Rosie Lowe: Lover, Other
"The album explores various facets of my character and mind", Rosie Lowe shared with us during an interview on a gloomy morning. She has certainly accomplished this with her latest release, Lover, Other, which debuted yesterday. The album is a force to be reckoned with, delving into thematic depths and effortlessly navigating different genres and ideas. It's a deeply personal work, unified by Rosie's emotive vocals and the rawness of each track. Rosie is very much at the helm of this album, keeping her team small and organic and recording with friend Isabelle Peters, an opera singer, on vocals, designing the record artwork with best friend Sylvie Pyne, and collaborating with production partners Harvey Grant and D’Monk.
Last month, Rosie also released a track from the album, building on the momentum from the teaser In My Head (check it out below). The song exemplifies her artistic excellence, characterized by its upbeat rhythms and introspection. The accompanying music video, directed by her brother Louis Hemming-Lowe, is beautifully cinematic and perfectly complements the album's emotionality. In our interview, I discussed with Rosie the contrasts within this album, her inspirations, and the creative process that brought it to life.
Thank you for joining us. I’ve been a fan of your music for quite some time, and I’ve always been struck by how genre-defying it is. It seamlessly blends various genres and themes. Do you think this versatility helps you stay truer to your artistic vision compared to sticking to a single genre?
Rosie Lowe: When I was working on this record, I didn't set out with a specific plan to blend genres, but rather, I drew from the music that resonated with me, whether it was sampling, chorals, RnB, or electronic beats. I wanted the album to be a collage of all these different elements that I love.
At some point, I could have worried about whether it was too diverse or whether I needed to stick to one genre, but I decided to embrace it instead. I leaned into the idea of showcasing different sides of my character and musical expression. I think that the freedom to explore and mix different sounds allows me to stay true to my artistic vision and create something that feels authentic to who I am as an artist
The album Lover, Other seems to capture this perfectly, with its fragmented yet cohesive feel. You’ve mentioned that you aimed for the album to resemble a collage. Can you elaborate on the meaning behind the title Lover, Other?
It all started in Madremanya, a small village in Spain, where I was staying with a family. The mother, a performance artist, introduced me to the work of Claude Cahun, a performance artist, through a documentary titled Lover Other. I then wrote this into my notebook and watched it on the same night, I thought it was beautiful. Those words—Lover Other—stayed with me throughout the writing process. So when it came down to titling the album, the words just kept on coming into my mind because it had been a central theme of the creative process. The album deals with polarities, much like the title suggests, exploring different sides of my character and mind. At that time in my life, I was in my early 30s and experiencing a major transition. I had lost some friends, even to suicide, which made me reflect deeply on life, death, and my future. The album is full of these contrasts—light and dark, shade and illumination—and Lover Other felt like the perfect title to capture that duality.
Claude Cahun! There is certainly a polarity to her work as well, I guess in the way in which she defied all the norms of being a woman in the 1940s.
RL: Yes, she was very ahead of her time, it’s amazing.
Apart from Claude Cahun, were there other artists you were inspired by?
RL: Melanie Charles, for instance, has been a big inspiration. I admire how she produces her own music—it’s raw, fresh, and has an imperfect quality that I find really powerful. Watching her be so hands-on with her work inspired me to take charge on this album and be more intentional about producing it myself. Beyond that, I'm inspired by so much, often in ways that aren't immediately obvious. For example, Mary Lou Williams and her album Black Christ of the Andes has always been a huge source of inspiration—it's one of the greatest albums ever, in my opinion.
I am also inspired by old Disney music, particularly the way vocals and strings are recorded and interact with each other. There’s an innocence and ethereal quality to those recordings that really resonates with me; the idea of communication between vocals and strings became a key part of this album. I worked closely with my friend Harvey Grant on the string arrangements, and we created this back-and-forth dialogue where I’d respond to his string parts with vocal arrangements, and he’d come back with more strings. It was a really important aspect of the record’s overall feel.
You also just mentioned traveling to Spain, and I’ve read that you also visited Florence, Berlin, and Devon while working on this album. How did these different cities influence your songwriting and the creation of the album?
© Abiella Åland
RL: I wouldn’t say the music from those cities directly influenced the album, but being in different places—with their unique atmospheres, people, and cultures— impacted how I approached making music each day. When I started the album, I wanted the freedom to create wherever I was, instead of being confined to a studio. I carried a portable studio setup so I could explore, enjoy my surroundings, and make music spontaneously.
