On The Rise: Blake Rose

We’re excited to bring to you our newfound obsession, Blake Rose!! With his beautiful vocals and undeniably captivating lyrics, he is the perfect example of a Total Access Pass, On The rise artist! Check out our conversation with him below!

for readers who aren’t familiar with you and your music, can you share with us how you began your musical journey?

I never knew I wanted to pursue it until I was a teenager but while I was growing up I was always pretty musical. I started playing the didgeridoo when I was very young, sang in local youth talent contests, and learned the cello in primary school. The acoustic guitar was probably the first thing that really sparked a deeper interest in music. I started teaching myself when I was about 13 after I went to a friend’s house and he showed me a few chords which got me hooked. Not too long after that, my family and I went on a 3-month road trip around Australia and I decided to bring a guitar my Dad’s friend gave me and a laptop. I started writing songs and experimenting with music production on GarageBand in the back seat of the car while we traveled and by the end of the trip, I realized I want to do music for the rest of my life. I also started busking on this endeavor which birthed my love for performing. After I got home I continued busking as a “part-time job” and, upon graduating high school, it ended up funding a bunch of trips to LA where I met the team I’m working with today.

we’re obsessed with your newest single “rest of us”!! can you take us through what your process looked like for creating that song?

I wrote Rest of Us with Tim Pagnotta. We had two days set aside to write. On the first day, which was also the day we met, we pretty much just talked for half an hour or so then I jumped into the live room and started playing the piano. The first thing that materialized was the piano riff you can hear at the start of the song. After that, we wrote the melody for the chorus and post-chorus as well as some random lyrics including the tag “for the rest of us.” I then went home wrote the rest of the lyrics for the chorus and came back the next day. On the 2nd day, we mapped out the melody for the verse and what is now the bridge (originally the pre-chorus). I sat on the song for a while after that and eventually wrote the lyrics and slowly pieced together the structure and the production which took many shapes before finalizing it.

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when writing a new song, where do you seem to find your inspiration? Do you have any rituals when writing?

Inspiration for songwriting is so unpredictable. Sometimes I will be writing a song and have no clue what I’m writing about until half of the song is written. Other times I will have a clear concept in mind. I don’t have any specific rituals when songwriting however there is a feeling I chase which I can only describe as a ‘hit of adrenaline’. Usually, that means I’m onto something good.

Growing up in Australia, did your surroundings and home life attribute to the artist you’ve become today?

Growing up I was mainly listening to pop culture music or well-known music so the fact that I’m from Australia didn’t have a heavy impact on what I was creating. I think my generally laid back nature stems from my hometown/country and upbringing though. I also only really discovered Australian music when I went to university at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) because that’s the first time I met other musicians. A lot of the friends I made there were listening to indie rock/alternative music which I’d never really appreciated before. Discovering this style of music definitely had an influence on my own as it kind of leveled out the pop side of my vibe so, even though I have some very pop hooks and melodies, they are integrated with more alternative/pop tones and I love that.

Who are your musical influences?! Do you think your unique sound is a blend of all your inspirations?

Mum used to play Elvis around the house when I was younger which probably had a bit of an influence on the music I make. I also really love bands like The 1975 and Coldplay as well as solo artists like Ed Sheeran, Jack Garratt, and Passenger. I definitely think my music is a melange of a bunch of different vibes you can pull from these artists.

what have you been up to during quarantine? do you feel more creative at this time of loneliness?

I was quite uncreative and unproductive at the start of COVID. It took me a bit of time to get back into the swing of creating and I’ve only really just started hitting a groove again but it’s good to be back at it. In saying that though, I’ve been spending a bit more time focusing on my social media so it wasn’t a complete waste of time not churning out music.

out of all the singles you’ve released, do you have a favorite? which song has the most significant meaning to you?

I think my favourite is either Lose or Gone. The one that has the most significant meaning to me is probably Best of Me.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNFXOoud5xc&w=854&h=480]

As a musician, do you enjoy taking part in the visual elements of your work? such as music videos, cover art, photoshoots, tour design, etc.

I definitely enjoy taking part in the visual side of things but I do like to give up the reigns to more visually inclined creatives when I don’t have strong concepts for videos/artwork. There are certain videos that I have clear visions for which I’m yet to film so I’m super pumped for when those happen.

You once were a young striving artist, what would your advice be to someone wanting to get into music or songwriting?

The thing I’m most grateful for is learning production. That has definitely been the most beneficial skill I’ve acquired apart from songwriting itself. It’s great for saving money but also grants you the ability to take whatever is in your brain and put it in a song without having to try and explain it to a producer. I would definitely suggest starting to learn for those reasons. I’d also suggest getting out to Los Angeles, New York or London at some point to try and throw yourself where the action is.

Lastly, what can we expect from you musically in the future?!

A bunch more singles for now but I have a lot of music that I feel belongs on a project so I’m not sure when but you can definitely expect a body of work in the future.