Do you have a story behind your artist name?
It’s my real name! Which in and of itself often stumps people, because it’s an usual name where I live (Essex). I’m half Irish, as my Dad is from Northern Ireland, so I therefore have a very Irish name. Roisin is pronounced a bit like the way you’d say the word “machine”, kind of like “rrrr-sheen”, and it means variations of the idea of a “little rose” or “black rose”, which is cute. The fact I have a bit of an usual Irish name definitely made it easy for me to go with it as my artist name!
Tells us a bit about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
I’ve been writing since around 12 years old, having been brought up on lots of great pop/rock music by my parents, who are also quite musical. I picked up the guitar at around 13 as a way to put my song ideas to music, and shortly after that began recording demos and gigging locally. Throughout my teens I was gigging a lot across the UK as a country/pop artist. In the last year or so, I’ve taken a step back from gigging and releasing music to focus on writing and recording music in more of a pop/rock direction. I’m now starting to release this new chapter of my music, starting with my recent singles “Midnight Indigo” and ‘What I’m Made For”!
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
I think it’s, hopefully, representative of a range of artists and styles that influence me. Overall it’s pop/rock with some country/americana undercurrents. Think a big mixture of Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Counting Crows and Maisie Peters. At least, that’s been the aim!
What drew you to the genre /instruments you’re playing right now?
I never felt country/pop, by which I used to label myself, was entirely representative of the music I wanted to create. Bits of it will always be in my writing, but I love pop/rock as a wider genre; full band sound, big guitars and authentic, storytelling songwriting. I’ve played guitar since I was around 13, and it’s my primary instrument. I have so many guitars and love them very much, because it’s the most natural instrument for me to create the music I write.
What inspires you to write music?
Music has the ability to touch and connect in a way normal, everyday communication can’t. I’ve got that out of music from a very young age. Being brought up on some great songwriters, including Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac and various folk artists opened my eyes to music’s ability to do that growing up. I was around 11 when i picked up Taylor Swift’s first two albums from HMV, listened back to back to them on a long car journey on a portable CD player and had the realisation that this was the best thing I had discovered in life yet and that i needed to try and do it!
Would you tell us about your current project, album/EP, or song you’re promoting?
I’m currently releasing a string of singles that I’ve been writing and recording in the last year or so. ‘Midnight Indigo’ was the first, and I’ve just released the next one ‘What I’m Made For’. I’m going to keep releasing more of these tracks every six weeks or so!
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
Some authentic writing! I’m always striving to be real, vulnerable and touch on difficult areas in my songs. The most important thing about putting music out there is the possibility of it connecting with someone – that’s all I strive for.
Who are your top three artists right now? If that’s not a fair question, what’s your favorite song right now?
Oooh right now, I’m listening quite a lot to Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and Michael Marcagi.
What’s the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
Instagram and Tiktok! Both are @Rosey_Roisin
https://instagram.com/Rosey_Roisin
https://tiktok.com/@Rosey_Roisin
https://twitter.com/@rosey_roisin
https://facebook.com/roisinmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6iikX1oIXrH2f9wisDLScj?si=pLccGiX5Tr-0yAxADenJjg
What’s next for you?
I’ll be releasing lots more tracks regularly, and announcing some gigs soon too!
Bio:
Roisin O’Hagan is a singer-songwriter from Essex, UK, who has been writing, performing and
releasing music since she was 12 years old. Having grown up in a musical household, Roisin
was inspired to create songs that upholds storytelling songwriting at its core, much like the
music she grew up listening to such as Counting Crows, Taylor Swift, Tom Petty, Bruce
Springsteen, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.
Following her 2022 EP, Dreamstate, which was a Nashville-recorded country/pop EP, Roisin is
now entering a new chapter, as she begins to unveil her most authentic work today. As she
opens up about difficult themes from a real, raw and human approach, Roisin pulls listeners into
her world. A departure from her previous country/pop releases, her latest single “Midnight
Indigo” sees Roisin exploring a mix of pop, rock and singer-songwriter elements.
As an independent artist, Roisin has supported Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) on tour, performed
for Whispering Bob Harris (BBC Radio 2) and BBC Introducing and been named a Fender
Undiscovered Artist finalist. As she embarks on this new journey, 2024 is set to be an exciting
year for Roisin O’Hagan, kicking off with “Midnight Indigo.”
