Rose Cora Perry
Archive 2016Archived May 8, 2016 Yanis Khamsi
Rose Cora Perry has spent years making a name for herself. Her new album is “Onto the Floor”. The record is a daring attempt to fuse Perry’s classical influences and her undying love for nineties alternative rock.
“I’m really excited about it,” she exclaims.
While fame would be a welcome path for Perry, she asserts that “Music for me has never been about the glitz and the glamour, it’s always been about trying to deliver a powerful message.”
We live in a world obsessed with appearance. As a female singer, Perry understands this completely. In addition to making music, Perry also dabbles in modeling.
“I think that if somebody wants to be successful in any industry they should study it, and what is the number one thing in the music industry above talent above songwriting above everything: is marketing!”, she says emphatically with a laugh. “I know my image and I’m confident in my image.
Perry loves music, but is critical of the superficiality the industry demands. “Why are we not asking what’s wrong with the industry” she asks.
Perry had a tumultuous childhood and it was music that was the light in the darkness. “I was the only Goth chic at a catholic prep school. I didn’t like myself very much. As a teenager it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not have the adequate coping skills to deal with these things. It’s easy to fall into that solipsistic thinking”. Her parent’s separation was tough, but it wasn’t long before Perry was taking classical singing lessons and writing and performing music across her hometown.
“While she may have a plethora of inspirations, it is Alanis Morissette that stands above the rest. “Jagged Little Pill still rocks my world. It’s the greatest ’90s record front to back that was ever made” she says. “She’s beyond talented. I’m very influenced by her: both vocally and songwriting-wise. I’d be honoured if people saw some elements of her greatness in what I try to do”.
After high school Perry went on to spend six years in post-secondary school. “I’m not a doctor, but I probably could be” she jokes. She credits her business savvy to her post grad PR program. Perry also has a BA in social psychology, a passion she attributes to her personal issues growing up in London.
When Jimi Hendrix felt shunned by his hometown of Seattle, he went to the other side of the country. When New York City rejected him, he flew across the ocean to England. In spite of her problems growing up, Perry doesn’t resent her hometown, in fact there’s no place else she’d rather be.
“Would I want to live in a crazy bustling city where everyone’s stressed out and pulling their hair out all the time?” For all of her rock star stage presence and movie star good looks, Perry loves the quiet life and London, Ontario is home. “This has been a very supportive community for me. I have a lot of fantastic assets here I can rely upon; both friends as well as acquaintances and I’m grateful for all of that… It’s been a great home and a safe place to grow up in.”
All of this has led to “On to Floor”, an album Perry hopes will finally coagulate all of her musical influences.
“Onto the Floor” was originally conceived as a softer project without much rock, but this all changed when one of Perry’s favourite childhood bands reunited. “I had originally intended for it to be another acoustic album. But then my favourite band of all time Veruca Salt reunited after about twenty years. It was a really magical thing for me to see them perform live and be able to share my discography with them.” she says.
“The first song I plan on releasing…represents my genre (denoted ‘acoustic alternative’ by Perry) because its both acoustic and electric; it’s both soft and light.”
Perry weighs the risk of being so eclectic.
“If anyone has followed me as an artist, they would understand why it is that way, because my life musically has been inconsistent. I never wanted to get in a rock band in the first place. HER was formed when I was 15 years old, singing at a talent show. I was singing “Think of Me” from the Phantom of the Opera and some chick came up to me and said we should form a band together. I had originally had plans to pursue a career on Broadway. As it turned out, I was pretty good at fronting bands, and so after that it just spawned and spawned and I stayed in the rock genre.”
“I’m getting a lot more personal with this album and if people are listening to what I’m talking about in my lyrics , then they’ll understand why I chose the title I did. There’s a connection between my two solo records. ”
Perry has been through some tough times, but at the end of the day she has an optimistic outlook on life. “I try to be somebody who’s spreading positive messages, instead of sex drugs and rock and roll”, she says.
Onto the Floor comes out later this year.
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