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10 Questions with ... V. Rose
May 2, 2016
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Discography:
- 2007 As Herself
- 2011 V. Rose
- 2013 The Electro-Pop Deluxe
- 2014 Forever After
- 2016 Young Dangerous Heart
1. Introduction....birthplace, childhood, schools, jobs, current hometown
I grew up in Sacramento CA, my parents divorced when I was 6 years old and both got remarried. I sang in the church choir from when I was 4- 16 years old. I am the only girl out of 6 brothers. God told me when I was a child that I was going to be a singer and I believed that with all my heart. I started writing songs at age 8, and I got my first job at the age of 15 and with those paychecks, I was able to pay for studio time and make my first demo. From my first demo I eventually got the attention of my current manager who has helped me navigate my journey as an artist.
2. What does a normal day at home look like for you?
I don't have a set schedule; however, most days I get up and go for a run. I generally spend the bulk of my days home writing, recording, editing, and posting on my social media blogs, vlogs and general posts. There are usually a lot of emails to answer from label execs and my team. After I get all that squared away I like to sit down with my guitar for an hour or so and write a song or just worship, whatever is in my heart. Most nights, I will head to the studio and help out with whatever my team is working on musically. I am always coming up with new projects I want to do.
Then there are weeks where I have to get ready for touring and that's usually when I am doing some type of healthy eating diet to prepare for the road. I also will have daily rehearsals and meetings about various things to get ready for those weeks. I also like to hit the gym hard to make sure I am in the best shape to be on stage.
I love spending time with my family so I always try to say yes to their invites to do things and make it work with my schedule.
3. What's the song that you just can't get out of your head right now?
The song that's stuck in my head right now is called "Manolo" by Trip Lee featuring Lecrae. The song is so catchy but I also love that it means "God with us." It's so hype yet it's talking about battling things in our life with truth.
4. How much do you travel, what are the challenges? How do you juggle life on the road with wanting to be home?
I travel most of the month especially during the summer and fall. A few years ago when I started traveling all the time it was hard for me to adjust, but once I accepted that being on the road was the norm and being home was not then it became easier. Now, I love being home but I also miss being on the road when I am not.
The hardest part about traveling for me is not getting regular sleep. On tours we usually have to catch the first flight out and that usually means we are getting up at 3:30-4am after only having slept for maybe 4 hours. Even when we are driving from city to city we are getting up before the sunrise to drive.
5. What Artist or Pastor has had the greatest impact on you?
John Piper is someone who has really impacted my life. His sermons are very compelling and they cut to the heart. I have used his daily devotional app "Desiring God" for a few years now and I love it because he makes a point to use the bible and explains how it applies to everyday life, so I have something new every day to work through.
6. What's the last book you read?
The last book I read is called, "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I read this with a bunch of friends and I would definitely recommend it. It helped me go deeper in my understanding of God's love and the book really convicted me the entire time. It helped me realize how selfish I was in my prayer life and in life in general. Learning to understand God's unfailing love for me helped change the way I love God in return. It was an awesome experience.
7. Funniest or most embarrassing moment on the road?
I was traveling to a city to do a concert with my previous label mates a few years ago. When we landed a local sheriff got on board and walked down the plane looking everyone in the eye like he was looking for someone specific. He came to my row and looked at me and said my name "Vienna"? I said "Yeah"?? in a confused way. He then asked me to come with him. I complied without question because I know how serious national security is and I was also sure it was a mistake. On the jet bridge he proceeds to put ankle cuffs on me and that's when I knew it was a big mistake so I asked him what I was being arrested for and he said "well you're a runaway". My first thought was that my parents reported me missing because I travel so much but then I told the sheriff that I was over 18 and I showed him my ID. So then he says, "but your name is Brianna"? I said, "No I thought you said Vienna" (my friends also heard the same thing). They un-cuffed me and caught the real girl who was running away who coincidentally had blonde hair and somehow switched seats with me. It was so embarrassing because deplaning passengers gave me the evilest looks like I was a terrorist or something. It is definitely funny looking back though.
