We spoke to singer-songwriter Ariana and The Rose about her newest single “I Just Came To Say Goodbye” and her album The Breakup Variety Hour—read our conversation, and stream the album on your favorite listening platforms.
Hi Ariana, great to be chatting with you and congrats on your hit single “I Just Came To Say Goodbye”—how does it feel to see the reaction to your track?
Hi! Thanks for taking the time! Having anyone resonate with the a song I wrote feels very special and I’m always grateful for that! I wrote a lot of this album in my apt by myself and then brought the ideas to collaborators, so it feels really personal. It feels really nice to have people receive the music so positively and that it seems to speak to something in them also.
Your new album The Breakup Variety Hour just released, can you unpack the process of putting the project together and your inspirations for the title?
It’s been a non-linear process making this record and show. I knew that the album would also be a live show and that I wanted to show to double as an album, so I was sort of making two things at once. Firstly, I mapped out an arc for the show, I wasn’t totally sure how it was going to specifically work but I knew I was charting the course of a breakup and putting yourself back together. Then I went into the studio with live musicians and recorded live versions of everything. I used these versions in the first stage show we did at Joe’s Pub in NYC, it was just guitar, piano and vocals. From there, the show itself needed work and it was clear that songs needed to be changed, cut and new ones needed to be written. The process went back and forth like this for about 4 months until I went on tour this spring. Then, once the show itself was solidified, we went back into the studio and finished all the instrumentation. There are talking sections on the record, different interludes. It was my goal to make a concept album that felt like a one-woman show. I was influenced by The Cher Show, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand. Funny, ballsy females.
When did you know you were committed to pursuing music professionally?
I was writing music in my early twenties and I had a club track called “Beautiful” that got added to a compilation mix for a label. It was the first time I realized I could maybe make money or a career out of writing. I didn’t realize that writing and performing would take me to different countries and all over the US. I feel very grateful to be an independent artist and to have gotten to build my career with artistry I believe in.
Why did you gravitate to social media to express yourself through music and performance? What about the format was ideal for you?
In Covid, it was all we had! I was supposed to do a 20 dates tour supporting another artist and put out an EP and the whole world just stopped. Obviously, that was a universal feeling and everyone dealt with it in different ways. I ended up going into the studio when we could have pods again and just kept writing. That ended up being my second album. When it came time to promote it, I just started making tiktoks because it felt like the most direct way to speak to people. I didn’t know my “piano chat” videos would take off the way they did. Creating those videos influenced how I began to perform live, once the world opened up again and ultimately it led to me making the current album I’m about to put out.
Where do you go when you need to find inspiration? How do you motivate yourself when you don’t want to work on your creative projects?
I go to theater. I always have. Live theater is my favorite thing in the world. I love Broadway shows, I love immersive theater, I love avant-garde theater. It’s one of the only places that I feel like I can shut my mind off and get lost in the story telling. I think live performance allows for this amazing energy transference in a room that you just don’t get anywhere else. The second closest thing would be a concert, which is why I love tourng and playing shows so much.
Congrats on your residency at NYC’s Club Cumming, when can fans see you perform next?
Thank you! Club Cumming is like coming home. I started playing piano shows there in 2021 and they have built such an incredible community in that space, it’s an honor to be a part of.
I am doing an album release show at Joe’s Pub Oct 15th . I am so so excited!
Anything else to share about your new album? Where can we keep up with you online?
The album is 6 steps to get you through heartbreak! It’s a musical romp and a catharsis, equal parts pop concert and theatrical storytelling.
You can find me online in all the places at @arianaandtherose.
Follow Ariana and the Rose on Instagram to keep up with future shows and music.
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