Music spotlight: Q&A with Rothwell

If you’ve not heard of Rothwell yet, get your head out of the sand and prepare to be blown away.

You may have already heard her dulcet tones being played by Mylene Klass on Smooth Radio during the coronavirus lockdown, as background music to some particularly heartbreaking Love Island scenes in 2018, or been an avid fan over the years watching her many Youtube videos. Regardless, this is one hot new artist you need to be listening to. So far, she’s racked up a sturdy total of 461,315 monthly listeners on Spotify. More recently, she’s been featured on Ticketmaster’s ‘Homecoming, At Home With’ social media series as well as performing on George At Asda’s Instagram Live. Basically, if you’re not already listening to Rothwell, it’s time to get your act together.

Rothwell doesn’t just have a voice that you can spot a mile away, she also writes her own music. Her most recent song, I Wonder If You’re Happy, was even picked up my numerous radio stations around the country and beyond. Back in 2018, her song Velvet Heart made it onto Season 4 of Love Island in a scene where (cue the tiny violin), Adam and Rosie had fallen out and weren’t sleeping in the same bed. As well as being an accomplished songwriter, Rothwell posts weekly covers to her Youtube channel every Sunday, the most notable of which has to be a gut-wrenchingly emotional cover of Lewis Capaldi’s, Before You Go. To top it all off, she’s got some pretty sweet Rothwell merch on her website including stickers, Oyster card wallets and t-shirts, and you can even subscribe to her mailing list too to cater for your full blown Rothwell obsession. DREAMY, or what?

Fortunately for us all, I managed to have a quick catch up with Rothwell, and ask her 10 quick fire questions that I know you’re all gagging to hear the answers to (all via cyber space don’t worry your lockdown heads).

1. What first got you into music?

   I think I’ve always just had a love for it. When I was younger, I was completely obsessed with pop culture and pop music and did dance, singing and musical theatre. I think it helped that my parents are such big fans of music. Not a musical bone in their bodies but they absolutely love it.

2. What is your creative process like?

   It’s really different every time. It depends if I go into writing a song and I already know what I want the song to be about, or if I’m just writing because I feel like it. More often than not though, the chords and melodies come first, followed by the lyrics, and then it comes to bouncing production ideas around with the producer I’m working with.

3. How does it feel being a woman in the music industry?

   Strange. I’m lucky enough to work within a close team made up primarily of women. I find that very empowering and exciting, as it feels pretty freeing creatively, and when it comes to styling etc, it’s very much - ‘wear what you want, get ya nips out if you fancy!’

4. What’s your go-to karaoke song?

   SuperBass by Niki Minaj . Spent most of being 19 trying to learn all the words and now I’ve got it DOWN.

5. If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be?

   I’d LOVE to open for someone like Billie Eilish or Lewis Capaldi.

6. What’s the best moment you’ve had so far?

   I went on tour with Paul Simon a couple of years ago, opening for him! Got to sing at the Albert hall and meet my absolute Idol so that was pretty epic!

7. What’s your favourite song ever?

   Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes by Paul Simon... lol. But very closely followed by I’ll Be Seeing You by Billie Holiday.

8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?

   God there are too many!! I’d love to work with/write with loads of people!

9. What’s your party trick?

   I can say I’m a beautiful sausage in about 7-8 languages.

10. What’s next for you/what does the future hold?

    I’ve got lots of new music lined up and hopefully some gigs next year when things start to go back to normal!!