The Independent Artist: Talking it Easy with Timmy Rough of German Rock Band, The New Roses

11-May-2026 By Meagan Clements

Published: Jan. 2026 | Reading Time: 16 minutes | For Musicians, Promoters, Rock Fans & Event Organizers

From pub stages to fronting German rock quintet The New Roses, troubadour Timmy Rough hones in on his unfiltered rise, making his mark in the music industry.

Part 1: From Starting Small to International Rock Royalty

From the comfort of his home studio in Germany, Timmy Rough, singer/songwriter and frontman of The New Roses, clicks on a Zoom link. He’s taking a short break from recording the band’s upcoming studio album.

His face appears on screen. He’s unshaven and wearing a cap backwards. He smiles politely, reassuring a music journalist thousands of miles away with his husky accent that she has nothing to worry about — time can run over if need be.

It seems as if two worlds have collided. The music journalist adjusts the screen of her laptop. She’s sitting on a cozy chair in Orange County, Calif., as Rough explains the challenges his band faces when asked if The New Roses plan to tour The States.

The Big Question

“If an American band tours in America, why would [they] take a European band on the road?” he pointed out. “Logistically, it’s so much easier to just take an American band with you or even have local bands open up. That’s what happens a lot of times. You know, they’re playing in Texas, they get a Texas band. If they’re playing in Florida, they get a Florida band.”

Rough thought for a moment.

You can’t just say [to KISS], ‘Hey — when are the US dates?’ because they have big names opening in the US. It’s very difficult to get those slots even when they’re in your own country, you know?

Often, Rough relives unforgettable memories from life on the road in Europe.

“We were very fortunate to open for the Scorpions and KISS,” he said, remembering the experience fondly. “We toured with Black Stone Cherry and Foreigner and all of those guys. Those opening slots are like a currency. It’s like, ‘You owe me one so I put my band on this slot next time’ and stuff like that. Those slots are not just for the best band. It’s not like the biggest potential gets the shot.”

Although a tour in The States isn’t yet in the works, Rough, who enjoys country music and all things Bruce Springsteen, remains hopeful.

“We haven’t planned anything,” he said. “I spend a lot of time in The States, and I’ll be in The States next week for Christmas and New Year’s in Florida. I love the country, I love the people, and I especially love the diversity of the music.”

How youbloom Can Help

Rough is thankful for platforms like youbloom that aim to close geographical barriers, making live music more accessible for all.

“There’s so many of us out there who don’t get the chance to [expose] their music to their main target group,” he admitted. “To have a platform, I suppose, where people that like a certain kind of music can just login and get updates like, ‘Hey, you might like this or you might like that and here’s tickets and here’s the videos and everything so you can find your bands much faster’ is a good idea.”

Rough is optimistic that youbloom will assist The New Roses in reaching fans outside of Europe.

“When people get together and team up for a certain thing, it’s always fantastic,” he said, exuberantly. “Any kind of movement you start is always a good sign of, ‘Hey, we’re still here, rock music still matters, and we still want new artists.’”

Drawing a Parallel

Rough compared youbloom’s mission statement to a similar movement in Europe.

“We have this thing in Europe — they call it The New Wave of Classic Rock. It’s a UK group and they do kind of the same thing,” he shared. “They team up and they have a Facebook page and everything. They just spread the word, and they did this multi-artist kind of record. They put their favorite newcomer bands on it and then they walk around at concerts and hand it out to people so that they can listen to that stuff.

Rough says it isn’t about money.

“They’re not making any profit off of that stuff. They’re doing it for the love of music,” he said.

Part 2: Breaking Barriers: Touring Realities and the Global Rock Scene

Artist Development

These days, Rough admits many record companies are failing at artist development.

“It’s not like, ‘Hey, we got this new artist and we’re gonna spend tons of money on advertising or putting them on the road with big names,” he said. “That’s not happening anymore. The band has to find their own way to get recognized.”

The Creative Landscape

Rough is thankful for additional platforms putting in the time it takes to shift the creative landscape.

