Features Upbringing: Elizabeth Rose

Sydney-based producer Elizabeth Rose has plenty of unexpected genres filtering through her new self-titled EP. There’s the no pretences stance of sugar-sweet pop, booming horn sections that lend aspects of jazz, plus the dance backdrop that links up her to fellow Aussie Flume.

But it’s in R&B where she initially fell in love with music. Now aged 23, Elizabeth started producing at 16, by which point she’d been exposed to an endless amount of early ’00s R&B, all of which plays into this new EP. She’s quick to claim there’s ‘no boundaries’ in the songs she - or indeed anyone - writes, and it’s this all-encompassing attitude that’s lent well to her new release. It’s streaming exclusively on DIY. Listen below, and find out how her musical roots played in this dazzling 5-track effort in an Upbringing interview.



What’s the first show you can remember going to?
I think it was Destinys Child in Sydney when I was about 14. It was incredible!

What’s the first song you ended up being completely obsessed with?
‘Cowboy 78’ by The Wiseguys, I’m still obsessed with it.

Growing up listening to R&B, who was your idol? Is there anyone you still look up to today?
I mainly listened to Destinys Child, Mariah Carey, Aaliyah & Missy Elliot - I reckon Destinys Child were my idol(s).

Tell us about your older brother Anthony - how did his work as a DJ inspire you to get into dance music?
He produces his own music and has been doing so since he was living at home (up until I was about 8 or 9), so seeing him do that at a young age really left a mark on me. It looked like so much fun and I used to sing on a few of his early tracks. He used to play a lot of the Chemical Brothers and that’s how my love for dance music started.

When did you start getting into production work? How have your songs changed over the years?
I started actually producing when I was about 16 and I used my mum’s computer for GarageBand - I used to play acoustic guitar back then, so the sound was a mix of acoustic cut up guitar with electronic and dance beats. I stopped using the guitar in tracks when I was about 19 and got given Ableton and switched straight over to synths - it’s what I’d been wanting to do all along.

What’s the best piece of advice anyone’s given you?
I can’t remember who told me this famous quote by Oscar Wilde but it stuck with me since - ‘Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken.’

Are there any things to avoid, that you’d warn someone against if they’re just getting into making music?
Don’t ever think you have to follow a ‘trend’ or a certain sound when writing! There are no rules or boundaries with song writing.

’The Good Life’ single is out now on iTunes. The ‘Elizabeth Rose’ EP is released on 17th January digitally and at Elizabeth’s upcoming live shows.