ROSIE incorporates who she is in the places she goes and the people she meets on ‘City Woman’

Recommended Tracks: “Mr. Blue Jeans,” “Bad Breaks and Goodbyes,” “Didn’t Feel a Thing”
Artists You Might Like: Gracie Abrams, Em Beihold, Maddie Regent

Over the last couple of years, ROSIE has slowly unveiled her experiences with love, loss, and relationships to the world. Whether it was through singles like “Mr. Blue Jeans” and “Turn Red” or through projects like What Scares Me The Most, she was telling her story—and laying the foundation for a larger body of work called City Woman. With City Woman, ROSIE gives us the full picture, filling in the gaps between these previously released songs. She gets into the loves that she found, the lessons she learned, and the losses she endured as she moved around the country and planted roots in different cities. In the end, she came out as a city woman with much to give, starting with these songs.

ROSIE’s fans know that the ever-honest singer-songwriter speaks her truth in her songs, often tapping into personal emotions and finding ways to come out on the other side. On City Woman, she does this with grace, with stirring songs that illustrate how she looks out for herself in times of need. There’s the previously released “I Was Wrong” and “Rock Bottom,” which touch on growth. With “I Was Wrong,” ROSIE realizes that things are better. She is not bound to be this constantly sad person with the “same old tears in my eyes,” someone who would “never change.” She admits that she was wrong for thinking this way, giving encouragement to others who might be in a similar place. On “Rock Bottom,” she opens up about the hurt and the pain that she was going through, singing about how “no one saw the hardest times.” As difficult as they were, however, they inspired her to make the most out of each day, which is why she will “take a bad day and call it a blessing” or “take a heartbreak and call it a lesson.” She knows that she is deserving of the good things in life, and on “Mr. Blue Jeans,” she puts herself first. On this track, we find ROSIE getting stood up by her date, yet again. She admits that she could get upset over this, but instead, she chooses not to get hung up. She sings, “I don’t know what I’ll do / But I’m not gonna waste tonight on you,” accepting that she does not need someone else in order to have a good time.

Elsewhere on the album, ROSIE continues to take the high road, especially when it comes to heartbreak. In a breakup situation, it can be easy to let parts of yourself leave with the ex as they walk out the door. But on “Lose Me Too,” ROSIE refuses to give up what she loves. Over the light percussion, she sings, “But you can’t take Bon Iver / My long brown hair / August stars and northeast air,” and admits, “If I have to live with losing you / I’m not gonna lose me too.” While breakups are hard, the moments that often lead to the breakup are harder. In the piano-driven “Bad Breaks and Goodbyes,” ROSIE is ready to leave a toxic relationship. She realizes that she stayed so long because “it’s hard to leave a man so weak,” but ultimately, she is more important than “All of your walkouts / The 3 a.m. meltdowns / Nights that you left me alone.” We hear the strength in her voice, and this strength grows stronger on “Didn’t Feel a Thing.” Here, ROSIE keeps it together as she crosses paths with an ex and his new girlfriend. In this moment, she admits, “Thought I’d feel that heartbreak sting / Thought I’d feel, but I didn’t feel a thing.” She has moved on—not only with someone who “does it better,” but also in sound. This track stands out from the others sonically, as it takes on twangy harmonies and a stomping groove. If anything, it is reminiscent of Nashville, which brings us to…

As strong as ROSIE is, she is not indestructible. On “Nashville,” she gives an emotional and solemn story about losing love in Nashville, moving to New York City, and still finding herself thinking about that lost love in Nashville. She shares, “I hate the way I miss you,” wishing that the change of scenery will help her erase the memory. ROSIE definitely gives her all and cares so much about the people she’s with, so when she recounts her anxieties and fears, one of them is completely breaking off from someone she loves. She reveals as much on “Try Again,” thinking that the relationship she used to have with someone might never get a chance to continue. This concept scares her, but sometimes, you have no choice but to let things go. ROSIE experiences this first-hand on “Blood Moon,” where she is haunted by old, magical memories. Her vocals are more intimate here, and guided by acoustic guitar and piano. Meanwhile, she notices how various places and objects are not as magical as they once were, now that she’s no longer with the one who made them special. It’s possible that she romanticized things a little, but in the end, “It’s just a blood moon / And you’re just a boy.”

But, not all hope is lost. Love comes and goes, so if ROSIE has watched it go, she has also seen it come into her life. On the liberating “Piece of My Heart,” ROSIE cautiously opens herself up to someone she loves. Over the pop-driven melodies, she sings, “So, here’s a little piece of my heart / It’s not a lot, but it’s a start / I’m sorry if I make it hard / Even when I’m in your arms.” It is not easy to let someone in, but once you do, it can be fast-moving. You could find yourself in someone’s car “wishing like hell that your engine dies” or that “all the green lights turn red,” just to spend more time with them. At least, this is what happens on “Turn Red,” a dreamy pop song that gets into the crazier aspects of love. In the end, ROSIE just has a “Big Heart,” and she will let it guide her. She knows that she will “fall too hard” or “break too easy,” but she also “can’t hide what’s on my mind.” So, instead of choosing to close herself off or hide who she really is around someone new, she is choosing to tell them about all of her emotional tendencies.

Overall, City Woman walks us through the various ups and downs that ROSIE went through as she came into her own as a city woman. She sets this up nicely on the intro and the outro of the album, where she mentions the cities that she has lived in and what she took from one to the other. We hear bits and pieces of each city throughout the album through the music and the lyrics, giving us a well-rounded glimpse of ROSIE’s life in these places. She also describes how she is still healing from all she’s been through and working on herself. It shows that the personal relationship you have with yourself is just as important as the ones you have with others, so no matter where you go or who you meet, never lose who you are.