WOMEN WHO ARE TAKING CONTROL – Introducing singer songwriter ROSIE WEBB
Agenda 2 Listen To What Women Songwriters, Vocalists And Producers Have To Say.
“Women songwriters have consistently seen little to no growth. In 2022, 14% of songwriters were women, roughly equal to 2021. In total, women comprised only 12.8% of the songwriters evaluated from the past 11 years–a ratio of 6.8 men to every 1 woman songwriter.” (Annerberg Inclusion Initiative 2022)
Rosie Webb creates music with natural intelligence, as opposed to artificial intelligence. She’s autonomous and collaboration is on her terms, her lyrics reflecting all the many facets of love, pride and loathing.
Her song One Night Stand speaks out about sexism and abuse in a studio environment, something she wrote a long time ago but has only recently had the skills and confidence to put out there.
“Back in the day, I was taken advantage of by an old producer, an older man, who seemed interested in signing me, blah blah, blah, but he just wanted to do one thing with me, and it really messed up my trust in a lot of musicians and people. I was just 18. I’d even met his wife. It’s just horrible.
The chorus I feel better knowing I’m not a one night stand, that I’ll never see you again – is powerful to me and still feels that when I sing it now.”
She sings it to me acapella style, it’s one thing I learn about Rosie today. Breaking out into song, rather than explaining anything in a logical conversation, is a natural behaviour.
Nowadays she finds her contacts among her peers and other producers and guitarists up and coming in the creative sector. The latest song out now is Does She Know, written with Jessy Jacquet. Musician Lyves also loaned Webb her studio to work in – offering some technical advise and reassurance. She’s just signed up with the Performing Rights Society.
Raw and emotive, in the genre of neo-soul, and with the confidence of an east-end girl who knows she’s loved, Webb’s skills take a bow to the soul, jazz and blues legacy as well as the girl pop singers she grew up with: Sugarbabes, Lilly Allen, Amy Winehouse.
“I believe I’m a force to be reckoned with and a lot of things that I’m writing now are powerful to me. It’s a constant, to get across that drive in me and sing from the soul.”
Lockdown compelled her to work independently, now with Sunday, Tough Little Lady (about her mum), Does She Know, and One Night Stand behind her (at the time of writing).
“I knew that I wanted Sunday to be quite raw and emotional because that’s how the song goes for me – I feel all my songs need space for that to show. I did the cover, everything. It was my first independent project,” she enthuses.
A student of Brit School and Guildhall School of Music and Drama at degree level Webb has found exploring the legacy of soul, jazz and blues fulfilling and supportive of her traditional style of singing from the heart: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday Nat King Cole, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, and Julie London. Her final piece for graduation, during lockdown and very disruptive for students of the creative arts, was the performance of Tough Little Lady. All her family are from the Isle Of Dogs, going back at least five generations, “Grandad worked on the docks, great Nan was evacuated from London during the war…”
“But none of my family is musical at all – or ever were – except for myself and my brothers. My older brother and I write a lot of music together – especially about our experiences of family life, and living in London. There are three of us: Thomas is 22, and Archie, a drummer, is 14.”
Here’s Rosie Webb’s Link Tree.
Here is a great in depth interview about the song by Anna Mayers who created the film for the video.
Check out this behaviour.
However, we’re not done yet. The conversation leads on to the negatives which come out of the freedom from sexism and abuse with the internet for women in music.
The over-saturation of new music in the ether. And passive users (If you like this, you may like this)
Getting a hit from streaming is a science. Ricky Desktop explains how he did just that in this interview in Verge Magazine [accessed 7th Dec 2023]
Payment is ludicrously low for genuine emerging artists trying to make a living.
Spotify’s new 2024 rule: 1,000 streams over the last twelve months to be eligible for any payment is going to kick the boot in for all up-and-coming artists and bands.
If you are noticed:
Music brand journalism reads like a press release.
Labels are not always offering signings the opportunity for elements of artist management such as the nurturing of a career and a team on hand for support, engaged in your progress. Arguably, TikTok is their golden goose, waiting to offer anyone a one-off viral hit a record deal and getting them out on all the streaming sites. How does this translate to an audience that will go to your gigs, and follow your repertoire over the years? It absolutely doesn’t.
Webb’s drive to perform is equal to her passion for writing songs. Animated and earnest she says that performing gives her a sense of moment and movement, special memories include singing at legendary venues The Troubadour, and Soho’s Jazz After Dark.
Webb deserves more; someone like Giles Petterson should take her on so she can meet the gang at Brownswood Studios.
She’s a star and she knows it – always thinking about how a song will work live.
All that’s left is to compliment and encourage her.
“Thank you”, she says, exactly in the tone of a famous Hollywood actress saying thank you to a talk show host.
Ngaire Ruth
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