8. Take us through a couple songs on your latest project.
My New album is titled "Young Dangerous Heart." I always write from personal experience and with this album I wanted to share my experience with finding myself, and wanted to encourage others who are on that same venture. I know there are so many influences around us and our heart can be torn on which way to follow. Ultimately, it's God who knows who we are and who He made us to be and we must follow Him against all odds.
Story Behind The Song "I Love You so Much" (ILYSM) Featuring Trip Lee:
I was driving to Houston at the end of a long three week tour in Texas and I felt inspired to write. So I asked my team to put on some music they had in their catalog for me to free-style to. When I heard this track It was what we call a skeleton, which just means it had no post production yet and was basic. But I know how to hear the end result and I like to be very involved in the production anyway. After being on this tour my heart was so full of God's love after meeting people every night and getting to share my story and pray with them. The lyric "I love you so much" came out of that place.
In my journey so far I have faced heartbreak, tragedy, abandonment, fear, and many more terrible things but God has always been there for me and has never turned His love away. That's why I love Him so much. Where I come from people claim they would die for you when they love you like family, but the only one who has ever died for me is Jesus and I have done nothing to deserve that kind of grace. Nonetheless, it is freely given every day. I love God so much and most days it can feel like me and Him against the world.
Story Behind The Song "Take A Broken Heart" Featuring Derek Minor:
In the beginning talks about making this album, (Young Dangerous Heart) I knew I wanted to make a song like this. I knew I wanted to talk about the one thing almost everyone can relate to, being heartbroken. I sent multiple messages to my producers at Team Spechouse about what kind of music I was looking for to achieve this. One thing I knew for sure is that I didn't want to make it a sad sounding song. I think they were getting annoyed with me for a moment there from all the detailed instructions and the, "that's not quite it" texts I was sending, because I woke up one morning with an instrumental in my email titled "Nothing Special". That was the day, "Take A Broken Heart," aka TABH was born.
The title came from a free-style session between my producer, Spec, and I while driving around my hometown in Sacramento. As soon as I sang the words "He can take a broken heart away," we both knew it was golden. That week I locked myself away to write it. I started to remember my first heartbreak again. How much it hurt and how alone I felt. I was 17 years old and I remember never knowing something could hurt like that. Just like the lyric says in my verse "alone in my room on the ground with so many tears I could drown," I was exactly that.
In that moment of brokenness and despair I lifted one hand to God and pleaded a prayer, I would continue to pray in years to come. I asked God to take the pain in my heart away. In that moment I felt peace come over me and I knew God answered me with His reassuring love.
In the song I say "you don't gotta get the ice-cream". I know when you are hurting it's so easy to want to eat tubs of ice cream and even talk bad about the person that hurt you just to make yourself feel better, but it's ultimately not going to heal your hurt, it will only provide temporary relief. It's so hard to let go but that's why I wanted this song to sound so triumphant because we don't have to be heart broken. We can overcome anything when we cast our cares on the lord and put our trust in Him.
9. What organization/service group are you affiliated with?
I am currently partnering with Holt international and Academy Of dreamers right now. Holt International helps orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children find families to love them. Academy Of Dreamers helps artists achieve their dreams of making music by offering them their own fully produced song. Our artists go out and help get sponsors for these Holt International children. In return Holt International and Academy Of Dreamers helps them achieve their dreams of making music.
10. Person you'd most like to have a discussion with, living or dead.....Deities are excused from this question
I have never really thought about this question lol. I guess I would most like to have a conversation with Walt Disney so I could ask him for advice on building an empire. I know it would be inspiring.
Bonus Questions
Favorite Bible Verse....life verse?
Proverbs 3:5-7 is my favorite passage right now. I live my life trying to fulfill this scripture by sincerely trusting in the lord and acknowledging Him in everything I do. Not leaning on my own understanding and I let God lead me every step of the way.
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