“It’s always a great sign to meet people that say, ‘I’m not making any profit. I’m just trying to spread the word. I’m just trying to give people the chance to [hear] bands that I really enjoy and I want people to [experience] the same joy as I do,” he said. “Maybe one of those radio stations or one of those blogs doesn’t make the difference but if you see how many interviews I give when I promote a new record and how many smaller radio stations and platforms I talk to, I’m pretty sure in the end that it makes a difference. If you would take all those components out of the equation, I would say there would be a big chunk missing.”

Human Juke Box

Before signing with independent label, Napalm Records, alongside his New Roses bandmates — drummer Urban Berz, bassist Hardy W. Heart and guitarists Norman Bites and Dizzy Daniels — Rough earned thick skin performing in pubs with an acoustic guitar.

You’re like a living juke box. Sometimes they treat you like a superstar and sometimes they treat you like a thing, like an object.

Rough looked up.

“You learn that it has nothing to do with you,” he said.

By the time Rough formed The New Roses, he had already played 1,000 shows for more intimate audiences.

“You do the same show every night,” he began. “Sometimes it goes great and sometimes it sucks. Sometimes people are nice and sometimes people are rude. Sometimes you make a lot of money and sometimes you make no money at all.”

Part 3: Turning Suboptimal Circumstances into Unforgettable Live Performances

The Elephant in the Room

Rough says performing in pubs taught him how to deal with suboptimal circumstances.

“The best way to deal with suboptimal circumstances is humor,” he said. “We call it, ‘calling out the elephant in the room.’ That’s my strategy always. If we play a show and there’s not a lot of people there, of course the crowd recognizes there’s not a lot of people there.”

Rough reflected on a show The New Roses played in England. An estimated 35 people were in attendance.

“I remember that night,” he said. “I took the acoustic guitar out, unplugged it, and just sat down in the middle of the audience and played it [without an amplifier].”

Rough smiled.

“If you go out and try to pretend that the house is full and you play the same show and do the same moves and do all these things you do when you’re opening for KISS in front of 15,000 or 20,000 people, you make a fool out of yourself,” he admitted. “What I do is I go out and I call out the elephant in the room. I say, ‘Wow — this is very cozy in here tonight. Let’s all get up here on stage. I bet I could fit all the people in the crowd onto the stage.’ What started as a suboptimal circumstance turned out to be something that the audience of that evening will never forget.”

Engaging with Audiences

Rough isn’t shy about having fun on stage, imagining how it must have felt for one special fan.

“I actually danced on stage with the band [that night],” he said, putting himself in her shoes. “It was so cool, and they handled it so well. They were so nice.”

Rough added, “I guess, to move toward the difficulties and call them out and use them as fuel for the show is always, in my experience, better than trying to pretend it’s a fantastic event or maximum audience or whatever. If the lighting is shit, I call it out. If the sound is shit, I call it out. I try to use it as fuel for the show.”

Regardless of whether it’s 35 people or 35,000 people in attendance, Rough cares deeply about his craft.

“You know, of course you try always to win the evening or win the audience, so I don’t wanna come across as someone who doesn’t give a shit,” he confessed. “I care a lot about winning the evening, about winning the audience, making everybody happy and satisfied.”

For Rough, flexibility is the key.

“You have to be open and flexible on how to achieve that goal. You can’t do it with the show itself,” he said. “Maybe something is wrong. Maybe the audience is very small, or the lighting is shit or whatever. You have to find another way. You always have to be open and flexible to make the audience feel special and remember the night as something that was worth the money.”

From Troubled Teen to Sophisticated Songster

Although Rough is a college-educated musician — the saxophone is the first instrument he learned — he says he wasn’t always grounded in his passion for playing music.

“[As a kid], I was always in trouble and I was not going to school,” he said. “Every day, the school called my parents because I wasn’t there or I did something stupid. I was brought home by the cops many times [for doing something]. I never like punched anybody. I was never mean. I was always just an idiot. Never trying to hurt anybody, but always in trouble, silly trouble.”

