Diandra Interviews Chey Rose: Accepting You Want To Be Number One
I really like Chey Rose, and her new track “Number One” feels superbly inspired. I love when a song goes for the nuance of human dynamics and reveals truths that, though common, are ignored. For many of us, we can have a billion acquaintances but not one friend. We have people we laugh and share with, but know that our closeness to them is ours because they are even closer to someone else. It can be lonely not to have anyone or to know they have someone else more. In our interview, Chey Rose discusses wanting to be prioritized by someone, and how between her new roommates/ best friends and music she feels like number one.
Diandra: What was the inspiration behind “Number One?”
Chey Rose: Number One was inspired by a very real, palpable loneliness I felt this year on July 4. I had just traveled down to Nashville for some writes and meetings, and I had thought I had plans with friends to celebrate but then they ended up canceling. I texted pretty much everyone I knew because I wanted to do something other than sit alone in my apartment, but everyone already had plans. Some friends invited me to tag along with them, but it was that weird feeling of getting a pity invite because I wouldn’t know anybody else there in their group. (Also — covid was obviously going on, so a lot of people were doing things in small numbers, which I completely understand). But I still felt really alone, so I called my mom around noon and ,within 15 minutes, I was throwing my essentials into a backpack and spontaneously driving 6 hours back home to Ohio to spend the night with my family.
It was on that long drive home that the phrase popped into my head, “I’m no one’s number one.” I just started recording random voice memos as I drove, and the next line just kind of fell out — “Sure, I’ve got friends, but they’ve all got better friends, all got someone they’d rather call.” By the time I was halfway home, I had the chorus idea pretty much down. Then back in Nashville a few days later, I had my session with Davin and he helped me manifest my vision for the song so well that by the time we finished, I knew I had to release it.
Diandra: What do you feel this track says about you as a person?
Chey Rose: I think “Number One” is kind of a self realization — it really digs deep into how my whole life I’ve been comfortable being alone and “moving on” from people easily, but now that I’m getting older, I don’t want to do that anymore — and that’s okay. So, the song is me admitting I can’t do everything alone. It says that I’m tired of doing life all on my own. It says that I’m growing out of old patterns I’ve had since I was a kid. It says that I’m finally in a phase of life where I’m ready for something deeper, something where I feel really known, prioritized, and chosen by someone.
Diandra: Who is “Number One” in your life right now, and what do you do to make them feel so?
Chey Rose: Lucky for me, the lonely feelings I had in July, while writing “Number One,” have been replaced by love for my best friend and roommate Amy, because in August I moved in with her and our friend Lauryn. I’ve never lived with friends before because I was always afraid (there’s that stigma that living with your best friend ruins your friendship!) but in our case, it’s been the absolute best thing ever.
I love coming home to our little “family” and always seeing their sweet smiling faces in the morning. I love when Lauryn and I talk for hours in the kitchen (I always listen intently with my phone out, writing down song titles from certain phrases she uses — it’s become a joke in our house). I love how my friendship with Amy has grown, how we laugh until our stomachs hurt, and how we can just “be,” — nothing ever feels forced or hard. I’m just super thankful for both of them! This whole experience has made me realize I function best when I’m surrounded by friends I love, and it’s okay to admit I need people.
Diandra: How has the pandemic impacted your creativity and what you see as the future of music?
Chey Rose: This time has definitely been a challenge for artists and songwriters, both financially and creatively. It’s been difficult coming to the realization that live music is probably never going to be the same — a ton of small boutique venues in Nashville have already been forced to close their doors, and this may make it harder for smaller artists to have places to play when our world opens back up.
I think the pandemic has brought us all in music closer; in the sense that we’re all going through the same things right now. There’s a sense of togetherness because we all want what’s best for our industry, and I think that’s really encouraging. There’s always hope because everyone is working together towards how we can make do with the situation.
Chey Rose – For a Friend (Official Music Video)
Diandra: What is a movie or book you wish you could turn into a song? Why?
Chey Rose: This is such a cool question! I’m an avid reader so this is really hard to choose. I would have to say my all time favorite book is The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, and it would be so cool to turn it into a song. I really relate to the main character, Jeanette, and how she overcomes the struggles in her early life, moves away, and creates a new life for herself in New York as a writer. It inspires me every time I read it, because it’s like, if she did all that, I can too. I would love to turn it into a story style song about how you are not your past and you have infinite potential if you’re willing to work hard.
Diandra: You have said your music is becoming more vulnerable. What are the vulnerabilities you are now more willing to share in your songs?
Chey Rose: I would say that this song (number one) is a great representation of the vulnerabilities I’m more willing to share now. Instead of pretending to be happy and have it together all the time, I feel like I want to be real with people. I want to share how I have these feelings, because maybe someone else does too, and just the both of us knowing we both feel this way is a step towards feeling less alone. My writing has developed into a kind of
confessional style; where I want to open up and share about real emotions I’m going through, whether it’s that I’m sad, happy or angry. I don’t wanna hold anything back!
Chey Rose – Priority (Official Music Video)
Diandra: You have said you have changed you goal from writing commercial pop to healing music. What are the things music has helped you heal? Was there a specific moment when you decided this?
Chey Rose: That is a deep and very loaded question but I love it! Lol. I think music is such a magical force because it does have the power to connect so deeply and heal souls. Around 2018-2019, when I first came to Nashville and didn’t quite know who I was as an artist yet, I was allowing my collaborators to heavily influence my music and messages with the simple “commercial” pop writing style. Last Summer, I finally took a hard look at myself and decided that I couldn’t just release music that was catchy with no deeper meaning — I had to return to my roots and start writing about meaningful things that had impacted me. Songwriting has been a kind of therapy where I’ve been able to process and work through all kinds of things — childhood trauma and hardships, young love, teenage heartbreak, and the sadness that comes with leaving family and growing up and so much more. So I decided that it was time to start sharing that stuff, the real, raw, messy personal songs, because that’s what will connect with and help heal other people.
Diandra: You have said if you could collaborate with anyone it would LANY. If you could dream up the song what would be its title, theme, and if you can, a lyric?
Chey Rose: Oh, gosh. That is so hard to choose. I love LANY for their young love and carefree vibe, but I love their more raw, real stuff as well. If I had to choose a type of song to collab on, I think it would be cool to do a more upbeat, “catching feelings” type of song because that’s the nature of what really pulled me into their sound back in 2017. I have the title, “The Chances” in my notes, and I think it could be cool to write something about a guy and girl at a party and have the chorus say something like, “What are the chances that you’re crushing on me” or something cute and fun like that.
Diandra: In this time of pandemic, everyone is streaming. What are you stream recommendations?
Chey Rose: Streaming wise, I use Spotify mainly. I love how they know what I like and can make me customized playlists based on who I listen to. Right now I’m listening to a lot of Chloe MK, Sizzy Rocket, Caro, Seint Monet, Phil Good, Maude Latour and Virginia to Vegas. All of these artists are smaller and up and coming but have already influenced my sound a ton!
Diandra: Your dad was a pilot. What are the places he visited that you really wish to go to one day? What did he say about them that made you mark it?
Chey Rose: Cool question! It’s hard to find a place my dad hasn’t been honestly! Lol. I think one place that stuck out to me a ton was Saudia Arabia. When he delivered the aircraft, he ended up meeting one of the Princes: who invited him to dinner to one of his palaces. My dad mentioned that he would love to go scuba diving in the red sea, and, at hearing this, the Prince hired a private charter scuba tour for my dad and the other pilot there! Ever since I heard that, I’ve always wanted to go visit and also scuba dive in the red sea
