Rosie Darling is simply Rosie Darling. You couldn’t mistake her for anybody else. She’s quietly confident, exuberantly passionate, and creatively inclined to infinity. She’s highly aware of herself and the world around her and continues to speak her mind with clarity and focus on sophomore EP Golden Age (out August 12 via Nettwerk).
She’s the kind of anomaly who pushes pop music forward by uncompromisingly embracing her own artistic impulses and following them to unprecedented heights. “I really believe less is more,” she exclaims. “I let the music speak for itself as the lyrics say something important for me. I don’t do things to get quick validation or views. If your art is authentic, it will reach its potential without having to think about it. I’m telling stories and putting myself into the lyrics.”
But, it’s also why the Boston-born and Los Angeles-based artist has effectively emerged as a phenomenon with millions of streams and widespread praise courtesy of FLAUNT, Wonderland, EARMILK, PopMatters, and many more. Rosie’s debut EP Coping introduced the world to her powerful, raw vocals and heart-on-her-sleeve writing. Reminiscent of her peers (Chelsea Cutler, Julia Michaels, & Olivia Rodrigo) yet uniquely herself, Darling has amassed legions of fans who were “smoking cheap pre-rolls and listening to LANY” alongside her. These fans boosted title track – “Coping” – Top 20 on Spotify’s Global Viral chart and tallying over 40 million streams to date and “establishing Rosie as a newcomer to watch in 2021” (House of Solo).
Rosie returns with “Fucked Up Summer,” a track that glides along on delicate acoustic guitar before spiraling into a glitchy beat. “I definitely write from real emotions,” she observes. “There are a lot of specific lyrics. The song reveals more and more as it goes on. It’s meant to be conversational and poetic. When you listen to one of my songs, I want youto feel like you’re going to see a movie. I met Halsey in Whole Foods, and I was super inspired by meeting her. She followed me on Instagram and said I could send her music. I was on such a high I wanted to lean into her style. It was a huge inspiration for ‘Fucked Up Summer’.”
Intense emotional growth is often the best fuel for a musician’s creative fire, and Rosie Darling has certainly turned pain into beauty on her debut EP Coping (via Nettwerk). With the release of each new track, Darling earned press support from FLAUNT, EARMILK, Under The Radar, PopMatters, Wonderland, and more, while garnering 60+ YouTube features and an ever-loyal fanbase. With her first single and artist statement – “Coping” – Rosie amassed 40 million+ combined streams, charting on 14 different Spotify Viral 50 charts, landing Top 20 on the Global Viral Chart. A talented team of songwriters, producers, and engineers reached out from the onset, wanting to collaborate, including Justin Gammella (FINNEAS, Ashe), producer Andy Seltzer (Chelsea Cutler, Shallou, Joan), mixer Michael Brauer (Coldplay, Florence, and the Machine), and Joe Laporta (Halsey, JP Saxe, Gracie Abrams). Coping is a time capsule, capturing the messier side of love and friendship, from heartbreak and loneliness to joyous revelry. It’s an intimate window into Rosie’s life, encased in a vulnerable kind of indie-pop. In the loneliness of her 20s in isolation and amidst an increasingly digital world, Golden Age captures big, pent-up feelings from the past two years and pair them with her signature flowing melodies and gut-wrenching lyrics.