Discovering music was the turning point for Rough.

“When I discovered music, it was the first time that I was drawn to something, you know? It was like a magnet,” he said. “I didn’t even recognize that I was practicing. It didn’t feel like practicing or learning like, I don’t know, history for the next test in school. It didn’t feel like this. It was like time passed by so fast. It was six hours, seven hours, eight hours of playing the saxophone. I was spending [every day] in my room practicing and playing, listening to records and trying to hear what was being played.”

When asked what he feels is the most overrated quality in a performer, Rough remains skeptical.

“If you’re a Bruce Springsteen kind of guy like me, you know, I’m more [into] street clothes, but I’ve met a lot of people that are more like David Lee Roth and they’re doing a great job,” he said. “They couldn’t do what I do, and I couldn’t do what they do. I wouldn’t say it’s something overrated if you do what you do very [well]. It doesn’t matter what it is if you’re awesome — a great guitar player or a storyteller, a songwriter or whatever. Whatever quality you have, if you take it as far as you can, you have a right to show it to people.”

As for Rough’s superpower on stage, he says it’s his voice. Impressively, the songster has a three to four octave range.

I wouldn’t say I’m a Dave Grohl kind of person. I don’t have [his] presence and I’m not that loud. I’m pretty introverted. I go out on stage, and I try to sing as good as possible.

Rough’s on-stage persona is a package of powerhouse pipes and good, clean fun.

“Art and creativity are presented in many ways and many times, it’s a combination of things,” he said. “It’s the way somebody writes songs and sings the songs, so if you hear a Johnny Cash song, he’s a terrible singer on paper but nobody can sing his songs the way he did. Nobody can sing the Bob Dylan songs the way he sang them. That’s great. It’s a gift to have this. I would argue that Johnny Cash had maybe just one octave of range which is nothing special. People like me or Chris Cornell have like a three to four octave range, [which] is very rare and it can impress people or take them on a journey. If you only have one octave like Johnny Cash, you can still make it, bring people to tears, make them believe your stories or engage in any way with your music. It’s a great gift.”

Rough doesn’t deny the talent that has come from casting shows on television — “American Idol,” “The Voice” and “X Factor” to name a few. He admits, however, that many solid artists in the music industry wouldn’t stand a chance in those formats.

“It’s one thing to have those programs and maybe stumble upon a couple of great musicians — Michael Bublé, Adele or Carrie Underwood or something, but if you were to just depend on that thing only and say that all the other people are not worth taking a look at, I would totally disagree,” he said.

Rough added, “For a lot of artists, it’s the sound, the voice, the look, the story and the song. It’s the whole thing. It’s the whole package.”

Rough paused.

“I think every artist has something to offer and that isn’t always visible at the first glance,” he said, throwing in his two cents.

Part 4: Voice, Vulnerability and the Benchmark for Success

An Album on the Way

As for his personal and professional motto, Rough laughed.

“It can’t be bad to be good,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Rough gave die-hard and casual listeners alike insight into The New Roses’ upcoming album.

“So far, it looks like it’s gonna be a little more classic rock than the last one [Attracted to Danger],” he said. “The last one was pretty rough, pretty hard rock and [featured] a lot of distorted guitars and a lot of meaner riffs and stuff. It can still change, but from the material that I have at the moment, I would say it’s a little more classic rock. It’s a little more like the ‘Nothing But Wild’ record.”

Expressing Gratitude

Additionally, Rough and his bandmates are appreciative of their loyal fanbase.

“We appreciate people spending their time with us,” Rough said. “Time is a very valuable thing and to know that right at this moment as we’re talking, somebody is driving in their car or working out in the gym or whatever, having a party at their home, a birthday party or something and they’re listening to our music, [it’s great].”

Rough beamed.

“It’s a great feeling to sit down in my small studio here and write a song and the next thing you know, people from all over the world can say like, ‘Hey! That song was played at my wedding’ or ‘That song was played at [my dad’s funeral]’ or ‘I play this when I drive in the summer and we’re at the lake,’” he said. “I know so many stories from people who say, ‘I did this road trip to Australia and that song was on 24/7! I have so many great memories of that trip when I hear that song.’”

