December Rose is a Montreal musician. She has been singing for over 15 years. Her songs feature her strong voice and harmonization. She can’t describe exactly what type of genre her music is, a blend of pop and soul, she says.
Her artist name is inspired by her Italian heritage and long Italian names. Her first name is Rose, and December is her birth month. She just came out with her album Raise your voice which she’s worked on and off on since 2018. A lot of her songs are about empowerment, and she’s inspired by a variety of different themes. In her song “Mamma”, she sings about her abusive relationship with her mother, who sufferers from a mental health issue.
Even though she’s always wanted to sing pop music, December Rose studied classical voice performance at Concordia University. Her family pushed her to get a more formal education, and pop music wasn’t a study option at English universities. She sees how classical music education has given her a strong musical foundation and has influenced her songwriting and vocal training.
Since her first year at university, December Rose has worked as a vocal coach and now coaches a variety of local and international students online through her company, “December Rose Studios.” Studying music also helped December Rose get into songwriting, something that she’s been doing for about nine years. Learning chords, and the logistics of music gave her the understanding she needed to write her own songs.
When asked about what inspires her to write songs, she said: “I think really being embittered by a lot of things I thought were unfair and feeling like I lost a lot of my life being in fear. Losing a lot of my to fear, abuse and suppression and feeling like I couldn’t make all my own decisions. So I think that is where a lot of my writing happened. It was just a lot of journaling and statements, like I don’t agree with this, or this is how I see it. This record [Mamma] anyway, it was more personal experience based, out of the darkest pits of hell. For other songs, I feel like when I can get inspiration from things I can’t explain. So be it nature, or refection, like reflecting on something traumatic, so for instance, if someone passes away. I’m really sensitive, so I’ll empathize right away” December Rose said.
Being empathic inspires December Rose to “beef up the depth of my lyrics, so I can write something not just for me.”
December Rose has just finished putting together her own documentary about her life growing up with a mentally unwell parent, and how it has made her the artist she is today. She’s releasing it in six parts. Each new documentary part will be released weekly, the third part will be coming out this Wednesday the 5th. The documentary helps people understand her music and lyrics.
She’s also posted many videos on her YouTube channel of her singing her new album live with her band. Expect more music to come, as she shows her evolution and that she’s “not just a sad girl.”
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