Drake, Death, & Drone Metal: A Q&A w/ Rose Cousins
Rose Cousins experiences life as a human. The east coast roots-balladeer dreams big, and writes big. Armed with a dynamic set of pipes, Cousins distils our speciesâ grandest themes into dreamy vignettes that seamlessly pivot from whisper-quiet confessionals, to titanic pronouncements. Â
Despite years of critical and industry acclaim, Cousins re-jigged her priorities at the end 2013. She spent some time travelling, songwriting in meccas like LA and Nashville, and got back into photography, spending hours printing in NSCADâs dark rooms.
Last  year she returned with âNatural Conclusionâ, a candle-lit, epsom bath of emotive balladry. Lyrically impressionistic, she’s leaves the metaphorical heavy-lifting up to the listener. Minimalist song titles like âFreedomâ, âChosenâ, âGraceâ, harken to a simpler time in pop music, when a creep was a âCreepâ, hurt was âHurtâ, and songs about spoon men were called âSpoonmanâ.
I had a micro-catch-up with Rose in advance of her triumphant return to the National Arts Centre this Friday, March 2nd.
Q&A: Rose Cousins
Rolf Klausener: Dream gig to open-up for?
Rose Cousins: Sting, but only if I got to meet him. Iâd like KD Lang, Bonnie Raitt and Adeleâs audiences to adopt me.
Thatâs incredibly fair. Whoâs your dream opening act?
Drake
Heavy. Iâd love to see that with my human eyes. Whatâs your favourite venue in Canada?
This is where I say the NAC right?
Only if you mean it with your physical heart. Do you associate Ottawa with the National Arts Centre, or as having its own scene?
When I started, my âOttawaâ experience was playing the Blacksheep Inn. It associated Ottawa with some of the best fans and listening audiences. Since the NACâs program to develop new artists has been in play, itâs expanded my experience of growth as an artist and expanded the experience an audience can have of a variety of shows. Itâs an opportunity I deeply appreciate.
With that, what significance does playing the NAC hold for you?
Itâs an opportunity to expand the idea of a show to reach new heights. Filling a grander space, not necessarily with more sound but with more ideas. This time, Iâll be bringing a string quartet along with my band.
Who doesnât love strings!? Do you think performing arts centres like the NAC are the right place for contemporary popular music like trap or drone-metal?
It makes perfect sense that the National Arts Centre would be a good place and presenter of our diverse Canadian talent.
It really does. How did the experience of writing-on-assignment in Nashville and LA affect your approach to the songs that followed?
It has only broadened my skills. I adjust my approach based on what the song is for, especially if Iâm writing to a brief; but, my experience as a human will always inform the way I write no matter what itâs for.
Humanity is vital. Since the early 2000âs, thereâs been a marked shift in attitudes towards song placement in film and tv. For writers with solid publishing deals, syncs are an essential part of their financial sustainability. How has that shift in attitudes affected your process as a songwriter?
Luckily, there will always be death, birth and breakups in Film and TV, so I donât have to do much shifting as a songwriter. Songs in movies have always been my favourite. So, my existing tendencies lend to this shift in revenue streams.
Flexibility is key! So, how do you separate the âsongwriting for meâ Rose, from the âIâm gonna nail this syncâ Rose?
I donât.
đ