Rosie Darling FAULT Magazine Cover and Interview
Photography: Celina Kenyon
Rosie Darling is the artist on everybody’s mind rights now. Following the success of her single “Villain” and album ‘Lanterns’, Rosie opens up about the inspiration behind the empowering release, delving into themes of self-perception and the liberating realisation that sometimes it’s okay not to seek approval from others. We caught up with Rosie Darling to discuss her music, creative journey and so much more!
Congratulations on your new single ‘Villain.’ Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song and what it means to you?
Thanks! Villain is an empowering song for me because it allows me to let go of other people’s perceptions of me. It’s so hard getting caught up in relationships where you’re constantly trying to prove that you are worthy of kindness, love, and respect, so I wrote “Villain” to help me cope with that. Sometimes letting people think or believe what they want to believe is better than wasting your energy trying to prove anything else to them.
In ‘Villain,’ you talk about learning to be okay with being the ‘bad guy’ would you say this was a hard lesson to come to terms with personally?
Yeah I think so, it’s also significant to me in that even if you aren’t the “bad guy” necessarily, sometimes you still won’t get the closure that you think you deserve and that’s okay. People that hurt your feelings and don’t do anything to apologise for it don’t deserve anything else from you and learning to let go is a big part of this song for me too.
What can fans expect from your debut album in terms of its themes and sound?
Lots of writing about love, loss, and going through the motions of grieving old friends and relationships. This album has been super therapeutic for me to write, so I’m excited for people to hear it and see what resonates!
Your music has been compared to artists like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. How do you feel about these comparisons and do you find they set you up for unfair comparisons?
I think it’s awesome! I love both of them and to be mentioned in the same realm as them is so cool. I’m in my own world, musically, and have been developing my own sound over the years and I feel really excited about that. It’s always so nice to be among other artists that I love and listen to, so I take it as a huge compliment!
Your previous EPs have received over 190M global streams, do you feel pressure to top its success with this new release?
Honestly I’m just enjoying my songs and excited for people to hear them. I don’t pay too much attention to the numbers because at the end of the day I know my songs find the right listeners and they can appreciate my music for what it is instead of for how many streams it has. I really love making music and creating stories that people connect with so I hope to keep growing as an artist, but I’m not out here counting my streams everyday if that makes sense.
What’s something you’ve done recently to benefit your mental health?
Nature!!! I love escaping Los Angeles when I can and getting outside. I find a lot of peace going hiking or being out in the open. It helps me think and stay inspired in between projects.
What’s next for Rosie Darling?
Right now just enjoying “Lanterns” and taking it all in! I’m excited to continue writing and hopefully tour more too :)