BLUE

Sometimes it takes a minute for an artist to truly come out of their shell. “I really took the time to do this one for me, and not to meet the expectations of a record label,” Quebec singer-songwriter Rosie Valland tells Apple Music of her second album—and newfound sense of freedom and self-assertion. “To be able to compose these songs, I had to work really hard on myself so I could find inner peace. And because I’m okay now, the tracks are no longer just about me. I’ve opened up to the world around me for the first time, and I see things from a more luminous and empathetic perspective.” This openness is reflected not only in the themes addressed on BLUE, but also in the broader range of sounds: “I stopped turning my back on my influences, and I also felt like giving a little nod to my childhood, growing up listening to ’90s pop music. I’ve therefore diverged somewhat from rock and alternative and aimed for something that’s more uplifting. I needed something that was gentle and soothing.” Here, Valland reveals how each of the tracks on BLUE came into being. Blue “This song exemplifies my state of mind when I created the album, and that’s why it’s also the title of the album. When I wrote it, I pictured myself comforting a friend I felt was on a downward spiral. I realised that it’s not easy to avoid the clichés when trying to console somebody, that we always end up saying the same thing: It’ll be okay. Because at the end of the day, they may be clichés, but they are also often right.” Chaos “‘Chaos’ is a critical look at my creative process. I went through a difficult period, but I’m doing better now; I live in the country and I’m in love. Seeing as I’m not used to creating when everything is going fine, I was worried I’d lack inspiration. For the music, I went for organic and highly charged pop, a bit like the Smashing Pumpkins.” Forçons les tiges “It’s an ode to our times, which I don’t find particularly coherent. We criticise a lot, but take very little action