Baby Rose has established herself as a rising star in the contemporary R&B/Soul music scene for two reasons. Firstly, her contralto vocals are powerful and instantly recognizable. Secondly, her lyrics are raw, emotional, and ultra-vulnerable, revealing her struggles and growth as an artist. Upon speaking with Baby Rose, one is struck by her resilience, having overcome career and personal challenges to emerge with a deeper understanding of herself.

“I know that my sound is very distinct and that’s what I feel makes me special and that’s the pillar that I want to stand on and the hill that I’m going to die on,” Rose explained. “So I don’t concern myself with making one size fits all music. And it makes it all the more special to be praised for music that I know is genuinely coming from what I genuinely want to see more in the world.”

Before setting up shop in Atlanta to attend Spelman initially, Rose had already spent time honing her craft since she was a child singing at weddings, funerals, church on occasion and local talent shows. Born in Washington D.C., she spent a significant time in Fayetteville, N.C. According to her, she was already jaded by the music industry before attempting to attend the prestigious HBCU. A scholarship dispute would have her drop out within weeks of moving to the new city and she eventually fell back in love with music again.

“I couldn’t keep away from it,” explained Rose. “This is all I’ve been developing toward since I was a kid. Doing jam sessions in the dorms and finding my way to do open mics or touting as a songwriter and finding myself in peoples sessions and just building my catalog all happened in Atlanta. I found my community, my voice and learned to really stand on that.”

Those moments would lead to her breakout 2017 project From Dusk til Dawn (Side A) which received some serious co-signs from R&B royalty SZA and Kehlani. Two years later, she’d reach a new plateau of notoriety between features on projects including Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers III and Robert Glasper’s F*ck Yo Feelings.

“It meant the world to me because it’s just expanding in different genres, fan bases and communities,” said Rose.

Rose would also release her 2019 debut album through Island Records To Myself. The project featured fan favorites, including the titular track (done in one take), “Mortal” and “Show You,” which was featured on the fourth season of HBO’s Insecure. It also helps that she was also able to tour with Ari Lennox and perform for NPR Tiny Desk around that time. Just as she was hitting her stride in 2020, Rose faced issues from the Covid-19 pandemic to getting dropped from Island. Instead of giving up, she continued to work on music while studying songwriting through a free Berklee College of Music course.

“I think where people get it wrong is when they start to think that they know everything and they get into this mode,” Rose explained. “It was a free songwriting course and it was very informative. I learned about how rhyme structures can be emotive; playing on the instability or stability of a song. I really appreciated that little three month course because it changed me a lot.”

2023 has seen Rose elevate to even greater heights. First, it was the inclusion on Dreamville’s Creed III soundtrack. The track  “Heavy Is The Head” closes out the film, which surprised her. Then there’s the recently released sophomore follow-up to To Myself album with Through and Through. Unlike her previous project, she got more breathing room to create as she saw fit despite the long road to get here.

“We went through a lot of hoops behind the scenes going out of my former label deal into a new deal,” Rose said. “Praise God, I don’t look like what I’ve been through because it was a lot behind the scenes even after the music was done. I’m just so grateful to be able to put it out now and it’s a beautiful time.”

The album, released through Secretly Canadian, was recorded around Atlanta, Los Angeles and Nashville. The lead single, “Go,” released in 2021, felt like an evolution of what was already established on To Myself. Leading up to Through and Through this year, she dropped “I Won’t Tell” featuring Smino and “Stop The Bleeding.” Beyond the more somber moments, Rose gets a bit playful on tracks like “I Won’t Tell” and “Love Bomb” while being inspirational on joints like “Water” and closer “Power.”

“I want to really make an offering that goes beyond me, that goes beyond even my fans, but goes straight to God, really,” explained Rose. “I want to make something that shows my gratitude and is in a very real way, I'm just happy to be given this chance if I'm able to perform and keep doing this. This is what I'm trying to be on. I'm trying to really be a healer and be very honest and authentic in my work.”

Before the year ends, Rose is also set to go on tour with Florida singer/songwriter/producer Q Marsden with the Through The Soul tour between May 28th and June 25th.

“I really am proud to do this with him and to really raise the standard of music and continue to push this forward with him and others obviously,” Rose said.  “But that's my brother and we going on tour together and I want everybody to come out and see it.”