Rosie Frater-Taylor makes her manchester debut💥
Rosie performs live at The Blues Kitchen on 21st March
Genre-bending guitarist/singer Rosie Frater-Taylor joins us for a quick chat her latest album, ‘Bloom’, ahead of her biggest tour to date! Sitting comfortably between the worlds of jazz, folk & soul, Bloom blends adventurous songwriting with a whimsical pop sensibility, multi-layered acoustic soundscapes and virtuoso guitar skills, with her vocalised lines reminiscent of the great Lionel Loueke.
Having garnered a reputation for enthralling live performances across London over the past years, Rosie hits The Blues Kitchen next week for the Manchester stop on her European Tour.
Q. You’re often labelled as a jazz-folk crossover artist. Do you identify with that label, if only because it provides you with permission to explore more realms of musicality?
It is an apt description of my sound. In terms of my influences, there's Joni Mitchell, Madison Cunningham, Becca Stevens on the folk side and Pat Metheny, George Benson, Lionel Loueke on the jazz side. I feel my writing contains elements of pop and soul on top of the jazz/folk - especially the music I'm making right now - but this description doesn’t offend me. I imagine listeners come to the jazz/folk conclusion when checking me out because my songs are guitar-based, triadic and open harmony wise, with the addition of my jazzier style of soloing. I'm not a huge fan of labels in general though ! Music is music..
Q. Where do you get your inspiration from when writing and/or composing?
Usually other music. I'm the type to thoroughly listen to a track or album over and over again until I can't stand it anymore ! Maybe in that way I soak up all the info. I then subconsciously write with that in mind and all the other music I've grown to love over the years. Lyrically, I've got a note on my phone where I keep any cool wordy ideas I stumble upon day-to-day. I normally write from personal experience and channel all the feels. Writing can become a really nice outlet for that. I like the idea you can turn your emotional experiences, positive or negative, into art.
Q. You recently graduated from London’s Royal Academy of Music. How has such a “formal" education - particularly when mixed with the DIY sensibilities that played such a significant part in the start of your career - shaped you as an artist?
When I started university I wanted to be a jazz guitarist. I actually found myself fighting with the 'formal' nature of my degree quite a lot as I started songwriting more. I suppose if anything it allowed me four years to focus purely on music and feel confident about the path I'm trying to forge for myself in the much less esoteric world of commercial music !
Q. Your parents are musicians too. Have you found that to be helpful at all? Have they offered you any words of wisdom?
They're the ultimate team players, couldn't do it without them, they understand what I want to achieve more than anyone. There's plenty of wisdom flying around the house. I suppose something I carry with me a lot is that inspiration > comparison. There is no point whatsoever in feeling bad about other artists doing 'better' than you ! Utter wasted energy... If anything, good for them, what can you learn from what they're doing. If that makes sense..
Q. Last year, your album ‘Bloom’ was celebrated by some pretty big names! Were you pleased with how well it was received?
I was pleased. You're purely trusting your gut up until the point that you release music into the world so I'm chuffed that people are into it. More than anything I'm really pleased to be working with a solid team now off the back of the record... My manager Eric, my booking agent, my band, musicians / producers for the next album. It makes me excited for the future :)
Q. Tell us more about your decision to include two covers on there.
I think covers (if done well and with something of yourself in there) offer a really nice insight into your writing style. People recognise the song and can hear what you've done to it to make it your own. Becca Stevens does this really well. Sometimes I'll just be messing around with a song and I'll hear something, a vocal line, a chord, I think would work well and that's usually where it starts.. There's a couple on the next album too.
Q. What makes a gig “successful” for you?
I can be quite picky on a technical level in terms of my own performance ! But for me it's all about the energy and vibe on stage, trying to be in the moment and appreciate the audience as much as possible rather than getting caught up in my head. So a nice balance of those things probably, satisfaction with the technical side and enjoying the vibe in the room ! Also, good sound lol.
Q. What can audiences expect from your performance at The Blues Kitchen on 22nd March?
My alien trio Dave Edwards (bass) & Tom Potter (drums) will be playing music from 'Bloom' with me as well as some very new songs. We've got some covers in the mix too. I'm really enjoying pretending to be John Mayer in the trio set up at the moment ! Good vibes !