UCN Interview at CRS 2013 – Maggie Rose: “That’s why I perform, to reach people.”

11 years ago Liv Carter 3

Maggie Rose had already built up a following under the name Margaret Durante when she decided to change her name, image and sound. The new music is a mix of country, pop, rock, and even cajun influences that shows Maggie Rose to be one of the more interesting rising country stars. She chatted at CRS 2013 about her new single, ‘Better,’ the influence of social media, and her favorite ‘worst show’ memory.

 

UCN: I’ve listened to your older stuff, which is more straight ahead pop-rock. When did you start incorporating country influences into your music, or was it always there?
Maggie Rose: It was always kinda there, but I’ve had the luxury of being on the road with a band for awhile now, and I think you really find out who you are as an artist when you’re in front of an audience constantly. And the music that I gravitated towards, that made me move to Nashville, was like Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Bonnie Raitt, all these strong female country artists, and I wanted to have that come through in the music. And I think it was the fact that I was able to slow down and collect my thoughts, and get a cohesive production for an entire album.

UCN: Speaking of changes, you went through a name change too. Was that kind of a scary thing because you’d built up so much momentum under your given name?
MR: Margaret Rose Durante is my legal name, and my dad always called me Maggie. I just kind of grew up. I’d been in Nashville for 5 years and I knew that whatever image I had from this point on I was going to be married to and I wanted to do what came from me and have more fun with my image. Maggie is my nickname that my dad’s called me my whole life and Rose is my middle name, and more approachable than my Italian last name, that’s really hard to pronounce. [laughs] It was just a way to reveal more of myself to my fans and indicate the change in the music.

UCN: The new single, ‘Better,’ is pretty gritty. When I first dug into it I was pretty surprised because coming off ‘I Ain’t Your Mama’ which is a really fun song it’s pretty different. Tell me more about that.
MR: I think one of the exciting parts about putting a whole album out is that you don’t just have a single to share with your fans anymore. Everyone has multiple aspects of their personality, they’ve had different experiences that make them who they are. ‘I Ain’t Your Mama’ is that fun, girl-power anthem, but ‘Better’ really spoke to me when I heard it. I was going through a terrible breakup with this guy who said he was someone that he was not. Hearing a song that was so raw and vulnerable like ‘Better,’ that talked about someone who is inconsolable and resorting to things they weren’t proud of but saw the light at the end of the tunnel, was something that made me feel not alone. And if it did that for me, I want my fans to feel that. And I’ve been singing it live for four years and I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘I heard this song and after I lost my dad it made me see that it’s going to get better,’ or ‘I lost my job and it helped get me through,’ and that’s why you sing. Any artist will tell you that’s why they perform, to reach people like that. So I was excited to get it out there, and I think it shows the other end of the spectrum. So long answer long… [laughs]

UCN: I said this in the review, but I think your vocal delivery really made it more powerful.
MR: Thank you.

UCN: I think, for example, if someone like Gretchen Wilson were to sing a song like that, you’d say, ‘That’s Gretchen Wilson, that seems in character for her.’ But your delivery was really kind of girl-next-door and it makes you really think a little bit more.
MR: Well, it’s really cool to hear your feedback on it, because everyone hears a song differently and I think that’s a really interesting observation.

UCN: We talked about Twitter a little bit before and country music is a little behind the times as far as catching up with the latest trends. How big a role is social media playing in your development?
MR: I think it’s essential to my career, because your fans want to know you and your songs become more real to them if they get a sense of who you are. And we’re really fortunate, especially as new artists, to have a vehicle like to connect with our listeners. And not every comment I make is ‘check out my new album, my song, my music.’ It might be ‘I’m having a weird day because of this’ or ‘something funny happened.’ You show your sense of humor, you show everyday life. Some people don’t like that accessibility but I think it’s a beautiful thing. It makes you a real person.

UCN: I agree. I think it definitely helps draw people to the music a little more if they can say, ‘Oh, she said this, I wonder if it relates to that song.’
MR: The only thing I’m not thrilled about with social media is that it makes everyone a critic. Or you find people are more negative in cutting other people down.

UCN: Haters gon’ hate!
MR: [laughs] Haters gonna hate! Don’t hate, congratulate, that’s what I say! [laughs] My Facebook peeps are pretty awesome, but you just see that more now than ever.

UCN: We had a meeting with someone yesterday at a label, and he said, you almost want people to either love you or hate you because if they’re in the middle, it’s like…
MR: Meh, whatever… Yeah, you want to polarize them.

UCN: So this is the ‘choose your own adventure’ portion of the interview. You get to either tell us a cool road story, or an inspirational quote that inspires you.
MR: I’ll tell you a horrific show story, is that an option?

UCN: Those are the best!
MR: So there’s this thing called paying your dues, and I understand that. And when I was first starting out, I played this outdoor festival and it was like 115 degrees outside. It was like 3 summers ago where it was just ungodly hot everywhere. My stage was about 200 yards from the audience and there was a rodeo ring in the middle, in between the audience and I. I’d released this song called ‘Mississippi’s Crying,’ this sensitive weepy ballad, and while I’m singing it, these children are riding sheep in front of me. It’s called ‘mutton busting’ I learned, and I have this expression, ‘This is a goat rodeo’ when something’s crazy. Children are like, ‘waaaaahhhhh!’ crying and I’m trying to sing and the audience is squinting their eyes to see what’s going on. And I thought, ‘This is probably what I need to do to get to the next level, right? Go through this, say I did it.’ But that was probably my most interesting show to date.

UCN: Love it! [laughs] MR: And now you know what mutton busting is, if you didn’t. You guys are welcome for that! (laughs)

UCN: Thanks for your time today!
MR: Thank you!

 

Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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