Scottish singer-songwriter Rosie H Sullivan has a voice beyond her years: with an ethereal quality and lyrics that are indicative of her wisdom at just 21 years old. Her recent EP ‘In My Nature’ was released on November 10th. It features songs that have higher productions with bands and strings involved contrasting to her breakthrough song ‘So It Is’ which Sullivan recorded in her garden with just her guitar and is the untouched version she chose to release. Her songs make me think of a montage of St Andrews in the summer, which might be why she chose to film her recent music video ‘Chapters’ here. I walk away from her music feeling grateful to live in this little seaside town and appreciative of the beauty in the world. As an artist that is continuing to take on greater endeavours and whose music is evolving with her age it was a true pleasure to get to sit down with her and chat before her upcoming concert in St Andrews on Saturday 20th January for ‘Songs in College Hall’. This is that following conversation:
Lauren: So obviously one of the most impressive things about your music is how young you are to be able to create such emotional songs, was music all you saw yourself doing?
Rosie: I have always been very creative, I started to play the guitar and write songs when I was about 12, so it has always been a part of my life. It was never really a decision I made that was like ‘I am going to do music’ it was more like something I had always done. When I was younger it was just something fun I did and as I have got older it has become more of an emotional outlet to write songs.
Lauren: What direction do you see your music moving to in the future? Is there anything new you want to try?
Rosie: Definitely, I am always open to trying new things and I think as I keep broadening what I listen to there is more that I want to try and your music grows with you. Getting to know different people in the music industry also helps as you can get more input in your songs and suggestions from people so you can experiment more.
Lauren: A big part of your experience as a songwriter is this exclusive time spent on the isle of St Lewis – have you noticed a shift in what you produce now that environment has changed?
Rosie: I think music is ever-changing anyway so I know that my music from leaving the island at 18 to now has changed as I have grown from being a teenager to an adult. I did get a lot of songs out of the process of moving though and a lot of my music at that time was about experiencing this different way of life and uncertainty so I used music to process that experience. I am always growing as a person so my music changes with my environment and with just myself anyway.
Lauren: Do you have a personal favourite song from your collection?
Rosie: That is such a tough question! I almost feel like my songs are my children haha, I produced them all and love them all. I do have to say I always sway towards ‘So It Is’ as that song was just such a big moment for me. It got me to where I am now and I am very grateful for that song, that’s a song that feels like it just came out of me – I wrote it in one day and then just recorded it in the garden whilst my dad was reading the newspaper sitting on the grass outside too. I even have a tattoo of ‘So It Is’ in my sister’s handwriting so that song means a lot to me.
Lauren: How are you feeling about your show on Saturday?
Rosie: I am so excited to be back in St Andrews, the last time we were here was for filming the music video ‘Chapters’ in the summer, so I am really excited to be back and get to experience the town again.
Tickets to come and see Rosie perform on Saturday can be found via the link at the end of this article. Rosie is also performing in Glasgow on the 26th January at the Centre for Contemporary Arts at her biggest performance yet, and she will be performing at Belladrum in the summer, opening up the main stage. The opportunities for Rosie H Sullivan seem endless, with heaps of talent and momentum she is definitely one to watch, so catch her on Saturday whilst you can, tickets linked below:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rosie-h-sullivan-songs-in-college-hall-tickets-767499590937
With many thanks to Rosie H Sullivan and Calum Morrison for organising this interview!
Rosie’s spotify and website:
