A smart, witty, and eclectic singer and songwriter, Caroline Rose is a musician not afraid to evolve in public, growing from a contemporary folkie to an Americana artist with roots rock leanings to a sharp-humored indie pop artist. Rose was born in Long Island, New York in 1990. She took piano lessons when she was young, but didn't care for the homework that came with them and gave up the instrument. At 13, she taught herself to play guitar, and started writing songs for her own amusement. After graduating from high school, Rose studied architecture, but she soured on the notion of making it her career, and turned to music as a way of making a living and traveling at the same time. In 2010, she recorded a self-titled, self-released album, and hit the road, busking when she couldn't land a regular gig. Rose began collaborating with Vermont-based musician and songwriter Jer Coons, and he produced and engineered 2013's America Religious which, like her 2010 EP, found her tapping into her folk influences. After significant touring, Rose struck a deal with the marketing and distribution firm Thirty Tigers, which released Rose's second album, 2014's I Will Not Be Afraid, on which she expanded her musical boundaries and embraced an eclectic variety of vintage pop, rockabilly, and roots rock influences. The album picked up satellite radio play, which helped spread the word about Rose's music. As she gained a larger audience, she found herself wanting to make music that better suited her sense of humor, as well as her growing interest in contemporary pop sounds. After collecting a wider variety of instruments and learning more about production by assembling a home recording setup, Rose went into the studio with producer Paul Butler, who had previously worked with Hurray for the Riff Raff and Devendra Banhart. The result, 2018's Loner, was both adventurous and user friendly, and merged Rose's serious ideas with her often humorous approach. The album was released by New West Records, which bankrolled music videos for two of Loner's songs, "Money" and "Soul No. 5." Loner earned Rose her best reviews to date and helped set the stage for Superstar, a loose concept album about fame that saw her embrace modern pop. Superstar appeared on New West in March 2020. ~ Mark Deming
