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Few have had a year with as much “High-Note” qualification as Lily Rose. Little more than 12 months ago, she was delivering groceries and spending the last of her savings to replace a dead car battery, but now, she’s near the top of Music City’s unofficial “next up list.”
One of the most intriguing new faces in country, the Georgia native first broke out in early 2021, making waves on TikTok with her viral I’ll-be-the-bad-guy breakup anthem, “Villain.” And since then, the ripple effects from a bold sense of self are beginning to be felt. From her swaggering mix of hip-hop and country, to her plainspoken perspective as a proudly gay woman, she’s spent this year adding new voices to the country-music dialect, and making countless would-be fans feel seen.
Back in early October, Rose released her seven-track debut, Stronger Than I Am, and then rounded it out with three more quality songs. Classic country phrase-turning met refreshing examples and relatable diversity on tunes like “Know My Way Around” and “Remind Me of You.” Rose says all in all, it’s been a big year of firsts.
“I’ve been taking this year as kind of a ‘sponge year’ just to learn,” Rose admits, “because it’s all being thrown at me quicker than I ever anticipated.”
From her first meetings with Big Loud Records to a grueling radio tour, selling out her first hometown shows and even playing the amphitheater where she once attended concerts as a fan – Atlanta’s Ameris Bank Amphitheater – Rose has crossed a few things off her bucket list already. And importantly, she’s been embraced by Nashville’s country community, who seem to be recognizing the same thing fans are: an authentic voice.
“It’s really cool for the LGBTQ+ community: they’re seeing themselves for the first time in country music, and it’s really special,” Rose says. “I just want to keep putting songs out that people feel really connected to. I want to put on live shows that make people feel inspired, gathered, seen, happy – everything that music has done for me. I hope I can be that for more than one person.”
Although Rose is just getting started, that list of people seems to be trending up – so much so that some are even copying her look. Rose says fans will show up at concerts in a hoody and ripped black jeans, hair in a bun under a baseball cap, and she’s especially moved by the young ones at her meet-and-greets.
“The biggest thing I’ve experienced which makes my heart explode is so many parents saying, ‘Hey you make my kid feel seen, and that’s all I want,’” Rose says.
But her community building hasn’t just happened onstage or on TikTok. People Magazine even featured Rose’s October engagement to longtime girlfriend, Daira, showing how far Rose has made it into the cultural mainstream. Captured with a big celeb-style photo spread, Rose popped the question during a walk in Germantown, and now says the moment wasn’t just about one happy couple. It’s another way of making those who feel like outsiders, feel “normal” instead.
“Having that attachment of ‘country artist Lily Rose,’ and it’s two girls [getting engaged in People], those are the not-so-subtle ways I’m going to continue to live my life, and try to change this format for the better,” she says. “I’m really really excited to carry the flag, literally and figuratively – but it’s all gonna depend on the music, so we’re just gonna try to lead with great songs and try to change the world that way.”
Rose will start the next chapter of that quest on Chris Lane’s Fill Them Boots Tour in 2022, taking her message to fans January 13 in Boston, and running nationwide through the spring. Then it’s on to the next big goal – getting country radio onboard. But for now, her “sponge year” continues, and she’s soaking up the high life at home.
“That’s some of the best advice I’ve been given from artists that are a couple tiers ahead of me, so I’m just trying to be as present as possible, every single day,” Rose says. “It’s like ‘Wow, this time last year I was delivering groceries and I didn’t even have TikTok downloaded,’ and now I’m texting back and forth with somebody I would have never even dreamed of being in a room with. It’s really humbling, and I’m not taking any of it for granted.”