Q&A: Captivating Us With Her Siren Song, Andria Rose Releases “More Than a Day”
☆ BY SHARON LAZO ☆
WITH HER SIGNIFICANT, SULTRY SOUND — indie pop star Andria Rose takes us on a ride through the tunnel of love with her new single, “More Than A Day.” Stepping out of her comfort zone, Rose decided to give it a go and write a love song, as she worked with her creative partner and boyfriend, Bryan Cardenas, using their intuition to bring “More Than a Day” into the world.
Hailing from south Texas as a Latin woman in the music industry, Rose draws inspiration from many hispanic women and one artist in particular, Selena. Rose is passionate about where she comes from, her culture that shaped who she is, and her music. She hopes to release more music in Spanish, as her fans are receptive to it and hold a lot of love for her first spanish single “Para Siempre.” One of her most streamed songs and included on several Spotify playlists, Rose owes a lot to the song.
Although “More Than a Day” is different for Rose, everything we love about her is still very much present. You could easily compare her enchanting voice to one of a siren — it’s completely captivating. Along with these otherworldly vocals, Rose and Cardenas experimented with her sound, elevating the song by adding more guitars. With cute, flirty lyrics, Rose expresses the honest and tender emotions that come with falling in love. She explores the feeling of wanting to be everything to someone, being everything they’ve ever searched for, and being enough. The track is pure yet alluring, showcasing Rose’s multidimensional creativity and work ethic as she challenges herself on something different.
Read below to learn more about Rose as an artist, her roots and inspiration, as well as upcoming projects in the works.
LUNA: First thing’s first, how are you and how are you feeling about your latest release?
Talk to us about your new single, “More Than a Day.”
ROSE: I’m feeling really good about the response so far. This song is so different from what I currently have out — it’s more upbeat and pretty guitar-based. Most of my music falls into the slow, sultry vibe so we (my creative partner/producer, Bryan Cardenas and I) decided to approach this song in a new way, ’cause why not? “More Than a Day” is about the really lovely side to being in love. It’s about wanting to be someone’s baby, while also belonging to yourself. It’s harmonious. I really love how flirty and fun it is. I think it’s a pretty good reflection of who I am and how I am in a relationship. I’m manifesting nothing but great things to come from this single.
LUNA: While working on the single, what came first? Was it the lyrics, the melody, etc.? Did it come about easily, or did you find yourself having to walk away from it?
ROSE: So I write everything in my studio at home with my producer/creative partner (and boyfriend) Bryan Cardenas. Whenever we begin a new song, we like to play around with instrumentals first. He’ll lay down a beat, throw chords from the guitar or piano on it, and from there I begin my melodic process. With this track, we actually wrote it over a year ago and kind of forgot about it. It wasn’t until a month prior to the song’s release date that it resurfaced. Bryan and I were out and about when, out of the blue, I started singing the melody to the chorus. I turned to him and was like, “Wait, do you remember this song? Whatever happened to that one? It’s good!” and I sang it to him and he was like, “Wait, yeah!” We went home and found the session in our computer and began working on it again. Since we had the majority of it already written, most of what was left was vocals and a bit of retracking. It’s funny because we were actually working on a different song to be the next single. We put that one back in the vault. Maybe that one will resurface someday (laughs).
LUNA: What or who are your musical inspirations?
ROSE: Being hispanic and living in south Texas my entire life, I grew up on Selena. She’s remained one of my biggest inspirations. When I was little, I used to stay up all night throwing pretend concerts in my bedroom, singing her music. I’ve even studied mostly all of her interviews. I’m so grateful for her story. I’m also pretty inspired by Eydie Gormé, Astrud Gilberto, Amy Winehouse, Kali Uchis, and Quelle Rox (my bestie). I’m a big fan of the sultry female singer. Their voice is like a warm embrace.
LUNA: There is a visual for “More Than a Day” — can you tell us where you drew inspiration from stylistically/artistically?
ROSE: This song just feels like a breath of fresh air to me. I picture a sunny day filled with blooming flowers, kind of like what being in love feels like. It’s light and soft. Bryan and I filmed the video super DIY on a Sony camera from 2010. We went to a local garden and I wore a tiny dress (in freezing weather) as he filmed me walking through all of the lush. I wanted the video to feel like watching a home video from the past. We stopped at the market beforehand and grabbed a few peaches to pay homage to my lyric “Don’t tell me how to be the one that you need / I’m the sweetest peach.” That lyric really just means I know who I am and what I have to offer, and the peach (in the video) is symbolic for my self-assurance.
LUNA: You’re based in San Antonio and are also Mexican. How has living in Texas as well as being a Latina woman in the music industry shaped the art you create?
ROSE: My background has only contributed to my journey as an artist and establishing my identity and image. I’m very inspired by my culture. Living in San Antonio, you’re inevitably surrounded by the culture, and I love it! I especially love the old buildings, the missions, the murals and art. There is so much history that has been preserved in this city that I adore and appreciate. I love going downtown and just walking around. I find beauty in it all. I’ve filmed all of my music videos here in town because my city just so happens to match my aesthetic perfectly. There’s a lot of support for Latin indie here in south Texas, which has been such a blessing. It’s a niche I’ve found myself well acquainted with, and it’s so special. And of course being a woman in the industry is such an empowering thing, representing my girls. I literally thank God every day [that] I’m Latina (laughs).
LUNA: You have some tracks where you sing in Spanish. Your voice/sound feels so nostalgic and familiar to old-school tracks Hispanic parents play around the house — that familiarity can be easily passed down through generations. It’s the way Spanish oldies make sense to us as we grow up, and I feel it’s important to have artists like you who feel familiar and speak English and the mother tongue. So thank you for that! Do you plan on releasing more music in Spanish?
ROSE: Thank you for saying that! Like I said earlier, I draw a lot of inspiration from Eydie Gormé and older Latin music in general, so you saying that I sound nostalgic is such a compliment. I definitely plan on releasing more music in Spanish! I’m still learning to be fluent, but I’ve found that writing in Spanish has been so full-circle for me. My mother loves my Spanish music especially. When I sing in Spanish, my audience seems very receptive to it. My very first song released in Spanish, “Para Siempre,” literally put me on the map. That song was the first song of mine to be put in editorial playlists by both Spotify and Apple Music! It’s also my most streamed song at the moment. Not to mention I feel sexy when I sing in Spanish. So yeah, more is definitely coming!
LUNA: How important is it for you to incorporate your culture into your music?
ROSE I would say it’s pretty important because I think that representation of Latin culture in music is lacking. Honestly, Latin representation in general is so important and needed! If I have even a small platform to represent my people, I’m going to do it. It’s a sense of community and an amazing way to get in touch with those roots that are otherwise sometimes buried. And the music speaks to so many people — not just in the culture but outside of it too. That’s really what it’s all about to be honest. Connection.
LUNA: Last but not least, any exciting new projects in the works that you’d like to share with us?
ROSE: I just recently signed a management deal, and we have a whole calendar planned out with such exciting, new things coming so soon. I won’t give too much away just yet, but just know that this is my year. I’m manifesting!
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