Rough considers how songs not only travel the world, but travel through people.

“You get the song back charged with all these stories,” he said.

When the first chord of “All I Ever Wanted” set sail inside fan Patricia Marie’s eardrum, she knew Rough was a force to be reckoned with.

“I find The New Roses frontman Timmy Rough to have a strong stage presence,” she gushed. “A rock star with a touch of country in his voice. Just enough gravel in his voice to pull you in, whether it’s screaming lyrics or soothing love songs. He’s mesmerizing!”

Rough’s uncanny ability to make sense of his surroundings weaves throughout his music.

“Every headlight tells a story, every face passing me by, there’s a million lights before me and a touch of perfume in the evening sky,” Rough sings. “I brush the shoulder of a young man, I hear a distant slamming door. An old lady’s searching trash cans and I wonder who she was 20 years ago.”

Perhaps it’s the grungy, greasy-haired rock and roll performed inside an antique ballroom with a crystal chandelier — The New Roses music video for “My Kind of Crazy” hailing from the band’s 2022 release, “Sweet Poison.” It begins as Rough swings open cotton candy-colored doors with yellow gold and white trim. Moments later, he’s singing, “The taste of Heaven and danger right upon my lips, I wanna lick a little poison off my fingertips.” He’s wearing a maroon shirt unbuttoned and revealing an array of chains around his neck. No matter what the setting is, his demeanor is calm yet confident.

The Man Behind the Music

Off-stage, Rough is a father of two children.

“I’m a father, which is the most important thing for me,” he said. “I’m not advertising that, but if you [were to] ask me, ‘What defines you?’ I would say, ‘Being my children’s father is the most defining thing for me or the most important thing. I put a lot of energy into improving being a good father, you know?”

Rough is often seen wearing a rosary without a cross around his neck.

“That was a gift from a friend, so it didn’t have a particularly spiritual [meaning] for me, but I’m very interested in many things that widen your horizon,” he said. “From my experience, it kind of narrows the lessons that you can learn if you judge right away whether you believe [something] or not. You can just spend some time with it and listen and think about it and sometimes one thought or the other goes through your conscience and leaves a mark.”

Rough’s punchline statement is strong.

I try to live like I believe. I don’t really question, ‘Do you really believe in some sort of god?’ I think it can’t hurt to assume, pretend so to speak, like, ‘Hey — let’s just assume that we all get judged.’ So, I try not to fuck up and be a good person.

Rough occasionally reflects on Western Christian society.

“I would say all of our fundamental behaviors are based on one book [The Bible],” he said. “It took me a while, but then it crossed my mind and [I thought], ‘Hey, everything you know and what you believe, your whole society that you know is based on that book so you should probably just read it at least one time and find out, ‘What is it? Why is this book so famous and how could it stand the test of time?’ It’s a very interesting book.”

For more information, visit The New Roses official website.

ELLYD Interview Part2

05-Mar-2018 By Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: ELLYD

In Part 2 of my interview with ELLYD we discuss her humble beginnings as a musician as well as future goals in wake of her EP, Lighthouse. Also, read to the end to learn a little bit about youbloom’s newest project, youbloomConnect.

You’ve been writing lyrics since you were 11. How long had you been playing music before that? What did that start look like for you?

Yeah I’ve been writing songs for a while now. Music is something that I’ve always been hugely interested in – I can’t remember a time being without it. My mam and dad got me guitar lessons when I was 6 years old so I guess after that it was a natural progression to start writing songs.

What was the first track you ever produced? What’s the story behind it?

Oh god, it’s hard to remember it exactly but I do know the first song I ever wrote was about flying. That was many many years ago – I was only a kid. It was a full song though and I think it was about believing in yourself, I think!

What did success look like for you in the beginning? At what point did you begin to consider yourself “making it?”

