Credit is Imogene Strauss.
As we grow up, being vulnerable becomes harder. But for Rozzi, openness is a sign of strength. That’s how the LA-based neo-soul luminary has designed her “dangerously personal” new EP, Hymn for Tomorrow.
Featuring Rozzi’s smoky, full-bodied vocals, with songs that move seamlessly from upbeat pop, funk and R&B to low-key acoustic ballads, the much-anticipated Hymn for Tomorrow
The EP arrives three years after the San Francisco-born singer’s 2018 debut, Bad Together, which followed a series of high-profile collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and Pusha T, plus a sold-out arena tour supporting Maroon 5.
Unlike Bad Together, which Rozzi calls a “narrative experience” based on chronological events, Hymn For Tomorrow” features a selection of vignettes that start out thematically a bit darker and gradually fade into light (“because I like a happy ending,” she laughs).
Tell us about the genesis of your music. How did you get to where you are now?
I knew I’d be a singer at six. I sang in the first grade talent show and that was it – I had a strange clarity about it that has stuck with me ever since. The path beyond that has been more complicated of course. I was a background singer, was “discovered” by Adam Levine as a teenager, went on a lot of incredible tours, wrote hundreds of songs, and ultimately found my voice and myself really. That’s what led to the album I’m releasing this year.
What is your favorite song that you’ve written and why?
I’ve loved and hated all my songs at one point or another – they’re such reflections of myself and who I am that it’s hard not to oscillate on how I feel about them. But right now at this exact moment, my favorite one is called “I dk” and it’s coming out in July. I wrote it about my boyfriend before he was my boyfriend and it marks a really important lesson I was learning from him at the time: that love doesn’t have to be torture. That it’s possible to feel insanely attracted to someone, and still feel safe.
Who are your all-time musical icons?
Prince, Lauryn Hill, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Sheryl Crow, The Dixie Chicks, Bill Withers…I could go on.
What are some things to do to keep your inspiration alive?
It’s really about three things for me – get out of my comfort zone, input as much art as I output, and exercise creativity like a muscle. So basically seek new experiences, soak up art by other artists, and write a poem or two every morning.
Who are you binge listening to these days?
I love the new Jorja Smith EP. I love the new Lorde song. I just discovered Sinead Harnett and I can’t stop listening to her album. And my friend Wrabel just put out some beautiful new songs that are on repeat.
Favorite movie or TV show?
I watched Jerry Maguire on a flight last week thinking I had seen it before but I hadn’t! It’s my new favorite.
Tell us about your most recent single and how it came about
“June” is about a guy I dated for a summer and I wrote it in two pieces. The verses and chorus were when I still had hope that he loved me back, the bridge was after I found out he got back together with his married ex girlfriend without telling me. It’s kind of a summer love song gone wrong. I recorded it in London right before lockdown with my friend and producer George Moore who’s brilliantly talented.
Do you have any peculiar pre or post-show rituals?
It’s been so long since I played an in person show that I had to think about that for a second. My main pre-show ritual is to have an anxiety attack! I’m kidding … kind of…I always get nervous before I go on stage. It’s exhausting but, after playing shows to my computer for a year, I can’t wait to feel that way again.
What’s the future looking like for you?
I’m putting so much music out this year. I have a fourteen song album we’re releasing in pieces that I am very proud of. And touring is in the works too.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
I copy everything my best friend Tatti does. This is the same friend I wrote “Best Friend Song” about – it’s a very true story. I bought the pants she wears, my mom wanted to get me a necklace for my birthday, I asked for the one Tatti wears. It’s honestly a little insane of me but she is my only style icon!
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the proudest of and why?
The first thing that comes to mind is when I played at The Peppermint Club in LA and the audience sang my song “Joshua Tree” to me, instead of the other way around. That feeling of connection – that I wrote something when I was feeling my most vulnerable and alone, that strangers relate to and see themselves in – that is my favorite thing in the world.
What do you think is the best way to make it as an artist nowadays?
The best thing an artist can do is know themselves and just create and create and create. I need to take that advice myself to be honest – it’s so easy to get caught up in the business of it all – Instagram numbers and Spotify playlists and all that. But the artists who last and make an impact seem to be addicted to creating, and seem to do it on their own terms, by listening to their gut and making art to please themselves and no one else.
What would you change in the music and entertainment industry especially after this past year?
I wish we valued things that sound different the way we value things that sound the same. There’s such an inclination to copy something that “worked”, I think that limits us. And I wish we gave artists more time to develop and grow. It takes time to find yourself; that process can’t be rushed.
