From Studio to Strategy: Rose Bates on the Business of Making Music
Rose Bates breaks down the reality of building a music career, from songwriting to self-promotion, offering an inside look at balancing a day job with the discipline required to grow, release music, and reach an audience.
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Meet Rose Bates
Omaralexis Ochoa: Today, I am so excited to introduce you to Rose Bates. She is a London-based singer-songwriter whose single, Daydreaming, has been featured on radio stations all over the United Kingdom. Inspired by the work of artists like Lana Del Rey, Rose has worked with producers of Trey Song, such as Jimmy Deer, and has an all-new single, Young God, which is now available on Spotify. Rose identifies as a lesbian and is passionate about using her music to empower other queer women to find their voice.
Rose, thank you so much for joining me.
Rose Bates: Thank you for having me.
Omaralexis Ochoa: I know you're all the way over there in London, England. How's everything?
Rose Bates: Yes, it's weird, we've just gone into lockdown, so it's very strange, but I guess it's the perfect time to knock out some new lyrics, so there's positives to the situation.
Omaralexis Ochoa: I myself have been leveraging the lockdown as an opportunity to really just get started in a bunch of things I've been putting off. So that's one of the positives.
Rose Bates: Yeah, it's the perfect time to get those things done that you've been putting off a month.
Life in Lockdown
Omaralexis Ochoa: What are some of the things you've been working on while in isolation or while in quarantine?
Rose Bates: I think I've been using it as a time to network a lot. love meeting people on social media platforms. And since Young God has come out, people have been messaging me and getting in touch with me about wanting to work together. So it's a good time to actually focus on that and start new projects. So I love doing that sort of thing. And it's the kind of thing if I was at my normal day job, I wouldn't really be able to do half as much. yeah, I think that's kind of been my main focus.
Social Media and Content Strategy
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, no, same here. Aside from getting a bunch of work done on the little side projects and things here and there, it's really been popping off in terms of social media. Like I have so much content coming out now on all my different little platforms. When it comes to social media and leveraging content creation as part of your content marketing mix, what is your go-to-market strategy?
Rose Bates: I think I'm still getting to the hang of actually speaking to people like on camera, like doing little kind of video story updates is something that I've just started doing and that I definitely want to get into because I think a lot of people see my photos and they see the sort of like demure like headshots and stuff and it's like so much more to me than just these like posy kind of looking serious photos and so I think actually speaking to people is a thing that I'm trying to get the hang of and actually interact with my audience because I realized before when I actually do videos, know, once in a blue moon when I post a video, it gets way more engagement because people see that I'm real and I'm moving and I personality and I smile and I think that's such a big part of it just coming across as an authentic human being.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Right. No, I totally agree getting comfortable. Like being on camera is, is really an asset. I have a new found appreciation for people who build their livelihoods off of video simply because for the podcast, I recently launched a YouTube channel. Sitting down and talking to a camera is very hard. It's a lot harder than it looks.
Rose Bates: Yeah, it's like I remember I did like a little kind of thank you video when you know my single had just come out to the blogs that were talking about it and People were saying oh my god, know, you're talking and I said it was so strange and it was just even a 20-second video and that was weird So I can't imagine even like with you, you know sitting down for like a good say half an hour and then editing it's a strange feeling People build their whole livelihood off of it. Like you say it's definitely a skill.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Right
Rose Bates: You're right. So yeah.
Balancing a Day Job with Creative Work
Omaralexis Ochoa: Previously you mentioned you were using this opportunity to really focus on projects that you don't really get the time to focus on during your day job. Can you tell me a bit about the work you do day to day?
Rose Bates: Yeah, so I work at, well, usually, pre-corona pandemic, I work at a little wine bar near my house about 20 minutes away. And ⁓ I was pretty much raised in that sort of industry because my dad's in the wine and spirits industry. So I was that kid who would get taken to dinner with my family and it would be like, you know, smell this wine. What does this smell like? What does that smell like?
