Next Wave #1206: Rose Gray

“Dance music opened my eyes to the possibilities,” proclaims Rose Graydescribing her dancefloor epiphany, where she adeptly combined full-on club beats for the heads with a heady lyrical sensibility. Gray’s earliest musical experiences were bound up in more formal structures; she received classical vocal training and attended performing arts school before signing a record deal. That moment was premature as Gray found she was unable to find her voice and flourish on her own terms.

“I signed a deal at 17 and I made an album at 17,” she says. “I definitely hadn’t found myself, or my people, or my style of voice.” Instead the East Londoner, born in Walthamstow, decided to get out and live her life, diving headfirst into the glorious experiences dance music could offer; in places like Fabric and London’s diverse club music scene, but also crucially in rave culture and its rich, storied history. “Having a powerful voice over dance music wasn’t something that I truly understood until diving into those late eighties, early nineties records,” she explains.

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The spark of using the power of her voice with the transcendent feeling of dance music began with her landmark 2020 single, ‘Save Your Tears‘. That set her dance-pop sound in motion. “I sampled Primal Scream’s ‘Loaded’ from ‘Screamadelica’. I wrote a whole new melody and reworked the sample,” she explains. “It was the first time I’ve explored dance music. That was my gateway in. I remember people loving it and it felt like my voice worked there. I knew I had something different.”

That ‘something different’ has led Gray to this present moment, on the cusp of releasing her debut album ‘Louder, Please’, slated for release early next year. “I wanted to make a classic pop meets dance record,” she says confidently. “I want it to feel timeless. Even with my visuals and everything, I wanted to strip it back to something simple, so people can connect with me as a human and as an artist. I don’t feel many people know who I am yet. For people who are being introduced to me for the first time, I want them to really see who I am.”

Deep in desire and rich in ambition, Rose Gray is ready to deliver dancefloor salvation to the masses. “I’m very hedonistic.” she smiles. “I feel like with the album title, it’s just me. I’m always looking for more. I never leave a stone unturned. It’s about wanting it louder and feeling it through your body.”

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