really beautiful. I think that's awesome.
ROSE: Yeah, I love how you said that.
LUNA: You brought up "Down the Street." You produced and directed your own music video for that track. It's such a fun video — congratulations on that! What was the experience of working behind the scenes of the video like?
ROSE: This one was probably the most fun and most smooth video I've ever made. I'm always behind the scenes in some way, creating the concept, the art direction, or directing it. I have worked with some really talented cinematographers and directors for my videos…This time around I knew how to produce the video — I knew how to create my treatment, my shot list, and my call sheet. Communication is important too, especially being a woman. It can be challenging to be really direct about what you want, out of fear of stepping on other people's toes. Especially working with men — I hate to say it, it shouldn't be that way. Sometimes as women we tend to feel weird about asking exactly for what we want and being really direct. I've let go of a lot of that and really stepped into my power. I don't want to say “power,” but I felt empowered in being clear about my vision and unapologetic about it. We had so much fun making it, and that shows in the video.
LUNA: Definitely. I love the part where you're all jamming out on the bed together. It's a really fun music video to watch, so congratulations again on that! I'm curious about the most recently released track off the album, "Fallin'.”Why the spoken word element for the track?
ROSE: I feel like I didn't have a choice — it just came out that way. Writing music is almost just like channeling. Sometimes you feel like you're just channeling — you're not consciously creating it but it's coming through you and moving through you. I had never written anything like that, and it honestly scared me at first. I was like, "I've never done anything like this, I don't know if I can pull this off. This is just so different and so outside of my comfort zone." It took me a while to really get into it. I've been working the spoken word element into some of my newer stuff as well. Just having fun with words and writing lyrics has been awesome, as it used to be a challenge for me.
LUNA: The spoken word really grabs your attention, and you hold on to every word. Something that also caught my attention was, as you were saying earlier, your inspiration from bossa nova and Brazilian influences. I was wondering if you were planning on doing more of that exploration of intertwining the cultural realm with your music?
ROSE: Definitely. I have been wanting to learn more bossa nova songs. They use such beautiful chords, and the rhythms and the sound of Portuguese is just the most beautiful music I've ever heard. It just takes me to different places when I hear it. It makes my heart sing. I am definitely wanting to dive deeper into that style and learn some of those chords.
LUNA: It has a beautiful flow that you could really pull off with your voice. What impact do you want your music to have on listeners?
ROSE: I hope that my music brings hope to people. I hope that it inspires people and helps them connect with themselves and get in touch with their own emotions and what they're feeling. I also hope that my music and my performances act as a mirror to people so that their own gifts and their own talents can be reflected back to them.
LUNA: That's a wonderful impact to have on people. And my last question: What's next for you for the rest of 2022?
ROSE: I've been very present lately, which is good. Just focused on getting this album out and making a ton of music videos. I do have a lot of new songs, so I'm trying to start thinking about the next album, or at least the next singles. I definitely want to keep making music and continue improving my craft. I've been taking vocal lessons and guitar lessons. I also would like to explore and collaborate with other artists and get back into that adventurous zone of exploration. It can be easy to get stuck in the business mindset of music, so I definitely want to keep it fun.
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