Spotlight On... Rosé Chrissy

We first came across Rosé Chrissy (FFO Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B) in 2022 after she played as part of We Are Here Scotland and the Queen’s Hall’s AMPLIFI series curated by Arusa Qureshi and Halina Rifai. We very quickly became obsessed with her single Savage, with the line ‘It’s that hot girl shit’ stuck in our head for literally days. 

After featuring Chrissy in our Spotlight On… 2023 feature last January, we didn’t hear much from the Glasgow rapper in the months that followed. Then out of nowhere, at the end of last month, Diary of a Baddie arrived like a mic drop, a collection of 12 songs introducing an artist with the potential for a very bright future. Listen to Diary of a Baddie and you’ll quickly learn who Rosé Chrissy is – she loves bad bitches in all shapes, sizes and colours. She’s a risk-taker, a hustler, a party girl, a Leo. Rosé Chrissy is not one to be messing with. Find out more about this exciting Glasgow artist and her debut album, as we catch up with Rosé Chrissy for this week's Spotlight On...

Firstly, can you tell us a bit about yourself? Who is Rosé Chrissy, how did you get into making music, and who/what inspires you?
[I was] born and raised in Glasgow, I'm 22 years old and I started making music around 2019 more seriously. Growing up I always knew I wanted to become a star; I enjoyed entertaining my parents and putting on a show. I felt that a lot of women were losing their sense of voice; they didn't know how to stick up to insecure men and I saw a lot of that growing up which made me question why. I had a calling to be that voice for women.

My father was an amazing DJ and I grew up listening to different types of music genres: soul, Motown, rock, hip-hop, R'n'B, rap, house, reggae. My favourite genres are 90s hip-hop and R'n'B. I feel more connected to that era than ever. My father is the man who inspired me to love music and to pay attention to the rhythms, the tempo, and the instruments in the background which is why I have a very good ear for music.

My main inspirations were Michael Jackson; his stage presence, his work ethic, and his good ear for music, he had this magic about him – he was a legend. 2Pac also inspired me – he had a song for every situation people go through which led me to want to do the same for women specifically. Aaliyah, Da Brat and Lil' Kim were also my icons that I look up to as well.

Diary of a Baddie sounds like it was really fun to write and record, with a real nostalgic feel throughout, parts of it sounding like it could have as easily arrived in 1994 as 2024. Can you tell us more about the recording process? Who did you work with on bringing your ideas to life?
I am a very 'soul' artist, so when I make music it just comes to me in a way. I just start writing lyrics that come into my head; it may not make sense now but I will sleep, wake up and make a song. I make songs through my emotions. There will be times I'm very angry, so I have a lot to say, or when I'm upset I write songs. But I only like to do this by myself. When I'm creating music I'm in a hermit mode – I write the song by myself in my room.

When I go to the studio I'll record five or six songs in the space of four hours. I'll have included ad libs, how I wanted the beats to sound – I just explain to the producer and they just do it for me. I worked with three managers who helped me through this process, the producers I worked with were Kamz, who is from London, who helped mix and master my music, and King Filly from Glasgow; Just Easy was another. I [also] worked with a producer from Edinburgh. They were a great help.

Image: Rosé Chrissy by Rosé Chrissy

When it came to recording this record, it was a real labour of love for you, taking close to three years to complete, and before releasing the album, you’d only released two singles. So many artists seem impatient these days when it comes to release schedules; why was it important for you not to rush this record?
The times I wrote my music I was going through difficult phases of my life dealing with personal issues that affected me as a person and as a human being. I felt this was the time to gather everything I was going through as a diary. That's why I called my album [Diary of a Baddie], because it was a diary of phases of life I was going through. In a way I was discovering myself, so it didn't feel right to rush anything; I don't believe in doing things impulsively, I believe if it's meant to be it will be. 

Another thing which becomes quickly apparent on Diary... is how willing you are to let the listener into your world. It sounds real and raw, and I loved that when you announced it, you signed off with ‘LET THE WOMEN TALK’. Can you tell us about some of the themes found across the record? Do you have any favourite tracks?
As a Scottish Black female rapper, I felt that as the industry is so male-dominated I wanted to be the voice for the women to explain what we are going through. Instead of being overly sexualised, we want to be respected. The themes in my album are heartbreak in relationships and even friendship relationships [which] I feel people don't talk about how much – that hurts as well. There are a lot of party songs letting loose and having fun with a bottle of Hennessy, explaining how insecure men operate and how women can also go against another woman because of men. I feel like my album is a storytelling album. 

My favourite song is Anti (Boys) because it's a reminder for me to stop going for trash men and know my worth and add tax, reminding myself to not look back to my exes but to look forward and believe there is something better. Chrissy Crazy is my other favourite; when I'm getting ready to go out clubbing it puts me in the mood to have fun. 

Now that the album is out, what’s next for Rosé Chrissy?
I've made so much more music so hopefully either in spring or early summer I will bring it out. For my live shows at the moment, I don't have any, but if you follow my Instagram, I keep my fans updated on any shows coming up. For now, I'm hibernating, I'm healing and I'm excited for what the next step of my music career has to offer.

---

Diary of a Baddie is out now

Follow Rosé Chrissy on Instagram @Rosé_chrissyy1