Yeah I think at the start gigging as much as possible is a good thing to do as its important to learn and experience the different aspects of the live environment whether it be the venues, the sound, the equipment, the audiences… I think progress happened for me within music when I started to get a bit more confident in what I was doing. Having the confidence to fail and having the confidence to succeed has definitely made a big difference for me. There were times in the past when I was afraid to share songs because it made me feel very vulnerable and now that vulnerability is an ally in my creative world. After that small change, better songs, and better gigs have somehow come about.

Everything inspires me – love, life, loss, family, friends, people I meet, conversations – everything.

What do you use to inspire your writing/lyrics?

I find a lot of my songs are from sub conscious thoughts – I never really understand what they’re truly about until I finish them. Apart from that, everything inspires me – love, life, loss, family, friends, people I meet, conversations – everything.

Could you describe your creative process a bit more?

My songs usually start with me playing some chords on my guitar. Sometimes it may start on bass or keys. Then when I hear a melody, the lyrics come. Once I get the structure sorted, and I feel the song is good enough, I demo it and add all the bass, drums, keys, and whatever other instruments and sounds I want for the song. These days I usually do that on Garage band. Then if I like it enough I bring it into the studio and get it down professionally.

What hobbies do you turn to outside of music, and do you use these hobbies as musical influence or to get away from music?

Hobbies outside music? That’s a tough one. I like running and rowing but that still involves music because I would have my earphones blaring. Saying that, I’ve finished some of my songs while I’ve been out running so I guess running has influenced me musically. I love going to local gigs too, so seeing new bands would have and will no doubt in the future influence me in my music.

Going forward

**You just released your new EP, Lighthouse. Can we expect a full album to follow?**

At some point, yes. I would hope there are many albums to follow! Realistically, for the time being, I’ll be releasing more singles and perhaps another EP or two before any album.

Do you currently have something new in the works? New Project?

I’ve just demoed some new material and I hope to be back in the studio very soon.

What is your vision going forward? Tour more, grow your audience, record a lot?

I’m writing a lot at the moment. So recording more material is definitely in my immediate future. I also want to get my music into as many ears as possible so there’s talk of doing some gigs across the waters – we shall have to wait and see!

What are your biggest challenges in reaching your vision?

Juggling my paying job with my dream job.

What advice would you have for other independent artists who are trying to make it in the industry?

Keep writing, keep learning and keep it fresh.

Photography by @callmeferdia

The first time youbloom had the privilege of hosting ELLYD was at the youbloomDublin 2017 Music Festival. That year, our festival bloomed a little bit brighter. You can find plenty more from ELLYD on YouTube and Spotify and at @ELLYDMUSIC on twitter.

Since 2013, youbloom has been striving to help talented, independent artists claim the spotlight they deserve. Starting this March, we’re thrilled to roll out our newest platform to further that goal. We call it youbloomConnect and it’s almost here (the app is nearly ready)! YoubloomConnect is a crowd-sourcing platform that revolutionizes the way artists, fans, hosts, an promoters interact. Check it out.

ELLYD Interview Part1

23-Feb-2018 By Leave a Comment

Photo: Courtesy of ELLYD

ELLYD has played on some of Ireland’s best stages including Electric Picnic, The Secret Village Festival, Battle of the Lake Festival, The Button Factory, Whelans, and The Workmans Club. In January, the young folk-singer released her latest EP, Lighthouse, accompanied by an Irish tour which she is now in the midst of. In between gigs, ELLYD found some time to answer my questions about her career and where she sees her music taking her next.

You’re in the middle of an Irish tour right now. How is that? Where are you visiting?

Yeah it’s been great so far. I’ve been playing various venues with very different vibes so it’s been so much fun. I started off this tour with a private show at Davey Davey Salon in Dublin. Then I played at The Ruby Sessions, followed by my official launch for my EP ‘Lighthouse‘ at The Underground. I was in The Gallery Wine Bar in Westport at the start of the month and my next gig on this particular tour will be in The Spirit Store on March 15th. The wonderful Elga Fox will be joining me again so I’m very excited for that one.

