Rosie Lowe is the latest what seems like an never ending production line of talented English singer/songwriters and on a wave of massive media hype she releases her debut album Control on February 19.
The Devon-born musician co-produced the album with Dave Okumu, and her smart songwriting shows exactly why artists like Little Simz, The Invisible, Kwabs, Ady Suleiman, Ghostpoet and respected tastemaker Gilles Peterson have supported her.
It’s an album her record company says breaks loose from the confinement of expected genres so you may hear echoes of James Blake, The Weeknd, Laura Mvula and The xx in her original synth-soul soundscapes.
Lowe grew up in south Devon as the youngest of six siblings and their father, an accomplished jazz saxophonist, encouraged them to follow creative interests and together they bonded over a shared love of music. A childhood love of jazz set her on a path that would dictate her future.
“There’s never been anything else that I’ve wanted to do,” she says. “Music wasn’t an option, it was a necessity.”
It wasn’t until Lowe studied popular music at London’s Goldsmiths College that she found her own sound making a breakthrough when she ditched her instruments and focused on teaching herself production and recording techniques.
Control finds Lowe baring her soul as she explores a wealth of personal issues with searing honesty. ‘Who’s That Girl’ outs some so-called friends who didn’t help while she was hospitalized, and album track ‘Nicole’ is a plea for Lowe’s best friend to leave a bad relationship. The brutal realities of love and relationships are also a recurring theme with recent single ‘Worry About Us’ tackles the complexities of trying to retain a relationship by someone who is plagued by insecurity.
The album is previewed by the new single ‘Woman’ with Lowe tackling issues that face many modern women: “I find myself obsessing about imperfections that only I can see / And I know it’s such a waste but the pressure is getting to me,” before declaring: “Why should my intellect be judged by perceptions of what I should be?”
Control is released on Paul Epworth’s Wolf Tone label via Polydor and Lowe heads out on her debut solo mini-tour in February:
February Tour
19th – Manchester, Soup Kitchen
20th – Leeds, Headrow House
24th – Brighton, The Hope and Ruin
25th – London, Oslo
26th – Bristol, Louisiana
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