INTERVIEW: Rowlene expands on new EP Santa’s Baby and what the futre holds for her
Seven years in the industry for singer/songwriter Rowlene has been a rollercoaster. Within these years, the star has bagged herself a SAMA nomination, collaborated with heavyweights within the industry and successfully carved her name as a prolific artist in her own right. The star recently released an EP dubbed Santa’s Baby, just in time for the Christma.
According to Rowlene, the three track EP has been received with a lot of warmth by her fans, describing the songs on the EP as typically summarising her usual Christmas in 3 moods. “Extreme joy, festivities and love,” she said.
With her favourite song being Jingle Bells on the EP, and her dubbing the upcoming new year as her year, the star takes us through her thought process and what music means to her.
Kindly take us through the process of creating Santa’s Baby. I’ve always wanted to create a Christmas project, but I really wanted it to be as authentically me as possible. I managed to reach out to a friend of mine who shared the same interest and before we knew it the project was done. The energy was great and inviting. We both inspired each other to try something new in both production as well as lyrical comprehension.
What are some of the biggest lessons that you have learnt over the past 7 years? To trust my intuition over the noise. Everyone acts as if they have their lives together and it’s easy to be clouded by the smoke and mirrors. Staying true to yourself is the only way to navigate through this industry. Everyone has a vision and it may not always align with yours and that might throw you of course
Why did you decide on a Christmas project? As Africans we can’t really relate to American/ westernised Christmas music on a personal level. We don’t really share the same seasons or experiences and I wanted to share mine with the world.
Obviously over the years, a lot of growth has happened to you both personally and musically. What does music mean to you now as we wrap 2023 and what is the goal/aim? Music is my entire existence. I’m grateful for the experiences and relationships I’ve formed I’ve the last 7 years that’s cultivated me into the artist I am today. I genuinely just wanna keep making music that makes me happy and moves for people for eternity and that’s the ultimate goal.
How has the project been received right now? The reception has been overwhelmingly great and I’m extremely grateful to my friends and team for making this happen.
When do you know it’s the right time to put out a project? Once you’ve mentally prepared for it and the intentions are aligned. Depending on your goals being prepared is the best thing you can do for yourself.