How has this tour been different from your previous tour in Germany?

Germany was amazing and I really hope to go back soon. The venues I played over there were very intimate and the audiences were insanely attentive. The venues I’m playing in Ireland are mostly bigger and therefore not as intimate so it’s different in that sense. Also, over there I never knew what to expect, from the venue, sound, and the crowd. Whereas over here, I’ve a bit more of an idea. The beer is better in Germany though :)!

I’ve gotta ask, is that you in the jabawokee mask in the Lighthouse music video?

It is!

Could you tell us more about the ideas influencing the video and music for “Lighthouse?”

This song started out about a young man who didn’t feel he could go on in this world anymore. It’s obviously a sad, emotional song and I wanted to reflect that in the music. Originally the video was being made by an outside company but that fell through because of weather issues so I had to quickly come up with a different concept.

Because I was making this video myself, I needed it to be simple but effective. My friend Emma helped me out a lot and did some of the camera work for me. I wanted something that would stand out in a meaningful way so that’s where the mask came in. I suppose the idea behind the mask was that this song is not about just one person, it’s about many. The person behind the mask could be anyone.

There were times in the past when I was afraid to share songs because it made me feel very vulnerable and now that vulnerability is an ally in my creative world.

What kind of music/bands are you listening to right now?

Right now this minute, I’m listening to Dermot Kennedy. The past few days I’ve been listening a lot to VINCI’s new tune ‘We Are Ghosts‘ and James Brown has made his way back into my ears this past week too.

What’s the best show you’ve ever played? Why?

It’s hard to top Electric Picnic – just because it’s Electric Picnic.

Strangest show?

I remember I did a small Irish tour with my friend and singer/songwriter Thomas John. This one night we had a gig in Fanad – a beautiful part of Donegal. There was a small shop a few miles away that we walked to the next morning and TJ brought his guitar with us for some reason. We were just walking down this narrow country road with a guitar and singing songs.

Keep writing, keep learning and keep it fresh.

Anyway when we got to the shop (that was also a post office, chemist, butchers – you name it) the owner became a bit curious and asked us to play a few tunes. More customers came in and we kept playing. We were there for hours! It was such a mad little morning and nobody left until we did. Was definitely the strangest impromptu show I’ve ever been involved in!

You’ve come back to youbloom festivals. What benefit do you think networks like youbloom and youbloomConnect provide up and coming artists?

It’s of huge benefit. I’ve always said this music business is an endless learning environment and what better way to learn than from other people who are actually involved in this business, in whatever form. There’s such a great variety of music and people from various parts of the world that attend the youbloom Festivals.

What type of support do you think is most beneficial to independent artists trying to become successful/well-known.

Radio play, radio play, radio play.

Photography by @callmeferdia

With her EP “Lighthouse” now out and a tour underway, 2018 is bound to be a hectic and promising year for EllyD. Next week we will be releasing the rest of our interview with the artist and you can find plenty more of EllyD on YouTube and Spotify and at @ELLYDMUSIC on twitter. Youbloom is striving to help talented, independent artists gain the attention they deserve. If you like what we’re doing here, check out our newest development, youbloomConnect, where we help artists to find their fan base.

Jessica Meuse Talks about Life after American Idol: Artist Spotlight

15-Feb-2018 By 2 Comments

Photo Credit: Jessica Meuse

It can be difficult to build up clout as an independent artist, but it sure does help when you’ve got your own hashtag and a squad of fans dropping it on the daily. Ever since Jessica Meuse made it to the Top4 Spot on American Idol’s 13th season, her faithful fan base, #MuseMafia, have been tirelessly repping for the country-singer. If you’re like me, that’s probably where you first heard this soulful singer with that infectious southern twang.

I’ll either be a broke musician or a successful one.

I just want to make my music.

Since her time on Idol, Miss Meuse has signed with Warrior Records, released a music video for “Love Her Better,” and taken up a tour across the country. Despite her hectic performance schedule, the Idol finalist spared some time to talk with youbloom about her roots as a country singer and what new stuff she has been cooking up.

