Resonate Artist Of The Week : Rosie H Sullivan

We are pleased to bring you another incredibly talented Scottish artist - Rosie H Sullivan. After a whirlwind Scottish tour and recent release ‘Expectations’ dropping earlier this month, it was the perfect time to sit down with the Isle of Lewis native and discuss her inspirations, career goals and more.

Photo Credit - Elly Lucas

Welcome Rosie! Fresh off the back of your Scottish tour, tell us a little about that experience of getting to perform new music live

It was such a dream! Performing live is such an amazing experience. It all comes down to connecting with people and creating a space to feel and think about things, through music. I’ll treasure this tour forever. 

• Your latest single ‘Expectations’ is nothing short of remarkable. You cite being inspired by nature and being at peace in rural surroundings, where does this love of environment stem from?

I’ve grown up in very rural areas, on an island right next to a beach sparked my love for the outdoors, especially the ocean. Nature is beautiful in every way, and it is one of my favourite things to spend time at one with nature and breathe it all in. I guess I have always loved it, and for me, going for a walk, swimming in the sea and any lochs/rivers I can find are ways I make sure I am mindful. 

• There is a serenity to this track and a softness which is completely enduring. Tell us a bit about the recording process and how you captured that all important sense of peacefulness.

It is so great to hear that what I was trying to convey, has been received by the listeners, so thank you! For me, it was about the ‘less is more’ feel, and I was keen to recreate exactly how I was feeling when I wrote the song. My producer, Ross, is amazing and understands exactly what I want to accomplish. When I am in the studio, I always aim to get into the zone I was in when I wrote the song, to replicate as best as I can – that is where the magic is. 

• What’s your thoughts on the Scottish musical landscape at the moment? What are some strong points and some areas that you’d like to see improved

I think Scotland is such a great hub for music, so I feel lucky to be a part of that. It is a growing and changing industry, so even though there is so many positives there is always room for improvement. I think there could definitely be improved opportunities for independent bands and artists to get more gigs and recording opportunities. Funding and such can be quite difficult to come by, so I think making these chances more accessible would be great.

• You recently put pen to paper and signed to Nettwerk Records, what can you tell us about plans for 2023?

Releasing more music hopefully! Getting out there to play more as well and meet new folk is the aim. I’ve got some goals I’d like to accomplish too, but I’ll be quietly hoping for those. Hopefully a trip to America too…

• 3 dream dinner party guests?

Joni Mitchell, Elizabeth Gilbert, Laura Marling

You can listen to Rosie’s latest single ‘Expectations’ here.

Q&A - Razz Mattreezy

This week we caught up with Razz Mattreezy right off the back of his debut project Pentagon Cabin.

Razz has been regularily championed by BBC Radio, 4 and tracks from this project have had their first plays across multiple shows. The release is full of bright, summery sounds, helping us through these dark winter nights, and includes features from the likes of Priya & psweatpants.

Check out our Q&A below with Razz and listen to Pentagon Cabin here.

1. Who is razz?

Razz mattreezy is the solo music project I started during the second lockdown. I took the opportunity to reflect on my coming-of-age experiences and time at uni to write music telling stories of my romances and friends. The name razz comes from my family’s surname “Rasmussen”, where we had all called my Grandad “razz” throughout our upbringing. He sadly passed away during early 2020 but was always so invested in my music, so I took the opportunity to pay homage to him through razz. The second part of the name is a little less exciting and comes from matt, read and easy all smooshed together to make razz mattreezy.

2. Tell us about your debut EP PENTAGON CABIN?

I spent what I would class as the first full year of razz, writing and recording my debut EP “PENTAGON CABIN”. This is a story of falling in love for what feels like the first time, the highs and lows of being in a relationship, followed by heartbreak and ultimately taking accountability for what went wrong. I couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out, and it was such an amazing feeling to have a full body of work available for people to listen to. It was recorded in full at my friend Scott Bathgate’s flat in Dennistoun, where we spent weekend after weekend producing the record together with the help from Murray Bartle and Ben Edwards. I love those guys to the moon and back and was so thrilled to work with them on this. Its available everywhere to listen, so please consider checking it out :)

3. What is your favourite track from the project? 

This is a tough one for me, but I have to go with WORST GUY featuring my incredibly talent friend and flatmate, Psweatpants or I

WONT LET IT MATTER IN THE END. The latter is by far the most ambitious track I have written so far, but I feel like it was everything I wanted it to be and more, and means the most to me symbolically, out of all the tracks.

5. 2023

This coming year is gonna be the biggest one yet for razz. Ive got my first ever headline show happening at Broadcast in glasgow on the 3rd of February, which I cant wait for. Im planning on releasing 4 singles and am hoping to work with some incredible artists that ive been a fan of since I moved to glasgow. Im hoping to make it onto the festival circuit, but most importantly I’m excited to keep meeting artists and making my name heard a bit more.

6. If you could choose any artist to work with one day who would it be? 

What “If I had to choose an artist to work with, it would be Billy Joel hands down. He was a huge part of the inspiration for me to learn the piano and to start writing music. He’s also my dad’s favourite artist and I love that we were able to connect over his music “The stranger” is one of my favourite albums of all time and it features songs like “just the way you are” where he speaks totally from the heart in a conversation-like manner which I really strive for in my songwriting. He’s a massive inspiration for me, especially still playing at the age he is, I hope I can continue to grow as an artist in the way Billy Joel did and I’d love to do a version of just the way you are with him one day.”

Listen to PENTAGON CABIN below and follow Razz here.