I also wanted the album to feel imperfect and organic. I embraced the imperfections, leaving doors open, letting life around me seep into the music. That was something I was intentional about with this album. Throughout the entire process—from the writing to the production—I embraced imperfection. I didn’t want perfect vocals, flawless audio, or soundproofed rooms. I wanted to keep the doors open, literally, allowing the environment to infuse itself into the music.
This approach was liberating for me, especially as someone who, like many, has perfectionist tendencies. I realized that striving for perfection limits my creativity and takes the joy out of making music. It’s not even the kind of music I enjoy listening to. So, I made a conscious effort to avoid situations that would push me toward perfectionism and instead focused on capturing the raw, unfiltered essence of the moment.
Were there any songs that particularly showcased your approach to embracing imperfection?
RL: Honestly, almost all of them do, in terms of how they were recorded. I was very deliberate about avoiding striving for the perfect vocal take. I’m always challenging myself to get out of my head when recording vocals or playing an instrument. When you're both producing and recording your own work, it's easy to become overly critical. For instance, I’ve often deleted vocal takes before even listening back, just because I hit a wrong note. But that note could have been the most brilliant part — who cares if it wasn’t perfect? You know? I’ve deleted so many vocals in the past because I thought, Oh no, it wasn't right.
So, I worked in ways that prevented me from over-editing. In Spain, for example, I did a lot of the main vocal takes in a room with collaborators, not in a studio. We set up three mics in the flat we were staying in and just sang through the songs, creating a live, organic feeling. I’d step away, come back half an hour later, and listen with fresh ears. That distance allowed me to appreciate what I had done without the critical mindset.
A good example of this is the song Gratitude. The beat was created on an MPC in just ten minutes, right before we were about to leave the studio in Berlin to meet some friends. I felt really good about it, even though I initially thought I could do a better vocal take. But I resisted the urge to fix it because it captured the essence of the song—letting things be as they are and being grateful for them.
Another example is Lay Me. The whole backing vocal intro was written in about five minutes before dinner in Spain. I wrote the song in 10 minutes and decided to leave it as it was. Sometimes, you have to stay true to the moment and resist the urge to polish everything.
I'd love to discuss the music video for In My Head with you! I've noticed that your videos have a distinct cinematic flair, and In My Head is no exception. Could you tell me more about the concepts and creative process that went into making it?
RL: I worked closely with my brother on this one — he directed it. The pace of the song really influenced the visuals. My brother knows me well, so we had a natural synergy. I’m very particular about who I choose to direct my videos; I want to collaborate with people who inspire me and who are doing interesting, creative work. For this album, I wanted a small, trusted team. The process felt intimate, and I didn’t want the experience of turning up to a set full of strangers.
My brother came up with most of the concept, and I contributed to it, but the core idea was about duality—exploring different aspects of a character. Both videos we've done for this album are tied together thematically, focusing on ideas like time, mortality, and the repetitive nature of life. We wanted the video to reflect that repetitive, almost Groundhog Day-like feeling, where things subtly change but the routine remains.
The song has this repetitive rhythm, and we wanted the video to mirror that with a snappy, quick pace. I have a clear aesthetic vision for how I like things to look, and that naturally guided the direction of the video as well.
I could definitely sense the energy while watching the video. I loved finding those little details in the crossword puzzle, like the words "erase" and "fleeing"—they really added to the theme of escapism and losing oneself in thought. I also heard you'll be performing at the ICA in September. What can audiences expect from that show?
RL: I'm really excited about this performance. Since the album is such a collage of different sounds and ideas, it's been a challenge to figure out how to represent all of those elements in a way that stays true to the music while also being creatively engaging. But that's what makes it exciting.
I'm still working out the details, but I’ll have Harvey Grant and D’Monk, who co-produced the album with me, onstage as well. It's going to be a very equipment-heavy show, using the same gear that we used on the record to keep the sound authentic. I think it's going to be really cool and unlike any headline show I've done before. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been this excited for a performance. It's going to be a lot of fun.
Are there any upcoming plans for other tours or performances?
RL: Not yet. I've done so much touring in the past that I'm being really particular about what I commit to now. It has to feel right, both in terms of timing and placement. We're looking at a lot of possibilities for next year, but I'm being a bit picky because I don't have as much time as I once did. I also want to make sure that everything I do feeds back into my creativity.
Touring and being in campaign mode can be exhausting, and it often takes me a long time to get back into a creative mindset afterward. So, I'm focusing on making sure that everything feels more holistic and aligned with my creative process. I've been doing this long enough to know what works for me and what doesn’t, so I’m really trying to stay true to what feels right and trust my intuition. But yes, hopefully, there will be lots more shows on the horizon!