Jessica Meuse on Touring

Talking Points: Living on the road, Playing the Maltese Islands, and getting pampered on American Idol.

On her Roots

Talking Points: Stage-side meltdowns…they happen, and Bringing your real self into your music despite the haters.

The Writing Process

Talking Points: Finding inspiration for music in daily life

Jessica Meuse – “Love Her Better” Official Music Video Recorded on The Maltese.

Best Show Ever Played & Youbloom

Talking Points: Playing the Viper Room in LA, Shout out to the Muse Mafia, youbloom, and the Unfortunate lack of Irish pubs in Texas.

Going Forward and Giving Advice

Talking Points: 2018 Album release, Recording at Capitol Records, and what a Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks’ baby would sound like (Spoiler, it’s Jess).

You can keep track of what Jessica Meuse is up to by following her on twitter @JessMeuse, instagram, or her official website. There’s a possibility she will be back playing with youbloomDublin or youbloomLA Music Festival & Summit and same for you. For any bands or artists interested in expanding their musical family, meeting and learning from industry leaders, and playing some of the hottest venues in Dublin, make sure to Apply to Play for youbloomDublin. Hurry, the application deadline is February 19th, 2018! And keep an eye out for Jessica’s debut album that is to be released in 2018 or join the #MuseMafia. You know you want to.

Robert Loustaunau is a content writer for youbloom and is a member of the social media team there. He is an avid music maker and listener. He enjoys the simple things in life: coffee, a good book, and quality time with his lovely girlfriend.

Dreaming of Jupiter : Up Close Interview

10-Feb-2018 By Leave a Comment

Photo Courtesy: Dreaming of Jupiter

Interview with Dreaming of Jupiter

Dreaming of Jupiter may seem very relaxed, but they have had an incredible year with a hectic touring schedule. Dreaming of Jupiter played several times in Dublin and London, and are branching out as far as Madrid. They have also released their debut single “Let me down” earlier this week from their upcoming EP. If that wasn’t enough, they have much more on the way for their fans to be looking forward to. Dreaming of Jupiter have share some of their secrets and experiences of their success, and also reveal what they have in store for 2018.

How did you come up with the name of the band?

Zoe: It came pretty naturally, like Dave and I would be pretty nerdy about space. We are interested in space, space exploration, space movies and all that stuff. We initially conceived the name of the project even before we just before we met Sam, or maybe just after, even before the band was properly formed.

“It’s a really nice thing to go into a trance and watch a really cool space movie”

The reason for the name of the band, when we were gigging alot at that time. With different bands, getting home really late sometime, we used to throw on space documentaries to kinda chill out. When we get home, trying to kinda wind down from a really busy night. It’s a really nice thing to go into a trance and watch a really cool space movie. We particularly felt intrigued by Jupiter for whatever reason. I think that movie Europa report, it’s a very interesting movie, where a group of astronauts tried to go to one of Jupiter’s moons called Europa. On a quest to try to find life, because they believe there’s water on this moon, and if there’s water, there could be life. The whole human race is kinda dreaming of Jupiter, somewhere we can go, we don’t have to stay here. That’s kinda where the conversation all started, seems kinda abstract conversation to have, we used to talk about that alot.

In Barcelona, how was the local reaction to hearing some Spanish in your songs, were they surprised? do you think it make it easier for them to sing along?

Dave: The Spanish lyrics comes from Zoe, who is a fluent speaker after living there for quite a few years. From the initial conception of the project, we always knew we want to target a Spanish market as well, obviously that would be a very cool thing to include south America and parts of Europe as well. I think the Spanish lyrics is nice, because it often comes across as a better surprise to people for being more than they had expected, also possibility making it easier to stick inside the head. Even though we haven’t officially released anything with Spanish on Spotify. People who have come to the gigs, they actually do remember the words. You see them in the crowd, singing along.

Having played in, Ireland, UK and Spain recently, where would you like to play for 2018?

