“You’ll get it when you’re older” is a sentiment we all remember being told at some point in our youth. Whether it was not quite grasping our older siblings’ attraction for ‘that guy’, or recoiling at our mother’s love for gardening (something I still haven’t quite got my head around), the expectation that with age comes wisdom and understanding is an idea that most of us cling to.
This same notion has been on 25 year old Blake Rose’s mind for a few years now. It’s actually something he’s been ruminating on since he was 14 and his sister, who was in the midst of battling addiction, joined them on their family vacation. At the time Blake couldn’t quite understand what was motivating his sibling to go down a self-destructive path. In response to his questions she told him: “you’ll get it when you’re older.” Now in his mid 20s, this pop artist does understand it a little better, and hopes through his EP, titled in his sisters own words, he can help others to do so also.
“It’s taken me a little while to feel comfortable talking about everything with my sister”, he tells me over Zoom from the surprisingly unglamorous backstage room of Birmingham 02. “But I finally feel like I’m in a place where I am, and my sister is also ready to be part of that story.”
I ask Blake what his sister’s response to the EP has been. “She really likes it,” he tells me. “It’s obviously a touchy subject, but she’s just as passionate about sharing her story as I am. We both want to spread the message that addiction doesn’t have to be shameful, that, in fact, there’s so much strength in her story.”
This message is most evident in the track ‘Magazine’, a song which Blake describes as being the lynchpin for the EP. Melodic refrains and power chords accompany Blake’s soaring vocals as he reminds the listener that no singular action is to blame for addiction: “But even if you gave the girl another name/It probably would’ve happened anyway.” This sentiment represents the holistic view towards addiction that Blake is trying to embody with the EP. “It’s easier now to comprehend how life can push people into certain choices. The absence of blame or shame is key, as otherwise people can be pulled back into addiction.”
Considering the reflective themes the EP takes on, I ask Blake what lessons about music he wishes his younger self knew. “I think just staying true to what you want to do is important,” he replies. “It’s quite corny and typical, but seeing the paths that other people in the industry have taken and the sacrifices they’ve made creatively to achieve success, it’s really heartbreaking to hear.”
This battle is something Blake himself has experienced and when I ask him to elaborate on his point he laughs and answers: “this is a big can of worms to open up.” Paraphrasing for him, Blake sometimes feels as thought the music he’s making doesn’t have enough depth. “If I try to prescribe to a more mechanical way of making music my passion just vanishes and I feel dry – like the words that are coming out of my mouth aren’t real,” he explains.
“Sometimes I need to take a step back, go back to my roots,” he continues. “I just need to let things come out naturally and have fun making music.”
This confidence in pursuing the music that makes him the happiest potentially comes from Blake’s beginnings as a musician, busking on the streets of Perth to thousands of people who didn’t even spare him a glance.
He explains that he’s lost his fear of rejection, which frees him up to pursue the music he wants to, rather than the music other people tell him he should. It’s also helped him deal with nerves surrounding performing live.
“The psychological battle of overcoming that has been so helpful for me going forwards”, he tells me. “I’m so much more chill about going on stage and don’t care if people don’t like the music. If they don’t I’ll be sad for an hour, and then move on. But without the experience of busking I’m not sure that would be the case.”
So, with all of these learnings does this mean that Blake has transcended and fully left his childhood behind? Not quite – we end the call just like we started it, with Blake telling me that his favourite part of visiting the UK on tour was seeing how many different places reminded him of Harry Potter.