Omaralexis Ochoa: How fabulous.
Rose Bates: I was sort of like raised in the industry and taught about how wine is made and how spirits are made. mean, my dad would take me to distilleries, which was boring as hell for like a six year old to go to. That was my upbringing. It was a big part of it. So I think it's just a skill that I've always just had growing up. It's just something I learned about naturally. working in quite a leisurely bar environment where a lot of it is just talking and educating customers, you know, it makes me happy. I'm definitely, I consider myself quite the extrovert. I think.
Any job where I can actually be out and interacting with other human beings is amazing because a lot of music is sitting at home and networking on your laptop and being a bit of a hermit, I guess.
Los Angeles as a Creative Backdrop
Omaralexis Ochoa: Haha, yeah, no, totally agree with that. When we last spoke, when we spoke just before this interview, you were just in Los Angeles. How'd you like it?
Rose Bates: Yeah, I love it there. think it has such, it gets so misjudged as a city. I think so many people think it's just Hollywood and that's it. And what they don't realize is that Hollywood is just one tiny area of LA. You've got West Hollywood, you've got Beverly Hills, you've got Glendale, Malibu, downtown, you you've got so many different areas that stand for so many different energies and vibes. And I stay in...
kind of between the border of Silver Lake and Los Feliz with friends of mine. And it's my dad's best friend lives there. He's lived there for about 50 years now. He's in his seventies, but he's this old school film composer. So he's in the music industry, just the complete other side of it. And so he did the music for, he did like the composition for like Wayne's World and ⁓ like charmed, you know, that witch show, like he did all sort of stuff. So.
Now he just hangs out there. I think because of knowing someone and knowing kind of, guess, a sort of local, he was able to show me like, this is where normal people hang out. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, a more real everyday side to it that isn't portrayed in, say, the media. you know, he takes me to the restaurants where like the LA locals eat and, know, the farmers markets and the normal kind of shops, you know, not the kind of touristy location. I think LA has this very genuine actually quite humble vibe that I think doesn't get much coverage in the media at all.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, no, I totally agree with that. You know, I've been living here in Los Angeles for about a year now. I just hit a year this past February. And one thing that I noticed about living in LA is that the people are a lot nicer than you'd expect in a big city.
Rose Bates: I think everyone's a lot more, I think a lot of people have a very kind of holistic chilled laid back view on life. because of that kind of laid back energy, people are more open to speaking to strangers, making new friends, or even like a coffee talk, or just, you know, someone around to your house for a cup of tea or whatever. And I love that energy. I love it. It's great. And it's really different to London where everyone's so introverted so much of the time.
And I mean, I love my city, it's definitely a little more like, it reminds me more so of New York, London. I feel like London feels very similar in the way that, know, it's very much like big city, a lot of concrete skyscrapers everywhere. And know what I mean? And, know, very business minded, very like keep your head down, get on with your stuff. Whether it's LA is more, be open, be relaxed, meet new people, talk, smile, go out for walk, runs, hikes. You know what I mean? It's a different vibe.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Right. Right. And there's just so much out there for everybody, even here in the little microcosm that is Los Angeles. So do you come out to the US pretty often?
Rose Bates: think I come out whenever I can. mean, my last trip was the first time I was in the States alone. And I'm glad that I stayed in LA for most of it, I consider that, you know, the closest thing I have to like a home away from home in the States, because I've been going there since I was a kid. And I've been staying with, you know, my family friends. I usually go with my dad or my mom or a family member, but this was the first time I went alone.
But I've been to kind of over the years. I've done little trips here and there I think the first time I went to California I think I was about 10 or 11 and we did like a California road trip with my family and then we did like another East Coast trip a few years later and then me and my dad I think I was about 18 and I just finished high school and Me and my dad did a little road trip around Florida around Florida and we did like the Keys and you know Miami and like all of that stuff. I feel like
I've seen a few different sides to the States, but LA is definitely where I feel the most comfortable. It's definitely my number one place to go. Yeah, it's the most familiar.
Travel and Inspiration
Omaralexis Ochoa: Gotcha, so where else would you say is on your travel bucket list?
Rose Bates: It's a bit random, but I think a place that I really want to see for some reason is Bali. I think because it's so spiritual and holistic, which is a big part of me and my personality. You know, I love doing yoga. I love meditation. I'm also, you know, super into astrology and taro. So any kind of area that has a sort of holistic feel to it, I'm down to explore. So I think Bali is a big one. Also India, I'd love to India. And let me think, where else? I think I'd...
Also, like I'm quite intrigued to see a bit of Scandinavia for some reason. I'd love to go and see it in, know, snow and like, well speaking of, I'd love to see Canada as well. There's a bunch of places. I'm just rambling. So many places.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, know. A ton of places on my list as well. I was actually supposed to go to Amsterdam for the first time last week or the week before, but you know, all the coronavirus.
Rose Bates: No, my mum's friend lives over there, I was there in January for a few days, that was fun. Yeah, it's a place.
Omaralexis Ochoa: On the subject of coronavirus and isolation, are there any shows that you're currently binging?
Rose Bates: I've been I feel like I'm a bit of a re-watcher rather than Yeah, I watched ages ago. I loved them. I love a typical from Netflix. I really enjoyed that
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, same here. Don't think I've seen that one.
Rose Bates: It's great and it's one of these shows where it's just very kind of therapeutic and a soft kind of show to watch if that makes sense because it's about this autistic kid going through high school and just battling every day but he's this really funny guy and it's just about him and his family just getting through day-to-day life and it's just very kind of sweet and just soft and it just a lot of it just puts your faith back in humanity a little bit you know and I love shows that kind of do that.
Getting Started in Music
Omaralexis Ochoa: I want to pivot a little bit into your background more in music as well as in business in the music industry. So when or how did you discover that you could sing?
Rose Bates: I think the earliest memories I have of like singing and loving it, I think I was a kid and my family would have these like get togethers or lunches during the summer. And I would be that one kid that would be like, I want to put on a show, I'm going to do a show. You know, like singing and dancing and you know, bless our hearts for enduring all of that, like in all of my madness. And I'd just be like, you'll sit here and you'll watch me sing and dance and act crazy. And that would be my like, big thing that I just love doing. You know, and I used to be such a big fan of Black Eyed Peas growing up and also Nebby Catardo, I loved her. And so I'd always, you know, my family members to just watch me sing and like give me feedback on it. Yeah, so I think that's like the earliest memories where I was like, you know, this is my thing. Like I just, I really enjoy this. But I think as a kid, it didn't click, but I actually wanted to do it as a career for quite a while. You know, as a kid, think my main sort of like childhood dream was I wanted to be like a zoologist and I wanted to work with animals. But I didn't think I realized that, you can actually do music for a career and there's a load of different ways you can actually do that until I'd say in my teens.
Omaralexis Ochoa: So are you only a singer or do you also dance and play instruments as well?
Rose Bates: ⁓ I used to play piano growing up, but, then I got this really mean teacher. had to change teachers. I remember I had this really sweet teacher at first from Germany. I used to go around her house and it was this old Victorian house. was beautiful. And she was like, she was amazing and I loved her so much. And then I moved back to Germany at one point. And so my mom had to get me a new teacher. I remember the second teacher was so mean and she just put me right off it. So, ⁓ I think.
I'm trying to get back into it actually, especially during the whole lockdown situation because I just have the piano just sitting there from my childhood lessons. So I'm trying to get back into it so I can play basic piano. And as for dancing, I'm such a shy dancer now. I don't know what happened. I missed my childhood in the way that I just didn't give a flying F for anyone.
Omaralexis Ochoa: What would you say is your first gig or performance?
Rose Bates: I think the first gig that I can actually remember well was I think I was 16 and I was going through a total punk phase. Had like jet black hair and I'd wear like band t-shirts all the time.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, me too, me too.
Rose Bates: I went to this social kind of youth club thing. I think it was on the weekend, I think, I can't remember. But I remember me and my best friend used to go and they used to put on little shows. It was like a legitimate music club, but it was for kids 18 and under. So there was a lot of kids from local schools and stuff that would kind of just hang out, jam around together. And I think they put on a show at a local kind of...
a small music festival in my neighborhood. And I think that that's the first time I remember performing properly. And I had to sing a song that I hate. I mean, it's a really famous song. had to sing Funky Town, which I hated. But I was so nervous, and it was such a cheesy song. It was like an 80s sort of themed music festival, like 80s. And yeah, I was so awkward. But yeah, I think that's the first time I remember doing a proper gig.
Omaralexis Ochoa: What would you say are your biggest musical influences?
Rose Bates: Definitely Lana Del Rey. you said, I think I mentioned this, I think to you on our previous first call, but I remember she was kind of the singer that made me realize, you you can actually work a deeper sounding voice like an alto voice. I mean, you listen to her speak and her actual speaking voice is really high pitched and it's really angelic. And then as soon as she sings, there's like this kind of demure, sultry tone that comes out, but it sounds absolutely incredible.
And I think she was the first person that made me think, ⁓ just because I'm a girl, I don't have to sing really squeaky and high all the time. can actually work different octaves. And I think she just opened up a whole new sort of vibe of singing. So she's huge for me. And also, Hayley Kyoko is a big deal because she's the first, I think, that I know of, she's the first out and lesbian singer in the past three years who has hit the top. ⁓
40 charts and has hit mainstream pop, you know, that song she did with Kalani. And I'm so proud that there's an actual lesbian, especially a femme lesbian, I'd consider her femme lesbian like myself, you who's very girly and not, guess, stereotypically, you know, quote unquote, looking gay, you know, like people would say. And is representing our community and she's doing an amazing job of it. She's showing that, you know, stereotypes aren't just one box. A gay person can look any 100 different looks and ways. You know what mean? We don't just fit into one category. And then we mainstream pop just as well as a C-tetro person can, you know?
Advice for New Artists
Omaralexis Ochoa: It's always amazing to have those inspirations that pave the way. I know that is something that's important to you and your music. Do you have any tips for new artists?
Rose Bates: I think just working with people and collaborating with people that have a similar sound to you and I think also knowing what you want to go for is such a big deal. think I had so many, I did actually record, I think the first song I full on recorded in an actual studio, I believe I was around 16 or 17 and it was such a cheesy pop song but I wrote it and I think I was just a bit lost, you know.
I remember sitting in the studio and I was like, you know, well, what do you want to go for? I was like, I don't really know. I kind of want to sound like this person. I kind of want to sound like this person. And then the next time I was in the studio properly, when I recorded my EP, you know, just over, I think it was around two years ago now, I was so clear. I was like, this is my sound. This is what I want to go for. I want it to be dreamy. I want it to be night-like. And so I think just being very clear on what your vibe is, what kind of atmosphere you want to put out is such a big deal. And also just writing lyrics out of what you feel and also you know make sure the lyrics are catchy make sure they're good and if not there are a million people online that can help out a million we're so lucky to be in like a world today where there's literally a bajillion tutorials on youtube for anything you know so i think just educate yourself and also don't get ripped off i think people get ripped off so easily i remember it out hundreds and hundreds of pounds for that first track but i don't even like or use anymore i don't even listen to it you know what i mean it was more of an experience for me
But I think just be careful who you give your money to. You know, it's annoying because I feel like so many in the music industry or in any creative industry, you're going to get screwed over at least once, I feel like, and it's the truth of it. But I think just I'd say to people starting out in my sort of position, just kind of look out, you know what I mean? For people who are going to take advantage.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Exactly, know what your brand is, know who your audience is. Even then it takes a lot of work to really understand those things. It takes some experimentation and sometimes in the process of experimentation you do you do get screwed over. Tell me a little bit about your process. What are some of the things that give you energy or inspiration to write your music?
Rose Bates: think a weird thing that I think not a lot of people talk about in interviews, at least that I've seen, is I'm just watching other artists talk about their work, just chat about it. I think I watch more or just as many interviews of artists that I like just as much as I listen to their music. I remember I spent a whole afternoon once and I was watching Ariana Grande's tour diaries, because I love just seeing the behind the scenes. I love seeing like, and I love seeing her just...
sitting on her bed and having a chat with her mates about the album. And I like that because it just shows you what they're up to and how they're doing it. it just shows you that everyone has a creative process. think seeing, it's a domino effect, seeing other people talk about their creative process is a domino effect on my creative process. I'm like, yeah, I want to get creating now. They're doing it, I want to do it. It's a good, it's you in that sort of ready to create mindset.
Creative Process & Musical Branding
Omaralexis Ochoa: How much time would you say you spend writing music versus say building your brand?
Rose Bates: I'll have like phases. It's sort of like little chunks of time. Like I remember when I was in LA, for example, I think I wrote like every day I was there because I was constantly meeting new people that I was being inspired by and new personalities and I was going to places and you know, I was getting all this sort of information into my brain. And I think because of that, I was on like a creative sort of flow just all the time and I was always writing and
You know, I was always on the go with that. But then, you know, I think in the last few recent weeks, even though I've been doing projects, think mentally I've been more on the kind of marketing and trying to brand side of things and network more so because my release has just come out. So I'm just on that kind of go, go, go more technical side of things and sending out the emails and messaging the blogs and you know, everything like that. But, you know, I've also, you know, I think a couple of weeks ago,
I was in more of the creative mood. So I think it goes in and out of the two different kinds of sides.
Writing, Releasing, and Promoting “Young God”
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, it's a careful balance between not only creating the content or creating the music, but it's also once it's created, it's getting it out into the marketplace and advertising it. And even then it's not as simple as say, just reaching out to different people. You have to be a little strategic about it. So it's like planning for the planning. You mentioned your latest release. Tell me about your, your newest single, Young God.
Rose Bates: Well, that song was one I did write when I was in LA. It's basically --all the lyrics are pretty much like a collection of little images that I sort of remember and little moments that I felt when I was there. I kind of thought to myself, "My God, like I'm really here, what the hell?" You know? "By myself, doing my music, meeting new people, this is so crazy!" And so I wrote it in the studio at the Hollywood Musicians Institute with the producer, Harrell -- he works there, he's a studio engineer.
And I got introduced to him via a person I was on a retreat with. So I was on a music retreat in Nashville just before I went to LA for a week. I was invited by ex-Warner Chapel Senior VP, Judy Stakey. And she runs these songwriting retreats. She does them in California too, but I just wanted to go to the Nashville one. Because I was like, "You know what? I've never been to Nashville. I've seen Florida, but I haven't seen anywhere else in the South. So I'm just going to do this and then I can hop over to LA after."
And when I was there, I met one of Judy's friends and, you know, mentors that she works with, Corey Shaw, who's an artist --great guy. And I was talking to him about how I was heading to LA and if he knew anyone, you know, he could hook me up with to make friends, Meet people, meet musicians. And he said, "Yeah, hit up my friend Max, he's a really nice producer." And I met him once I was in LA and then we got working together and it was really nice. And we would... bond over how neither of us were from LA, because he's Aussie and I was obviously a Brit.
So we were kind of just bonding over Kyle for real. Because he's lived there for quite a while now, but even he kind of understood my little kind of surreal thing that I was going through. I was like, "Dude, I'm really here. Like, I'm not from here. This place is so different. It's so wild. It's so surreal." And so the song is just made up of little moments that.. I kind of remember the first few lines like "bottles on the floor, the party's a little loud," and I remember thinking that on Halloween I was out in like West Hollywood for the first time and there were bottles everywhere and it was this crazy party going on. Think I was at Rocco's I believe, in West Hollywood? And yeah, I remember thinking, "This is so weird. I'm in Rocco's in West Hollywood with my new friends." I was meeting new people and I remember thinking "I've just got to write about this moment. How crazy this feels!" and it's sort of snowballed from that.
Omaralexis Ochoa: No, it's awesome. I was actually in West Hollywood for Halloween. Didn't swing by Rocco's but...
Rose Bates: Where were you?
Omaralexis Ochoa: So I made a mistake this past Halloween. Unfortunately, we showed up a little later thinking, they have the daytime stuff and then the evening things are going to be a lot more fun. We show up every single club has a huge line. So I mistakenly thought it would be similar to the Halloween on the East Coast. I was sorely mistaken.
Rose Bates: I'm very like, okay, this is that line, this is that line, know, security guards everywhere. And then at the end of like one or something, you know, quite early considering it's Halloween, the police were like, out, you're going, you're going home, you know, it was full on.
Sexuality, Visibility, and Coming Out
Omaralexis Ochoa: It was a lot of fun, definitely an experience. So I kind of had a similar surreal moment. know, my first Halloween in LA, I was like, wow, like I'm here. I have all my new friends. It's a of fun. So your song definitely touches on those nostalgic notes for me. I want to pivot a little bit into your sexuality. And the reason I want to do that is because, you know, this being the gay pro, I really have an interest in seeing how sexuality intersects with all the different things we do, especially business and our careers. So how would you say that sexuality has influenced your music?
Rose Bates: I've made it sort of a point up until I'd say around just end of last year to write in sort of general neutral kind of form and pronouns so that my music can be open to everyone. mean, know, Lynn Gunn, she's an amazing singer and she's out as gay and you know, all her songs are, you know, pronouns completely neutral. know, she's, she always speaks in sort of like, you know, second person. You know, she's always saying, you, you're this, you're that, I'm this, you're that, you know, and I liked that. And I think at the start, was sort of my aim was to just be completely neutral. But I think over time, I sort of got a bit fed up of always being just assumed that I was straight because I'm, you know, a femme lesbian. And when I was, you know, speaking to state producers and that, and they'd always say, you know, is this about a boy? And it's like, why do you have to assume it's about a man if I'm a woman? know, it was getting to a point, it's like, no, I need some sort of track that literally shows hello, like I
I'm a queer woman, I am a woman of the LGBT community. You know, I don't want to stand on sort of neutral ground anymore. There's nothing wrong with standing on neutral ground, but I think I got a little bit of it towards the end of 2019. And so I wrote this song called Elena, or Oh Elena, which will be coming out hopefully this year once I finish up the production on it with a friend of mine.
And in that one, the hook is literally Elena, Elena, Elena. I I'm talking about a previous relationship. I changed the name on purpose, of course. Provious reasons, I didn't actually date an Elena. But I just thought Elena was like a nice, catchy name to kind of hook in the song. But I wanted to clearly write about a woman. I wanted people to see, this is about a woman. I'm a queer artist. And I think just... letting you know my PR team who initially reached out to you guys I told them I want to focus on LGBT you know podcasts and blogs etc like I'm very much pushing the fact that I'm a part of this community you know and I'm not just going to kind of blend into background so the majority of the mainstream community can assume I'm straight all the time you know
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, I think that's a really great initiative to be pushing forward because like you mentioned, it's great to stand on neutral ground. It's definitely a lot more marketable, at least to a mass audience. However, it's really about finding your niche and finding that audience that will support you the most. What better group to do that than the queer community? And I feel like having that representation is something critically important, especially in today's political environment. Being that representation, I think is excellent. I applaud you for taking that shift over into more overt pronoun usage to really show other listeners like, hey, you know, this is a demure, feminine artist that I identify with who is a lesbian. I think that's incredible. So are there any other queer artists or leaders that you look to as inspiration?
Rose Bates: I think like I said, Hayley Pirko is a big one. I also look up people like Halsey who's written songs with female pronouns in the past and I was really happy when her and Lauren D'Arruge who's also out as a queer woman and she's a singer did attract together. was like, yes, was like, come on, people in our community need to stick together and know, part together and act together. And, you know, I was really proud of that. And I think a lot of people, you know, in mainstream pop, you know, a lot more queer artists are becoming a bigger part of the mainstream. know, people like Sam Smith even, they're really big, they're doing their songs, Halsey's doing her songs, you know, they're all doing amazing. So I'm actually just proud in general that so many amazing queer artists are just coming more into the spotlight.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Yeah, I think that's excellent, especially with Sam Smith, coming out as non-binary. I think those are really important facets of representation that the community so desperately needs. What's your coming out story?
Rose Bates: I was one of those people in the closet that as soon as I realized I needed to come out, I came out. I was very much like a, I think I've always been quite a self-aware person even as a kid. So when I sort of figured it out, which was I think all my friends always, you know, kind of gushed over boys. I was about 14 and I remember there were always gush over guys that they had crushes on. You know, there was a few that we knew. I mean, it was an all-girls school, but there was always a friend of a friend to a boy, you know.
And so you know, be gushing over, know, oh, I like this boy, I like this boy. And I sort of just be quiet. I didn't really understand what the gushing over was about. I didn't really understand what the kind of, you know, fan-girling was over. didn't, it's not that I was just like, I don't feel anything. I was like, well, they're cute, but like, I don't get why everyone's kind of screaming and raving about it. And I kind of understand, you know, what that meant really at the time. And I remember it was so funny. I remember I was at lunch in the lunch room, like in the cafeteria at school.
And I remember I was in the midst of my punk phase. think it was kind of the beginning of it. And I was listening to Joan Jett and the Runaways and the Stooges and the Cure, all this very angsty teen music. And I remember one of my friends said, it would be funny if you were bi or gay or something. You never gush over boys like we do. And she laughed. And it was kind of my light bulb moment. I was like, wait a minute. You actually might have a boy. And I remember at one time when I was thinking.
I know why I'm so obsessed with listening to Joan Jett because that was the only person at the time I would be like gushing over. And I was like, wait, is this what a crush feels like? And it was that light bulb like putting two and two together kind of moment of, oh, I have a celebrity crush and this is what that feels like. You know, think after that I saw the snowball effect. Oh, I actually, I should like this girl too. I think there was like an an out lesbian in the year above. Like anytime she passed me, I'd be like, you my palms would get sweaty and like my heart would beat really fast. And like, I didn't know what was happening. And then when I kind of put the two and two together, I was like, wait, I have a crush on her. So was sort of a, ⁓ kind of moment, you know, like, it went off. And I think as soon as I realized it, I told my mom, I told my friends, I was like, hey, you guys are right. And they're like, okay. You know, I was, I was really lucky to be so easily accepted. And my mom was one of those parents that claimed like, I knew the whole
She was one of those parents. I was really lucky with mine and I think I was lucky I was so confident and clear about it because I know a lot of people in our community they go through so many years of self-torture of don't let it show type of thing and I'm so lucky I never had to go through that sort.
Closing Thoughts
Omaralexis Ochoa: They always do. Well, that's fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing and thank you so much for getting on the call with me. I loved hearing about your different experiences. Super excited for your new single. You know, make sure to check out Rose's website at RoseBatesOfficial.com and check out the single on Spotify. Is there anything else you want to say to the audience before we sign off?
Rose Bates: ⁓ Thank you for listening to me ramble on for quite a few minutes. Sorry if the answers are a bit lengthy, but yeah, thank you guys so much for listening.
Omaralexis Ochoa: Awesome, thank you, Rose.
Rose Bates: Amazing. Thanks for seeing me.