Dave: We are looking at to pushing out, more to UK and to Germany. We are hoping to get back to Spain as well, and Mexico at some point.

“there’s a showcase going to be done this year of Irish music over there”

Zoe: In Spain, we are definitely interested in Barcelona, especially with the Primavera music festival that happens there every year. That would definitely be a target we would really like to achieve, that opportunity to represent the emerging. At this festival, there’s a showcase going to be done this year of Irish music. We would really love to be part of that.

Based on our experience we have had so far, London is definitely somewhere we feel quite happy and quite at home there. Having played some pretty big gigs and we also did a couple of solo gigs there as well, and all of them have been amazing. We definitely want to keep that going and we are growing a fan base there, and we are very grateful for that. Outside London, Manchester is definitely somewhere we are interested in, because the director for our last 2 videos is based there. We are really excited about the new video coming soon, for our new single “Let me down”. I think that’s going to be really visually, just beautiful, beautiful film that he has put together. We are looking forward to putting that out, and of course we would definitely love to go back there, and play there too.

With some of your lyrics in Spanish, how hard is it to write it? Do you do it yourself, or done collectively? Is there alot of switching back and forth between languages?

Zoe: It’s very much a collaborative effort, we all sit down together, certainly the music idea comes together as a group. The lyrics generally, most of them I would write them myself, I’m one of those people that always jotting ideas, keep a notebook on me. Eventually I will have a notebook the size of a bedside locker if I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas, wherever I am, I’m always scribbling ideas

The lyrics would be mostly mine, but that’s not to say they just tell stories that is just about my life, that’s not the case, we talk a lot, and we are very close as a band, and we are very close friends as well, we share our thoughts and experiences. Usually I might be the one writing the lyrics down but it wouldn’t be necessary that I’m just reflecting my own experience.

“I would never force one language over another”

For any part of a song to be written in Spanish or even a whole song, I would never force one language over another. The nature of being bi-lingual you don’t necessary choose the language you think about, it depends on what you are thinking about, or who are speaking to. I wouldn’t sit down and write this in Spanish to hit the Spanish market really hard. Honestly, I would write it in a more organically, that’s not to say I don’t considered the audience I’m writing. I have no shame of saying I absolutely do, but I wouldn’t be so contrived that I’m directed to writing it in one language over another. There’s a couple of songs that we do live that moves in and out of both languages.

Congratulation on having one of your songs featured in a well known Irish television series. With the new single being release, the timing for this feature on television was impeccable, was this meant to happen?

Zoe: We just got the news that we are going to be featured, like about a week or two before the show was aired. As fantastic as it was, it was pretty quiet, it was a small picture, nothing too crazy. No, that was not pre-mediated or organised in any way, we were just as shocked as everyone else.

“We were chuffed that we were chosen”

With lots of our peers also selected, we weren’t overly surprised that an Irish band was picked. Plus the music from this series tend to be from Irish bands. We were chuffed that we were chosen, as we have only worked for a short time together. We were very happy to be placed along side with other bands who have been around for a long time.

What are the plans for 2018?

Obviously, we have just release the new single “Let me down” , available on all major platforms. This is the first single released from our upcoming EP, the plan is we will release the EP before the summer. A nice video to come out in the next couple of weeks for our single “Let me down”. We also have a cool remix coming out with a top secret dj using the new single “Let me down”. We have 4 shows coming up in the UK, hoping to keep branching out with new shows in Spain and maybe as far as Mexico

On Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/0aJ4crl4UpV4Xju8ueAdHH

Lastly, for fans of Dreaming of Jupiter, they can also catch them live at the Button Factory in Temple Bar on Saturday 17 February supporting Ralph Rolle (CHIC) & The Funk Patrol. For all fans, their single “Let me down” is available on major platform including iTunes and Google Play.

Alex Lau is a content writer for youbloom and is a member of the social media team there. He is part time photographer who love photo journalism of unique locations. He enjoys listening to music as much as he can.

Table of Contents: