AMERICA ROSE
DJ.
Published November 20 2023 for Issue No.1
Interview by: Chandler Crump
Photography by: Chandler Crump
Stylist: America Herve
AMERICA ROSE (AR): I feel deeply fulfilled when I’m actively working towards where I want to go, working towards my career goals. For me, it was like okay, I’m going to leave school for now-
CHANDLER CRUMP (CC): What year did you leave college?
AR: 2020. I was a sophomore. I left and thought, “I might as well put myself in spaces that I want to be in and grow from there.” Fuck it.
CC: And that’s when you dropped “What a Cutie”...?
AR: “Lil Cutie” and “Blue Dream”.
CC: I remember listening and loving them!
AR: It was kind of crazy because with “Blue Dream”, I started working on that song just like at home during the pandemic. I worked on it with my friend Ro’e back home in Oakland. I just had the opportunity to make music all of the sudden and the time, so I made that song and it wasn’t even to put it out anywhere but for fun.
CC: Like no stakes at all-
AR: Exactly. And I ended up really liking what we came up with and I wanted to put it out in the world. That was my first time putting anything on Spotify or Apple Music or anything like that. And then- wait, hold on.
America fiddles with something in her teeth.
CC: Is that a tooth gem?
AR: Yeah.
CC: So in 2020, “Lil Cutie”, “Blue Dream” came out. And then, after 2020 - when did you move to New York officially?
AR: I believe it was 2021. Like August.
CC: Would you say that the shift from the West to East Coast has influenced your art and influenced your musical choices at the moment?
AR: I think it lit a fire under my ass. There’s definitely a lot more hustle behind it. Here [in New York], everybody is one-track minded towards their goals and hyper focused in a way that I really appreciate. I know that I needed somewhere like New York to push me.
CC: ‘Tis the Empire State!
AR: And everybody is working towards something, and everyone’s super creative. I think that’s so cool and I really appreciate the hyper-individualism [here].
CC: And hyper-independence.
AR: Sometimes [New York] can be hard, don’t get me wrong. It can be very isolating. Sometimes I feel lonely. But I was watching this video yesterday and the woman said “When you stop moving forward you stop living.” And that’s when people fall into depression-
CC: So true. Especially with the same job and the toxic work culture as well.
AR: There’s this stagnancy [with work] where you feel stuck. I try to keep that in mind with what I do and I’m always thinking about the next thing that I want to work towards. What parts of myself do I want to develop? Focusing on those things has helped me a lot in terms of mental health and in terms of developing as a person, you know?
CC: I also feel like listening to your discography and seeing the development between your songs in 2020 on the West Coast versus on the East Coast, production value and more, it’s very evidence you've evolved as an artist, producer, and as a DJ.
AR: I’m less on the production side of things. Most of the time I’ll work with friends; I have to give credit where credit’s due.
CC: And it’s a collaboration as well. You’re making choices as well within the process.
AR: I definitely think so. I think a big part of that has been feeling inspired. Moving out here, I wanted to meet more creatives, especially women in music. Through meeting those people, I’ve become so inspired and I’ve learned so much about the process and how to refine that process; putting out the best work you can.
CC: It’s also inspiring to see other artists. Art school is one thing, but everyone I’m around now is the real inspiration. Especially with the Bay Area upbringing [like you], there’s no room to fumble. Especially when certain financial [stakes] are at play and certain goals. When you’re a minority, you have to protect your energy and also surround yourself with people who have similar understandings, similar roadblocks, and the same level of ambition.
CC: What would you say is the logline to your craft?
AR: My craft is sound. That’s probably one of the first things I go off of when I’m writing the song, is the sound. The track itself, and building from there: how does this make me feel, what do I want to write for it. That goes into all the different harmonies and melodies, and everything I want to do; the vocal placement/arrangement…
That’s what I do. Even as a DJ, that’s really all it is: curating sound. I feel like I take a lot of pride and feel fulfilled in finding what hits, you know?
CC: That satisfying crunch.
AR: Yeah - the chills, goosebumps.
CC: In terms of your process as a musical artist, what does that look like? Does it start with a beat in your head, a rhythm, or song lyric? Is there a similar pattern in how you craft a song?
