A songwriter, chanteuse, dancer and a producer, ROSITA STONE has been described as a sensitive, open-minded free spirit, a humanitarian, and an activist who is currently overcoming the grief of having lost the love of her life. As a performer she has shared the stage with stars such as Michael Bublé, and opened concerts for Latin American superstar and 2020 Grammy winner, Carlos Vives.
We caught up with Rosita to ask about her life and career.
Hi, Rosita. How would you describe your sound or style?
I’ve never been one to follow rules or stick within a certain style or genre. I’ve been often asked this question and I would say I’ve come to consider myself a moving paradigm of ever-changing energy, striving to capture the essence of the moment when inspired to create. I’ve written epic-style songs for films and have a strong Nashville based song-writing education to draw from – and yet I structure songs intuitively, whether pop, soulful, ethereal, Latin or gypsy.
Who are your musical influences and why?
My musical influences come from all over the global map. My mother is Mexican and my father’s family is from the Soviet Union. Needless to say, enchiladas and pyrogies were our staples and remain my comfort foods to this day. We lived in Malta, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Arabia, and other countries thereby absorbing various cultures and music.
I’ve been influenced by Gypsies and Seers, and by seeing the reality of severe poverty and hardship in the world at a young age where music lifted the spirits into the richest experiences on earth. I was breastfed to Mariachi bands and James Taylor. I’ve lived in Houston as a teen and my friends brought me to their Baptist church and wow, could they sing. I really absorbed a ton from that experience. I adore Daniel Caesar, D’Angelo, Seal, George Michael, Alejandro Sanz, Mark Anthony, Maluma, Muddy Waters, Elton John, Alicia Keys, DJ. Snake, Prince, Ravi Shankar, it’s quite a spectrum.
Tell us about your new single that was recently released worldwide.
My single in Spanish, “Decide ya por fin” means literally decide already for good. Like make up your mind and just do it. So the story goes: he fell in love with me, then her. She and I had uncanny similarities and he just couldn’t decide, but he had to because we found out. To everyone’s disappointment, there was no cat fight. We avoided him to give him space. A range of emotions came pouring through me; from feeling like a desperate hopeless loser, to feeling empowerment no matter what the outcome. Well the poor guy couldn’t deal with the pressure of the gamble and he chose the bottle instead, because either choice he’d have hell to pay. Some songs are deeply emotional, some are sexy and fun, and I’m a vessel of many thoughts and feelings, so it all works. It’s all part of the human condition and experience.
Do you always write and record love songs?
No. Some of my songs are deeply emotional, while others are sexy and fun. I’m a vessel of many thoughts and feelings.
What is it about being an artist that you love the most?
I would say it’s having the ability to translate emotion into song, ideas into melodies, using my craft to create a sonic experience, capturing the inspiration and contents of the soul and manifesting it into sound, ultimately to evoke emotion in others (and myself). Being a dancer has helped me immensely with rhythm, and I love to play the drums. I plan on taking video of myself behind the kit; I haven’t done that yet. Playing drums is like dancing, It really helps me on many levels like a euphoric physical rhythmic meditation.
How has music changed your life?
I was in dance class as a little kid. I just loved spinning around all the time. I was six, and one day my mom took me to the opera to see “The barber of Seville”. What I gleaned from it I brought to recess the next day at school. As I let out the strange new garbled sound and my first audience gathered around me whispering “what’s that weird noise she’s making?” And alas, a singer was born.
Who in your life has inspired and supported you with your music and how?
My parents were always very supportive of my desire to dance. They were very dedicated and allowed me to keep studying as well as enter dance competitions which involved considerable travel, not to mention cost. My beautiful father passed away before he could see me sing in person, but he was always in support from afar. Same with my mother, who still encourages me to be in the arts and has never challenged me or questioned my decisions about it. My husband died in a tragedy a few short years ago, he was my rock, my light, my champion and heart. He went to the ends of the earth for me, and was my number one fan. I’m learning to go on without him, it’s been a serious journey for me to get to where I am and start again.
What is it you want to achieve through your music?
I want to achieve peace of mind on a daily basis. I struggle with grief and need to work daily on achieving sustained well being and spiritual fortitude in the sea of comparison and judgement, corruption and struggle. It takes countless hours and years of effort and perseverance. Besides the typical want of success, charting, radio play and all that, I want to connect with people and share in the human experience and be an advocate for the underdog
The most glorifying and memorable achievements I’ve had so far are all about the spirit connections I’ve made through music. I think with the current state of the world we need each other more than ever.
Do you use social media to promote your work?
I’ve avoided social media for the past few years. I just didn’t care. In a world where numbers, followers and likes seem to define a person’s validity, the thought of putting effort into building numbers didn’t jive with me at all. I was always asked if I could be found on Instagram and people were surprised when I said no. But recently I’ve had a change of heart and just got myself on social media. I am navigating how it all works and more or less enjoying the process.
Where can we find you on social media?
Rosita Stone – Artist, Producer, Singer, Songwriter
Rosita Stone (@rositastonemusic) • Instagram photos and videos
Representation: www.dandelionsofcourage.com
Thanks for talking with us, Rosita and good luck with your career.
My pleasure.
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