Shea Rose walks into the iconic ice cream emporium J.P. Licks in Jamaica Plain, pausing under the giant cow figure that greets customers. Neon lighting playfully casts shadows on the matte black tables and Rose says she loves the ambiance of this place. Dressed in jeans and a shrunken, faded purple butterfly t-shirt, Rose appears more soft and girlish than her stage “rocker-girl” persona that won her rave reviews as the Red Bull Soundstage featured artist at SXSW. Queen Latifah and Covergirl in the “Ignite Your Persona Campaign” proclaimed the humble songstress “America’s next female rapper.”
Take away the lace, leather, and loud accessories, and Rose looks like the recent college graduate that she is. Her voice is soft and soulful and her eyes tired. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep watching The View,” she laughs. The self-proclaimed pop-culture junkie is quickly becoming a Boston pop star. On December 2, Rose won Pop/R&B Artist if the Year and was also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2012 Boston Music Awards.
Rose has been a major fixture on the Boston music scene since 2011. Her dream, however, began much earlier. Rose, a Boston native, says that she has always loved music. “Whatever Whitney Houston made me feel, I wanted to know why I felt it.” Shea’s brother Daniel Rose would always tell her to shut up when she sang around the house. Yet, Rose’s voice and passion for music could not be silenced.
Intrigued and inspired by the musicians on the “Berklee Beach,” Rose decided to study music in college. In 2007, Rose entered Berklee and planned to study music production. “Entering Berklee was a big turning point for me,” she says. During her four years at Berklee, Rose says she explored all genres of music. “When I started, it was really soul. I really loved that aesthetic: Stevie Wonder, Eryka Badu.”
Passionate about jazz and soul, Rose began to study under Terri Lyne Carrington, a Grammy-award winning drummer, composer, and record producer at Berklee. “She was one of those people to say you have something special,” Rose says. In 2010, Carrington asked Rose to be featured on her jazz album, The Mosaic Project, enabling Rose to collaborate with artists Nona Hendryx, Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves and Esperanza Spalding. Rose’s surprise is still evident when she talks about how The Mosaic Project won a Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2011. “This was one of those moments where I’m like ‘Wow, I’ve got some momentum here,’” Rose reminisces then blushes at the goose bumps on her arms.
As her studies progressed, Rose also found inspiration in rock ‘n’ roll and folk music. “To be successful, you have to have the thirst for music and want to know where it came from,” she says. This thirst for different genres of music is evident in Rose’s first release, Rock ‘n Rose produced in 2010 and her Little Warrior mix tape, produced in 2011. Both tapes feature a wide range of genres from folk tracks and rap songs. Rose loves experimenting with music.
Rose laughs about her first recordings, inspired by a bad breakup. “It was really me lashing out at a guy. There is something about that spirit of being in love but not being able to have it. It just brings out a fire,” she says.
Shortly after graduating from Berklee in 2011, Rose won the R&B/Soul/Urban Contemporary Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards. Rose says, “I finally felt like someone was paying attention.” Last year, The Boston Globe wrote that Rose “proved herself the Boston artist most likely to make an impact on the national stage this year with a soulful set of hip-hop-inflected funk and rock.”
Her edgy style and diverse talent has made her stand out among the Boston music scene, though she sometimes feels pressure to become more mainstream and pick a specific genre. Based on Rose’s recent nominations for the 2012 Boston Music Awards, locals and critics seem to be enjoying her authenticity and personality as an R&B artist. Though the pint-sized performer is still surprised to be getting major praise.
Rose, a little warrior, is a force to be reckoned with both on and off the stage. Dedicated to music for social change, Rose started My Angel Wears A Fro, a volunteer initiative between Berklee students, faculty and staff, and partner organizations such as The Boys & Girls Clubs in Boston. Rose says, “I want to eventually tie social change into my music on a bigger scale.”
So what is next for Shea Rose? A Grammy of her own? Rose says, “ I know I’m not ready yet.” Rose is at a major crossroads now. She says, “There are some real hard truthful things that I’m facing about how to get to that next place.” After her success in Boston, Rose wants to be open to moving to New York or L.A.
But first, “I would like to get over my fear of flying,” Rose jokes. After her recent victory at the Boston Music Awards, Rose’s career is sure to fly to new heights.
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