AR: There are a lot of verses I hear in my head first. And then I try to translate that. The building from scratch versus if I’m working on building off of something that someone already made - with an existing track, it’s more input. Like “Can we add this synth”. But from scratch, it’s pretty much hearing it in my head and then translating that into the actual song itself. Again, I start writing for it.
Melody then words.
CC: That’s almost easier!
AR: Yeah, even if I have to put filler words and go back and replace them. Off of that I’ll hear a certain harmony, or certain layer, or adlib; add those in. It can make it hard to sometimes finish a song all the way through.
CC: I bet.
AR: …Just complete so that it feels like a whole piece of work. It’s easy to make a lot of half or incomplete songs.
CC: But what’s really “incomplete” if you think about it?
AR: Exactly! And the thing is too, this is my style in a kind of way.
CC: That's really interesting because for me, it’s always visuals first and the story without words for the screenplay. Or pieces of dialogue. But no narrative structure yet, almost like each project or each story has its own process. The seed is always different but it all comes together at the end. Sometimes!
CC: America the DJ!
AR: I started DJing in January [2023]. I honestly was just super inspired by my friend Caroline. Her name is Sur Back, and she’s really sick. I would go to her sets a lot, like all the time. I remember I wanted to get into DJing and she actually gave me my first DJ hand-me-down equipment.
CC: A kit?
AR: “DDJ”.
CC: What you have in your Instagram videos?
AR: Yeah. And she gave me that [equipment]. I would hear mixes in my head. I’d be at one of Caroline’s sets and think “Oh, this song would be really cool to make synths on”; I’d hear it in my head, and want to try it out. So I started from there and at that point, I didn’t know how to transition into another song-
CC: In your own words, what is “DJing” for you, America?
AR: Again, I feel like DJing is setting the tone, setting the mood, curating the space, creating the vibe. A lot of what goes into it is being able to pick up how other people are responding to what you're playing. And if they’re not feeling it, you gotta switch it up.
CC: Psychology [101]!
AR: And you hit that sweet spot eventually. Testing what the crowd likes. And having fun with it while I’m doing it. I have fun seeing the audience satisfied.
CC: That’s a good balance as a musician, [having] your sound as an artist and [also] finding the sound for the audience. That’s a craft [in itself], which is super cool.
Do you have songs queued up?
AR: Yeah, usually there are people who use laptops or USB’s. The easiest fail-safe way is to have a USB with preloaded songs. You use Rekordbox to analyze the tracks and see the waveforms.
CC: Ahhh, I know what ProTools is.
We laugh.
AR: There are so many technical aspects of DJing. Knowing the technical tools allows you to use those tools in a creative way.
CC: What would you say is your North Star?
AR: Eventually I’d love to travel and perform. It’s funny because I came to NY with the intention of being a musician but since I got into DJing, I actually really enjoy performing in that way. Music is such a powerful connecting force
CC: It’s definitely a language in itself. People are vulnerable and there's an intimacy in that artistic experience for the audience.
AR: People who DJ on a professional level, the scale of those shows are so insane. It's exhilarating. And people like Grimes who perform live, I really like her performance style.
CC: Would you have a DJ name?
AR: No, just “America Rose”.
CC: Do you have any upcoming sets?
AR: For my sets, places reach out to me. My upcoming sets are: November 24th @ Kind Regards, November 29th @ Butterfly Soho, and December 8th @ Purgatory.
I’m also working on a song with one of my friends. He’s really talented. We still don’t have a [specific] release date because we’re still wrapping up the song.
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CC: If you had unlimited funding, how would you use it?
AR: I’d probably turn it into a business. It would be cool to one day have my own label that specifically prioritizes women and helps them build their career. And having that go right back into the label itself to continue the support.
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CC: What do you like to wear while you’re making music or performing?
AR: I honestly don’t think too much about my outfits, but rather how I’m feeling that day. Sometimes all black, and sometimes super colorful with glitter. It all depends. Most of the time when I’m writing, it's 3 am with day-five hair, no makeup bum.
CC: Des vêtements avec vérité? Favorite pieces you’re enjoying right now?
AR: Huge statement jacket.
Fin
