Artist Spotlight: Bianca Rose

London-based singer songwriter Bianca Rose is the epitome of a well-rounded artist. Her powerful and uplifting sophomore album, If You Knew, Would You Care, was released on 14th May and is teeming with gorgeous cadence, wistful vitality and buttery production. A thoughtful and subtle lyricist, Bianca has a gift for self-reflection; honest and earnest in her writing, but never cliched or overdramatised. She is a fiercely independent artist who has her fingers in many pies, all of which are bursting with flavour.

We caught up with Bianca to discuss her new album, the importance of mental health awareness, and her future goals.

Who is Bianca Rose? 

I’m a Londoner, a wife, a mum, a lover of plants, a homebody and a singer songwriter amongst other things.

Your music has strong foundations in several genres, most notably R&B and soul, so where does your influence mainly stem from? 

Hmm this question always feels hard to answer. I think having been born and bred in London I’ve benefitted from the musical melting pot that London is. I was raised on gospel, and 90s RnB & Soul. Loved the Spice Girls and discovered Jazz at a fairly young age. I also discovered John Mayer’s music at the same time I began teaching myself to play the guitar.  I learnt a lot about songwriting from his music.

Once I decided making and sharing music would be my career, I was influenced by the artists I met on the gigging scene. I learnt from watching artists like Baby Sol, Tawiah, Eska and Jnay, all indie artists perform. I think they influenced my decision to sing with my British accent. I felt as though I was learning to write from an authentic place, it was then important for my sound to be authentic too. Now it’s sooo difficult to sing with an American accent! Haha!

You’ve worked with many excellent artists and producers like Jake Isaac and Joshua Luke Smith. Who has stood out to you? 

I’ve learnt from everyone I’ve worked with. I’ve mostly learnt how to collaborate, which hasn’t come easy to me because I’ve more of an introverted personality. Working with Jake on my current album and a couple of songs previously has been great. He’s also a friend so I’ve felt most comfortable to try new things musically and take risks. I think that’s part of the reason why my new album is pretty eclectic.  

I’ve recently worked with producer and composer Matthew Herbert on his forthcoming album.  This was such a thrill as his approach to sound is pretty unconventional. Also my album If You Knew, Would You Care? was recorded remotely during lockdown, so I’ve really learnt to trust my own instincts, as well as learn to hold myself to the higher standard when recording my vocals alone.

The album drops in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Week. How important is mental health awareness to you and how did mental health influence/impact the album? 

I think collectively, we are more aware of our internal world and how healthy/unhealthy it is. It’s so important. Being more introverted, and also having a faith, I think I live with a heightened awareness of where my heart and mind is at. Writing this album was a part of processing all the madness of 2020. Lockdown life, the global focus on racial injustice…  It was a lot to process! Writing really helped. My song ‘Skin’ featuring Jake Isaac came out of processing George Floyd’s murder, and on ‘Somehow’ I finally wrote about some of my childhood trauma. “Surfaces’ was my thoughts on noisiness of social media, Windrush about my grandmother and honouring the Windrush generation, and ‘Edge of a Fickle Flame’ feat Madison Ryann Ward is a song about feeling like you can’t go on. I could go on, the whole record was me working through issues so that I can feel mentally free!

You’ve described the album as a lockdown record, written mostly last year. How did lockdown affect your music making? 

I approached lockdown as an opportunity. I could really focus on making music, free from the pressures of a busy calendar. It was great to lock in and focus. I’m trying to figure out how to have a similar approach going forward as things open up.

I personally found the album hopeful, but cautious in its hope. What emotions does the album portray for you? 

Cautious in its hope is pretty accurate! I think that the themes are heavier than I’d usually lean into, but it was a reflection of the time so I’m glad I didn’t shy away from it. In my opinio one of music’s function is to be a document of our times and seasons. I did want the music to sonically feel colourful and hopeful, just so that the overall impact felt…as you said, cautiously hopeful!

What’s the stand out track on the new album for you? 

Come on I can’t choose one! I honestly feel like the whole record is a journey. I was really particular about track listing, hoping that each track would be a fitting precursor to the next and each have an opportunity to shine. But to answer your question, today I’m loving ‘Surfaces’. Joshua bodied his verse, and Jake’s production is incredible! You feel the beat in your soul!

I’d love to know a little more about ‘I Am Independent’. How did it originate and what goals do you have with the organisation? 

Thanks for asking about it. I Am Independent is my baby! I founded it with my manager, and it’s basically a resource that offer resources and information to independent music artists. It originated from being a frustrated indie artist having to figure everything out by myself. And also from the feeling that being independent means being unchosen, being at the bottom of the pile. In fact indie artists are the largest people group in the industry, and music, signed or unsigned is important. We all have a song to cry to, to forget to, to dance to, to work out our stuff to, so I wanted to create a place where artists can find community and help so that they can build a sustainable career. We have a podcast, website, run bootcamps. I love it.

What’s next for you after the album? I know you embarked on a self funded tour as an independent artist, is that something you want to pursue again?

What’s next is more music. I’m currently working on the next project. I’ve a few collabs on the way. All being well with the roadmap out of lockdown, I’ll be joining Jake Isaac on his European tour later in the year. Busy times, but I’m loving the journey.

Stream If You Knew, Would You Care now!