{"id":40398,"date":"2018-09-15T20:59:20","date_gmt":"2018-09-15T19:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=40398"},"modified":"2018-09-16T11:01:10","modified_gmt":"2018-09-16T10:01:10","slug":"we-talk-to-rotana-about-la-and-demo-love-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2018\/09\/we-talk-to-rotana-about-la-and-demo-love-series\/","title":{"rendered":"We Talk To Rotana About LA And &#8216;Demo Love Series&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Oozing with confidence, Rotana\u2019s debut Demo Love Series is a glorious celebration of carefree, embracing self-expression and freedom. Bursting with brooding pop hooks and seductive from start to finish, we breezed through some questions to discuss the release, filming on a whim and how she avoids the negativity of L.A pressures.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: Hey Rotana! Let\u2019s start from the beginning. How did you first discover your love for music? What were your first steps into the industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: I can\u2019t even remember not singing, so I guess like most people, I discovered music when I was child that couldn\u2019t remember. It\u2019s always carried me and been there for me. But it wasn\u2019t till I left Saudi Arabia and moved to LA that I began to pursue music as a career. A pop writer named Jesse Thomas came to one of my showcases and asked me to join her in one of her writing sessions and that was kind of how this all started.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: &#8216;Demo Love Series&#8217; focuses on sexuality &#8211; especially within your videos and lyrics \u2013 what influenced you to discuss this in your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: &#8216;Demo Love Series&#8217; is about freedom. It\u2019s about love and heartbreak, which is so unoriginal in ways but a revolution to me in others. I allowed myself to just fucking be a human and not a Saudi human. I wrote about the shit that is the same in all of us. It\u2019s also about freedom because every song on this series is in the form it was the day it was written. Not tuned, mixed, mastered or even done with the writing.\u00a0\u00a0In a time where everything is so carefully curated, here is a messy truth of mine.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: Who, or what inspires you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: Sade, Alaanis Morisette and the Arabic singer Fairuz. Life is what inspires me outside of music. My own life. It\u2019s such a trip this thing we\u2019re doing here on earth. I can\u2019t believe it at moments. There is so much joy, pain, loathing, awe, satisfaction, and craving. It\u2019s a shit show. That is what inspires me.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Random Ad stuff --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2076862002005673\" data-ad-slot=\"3107208401\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><\/p>\n<p><script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>EP: \u2028What challenges have you come across when trying to make it as an artist in Los Angeles?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: I would say the biggest thing is just remembering to remember that no one actually knows what the fuck they are doing and that it\u2019s my job to listen to my gut and shut out the noise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: What do you want your audience to take away from Demo Love Series?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: I call this a series rather than an EP, and I want people to be encouraged to show their work and their process and not wait for perfection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>EP: \u2028\u2028\u2018Crime\u2019 looked like a laugh to shoot! What was the shooting process like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>R: \u2028I was just a bit high one day and thought of the idea of making out with a monkey and I called my friends and we made it in an afternoon. Lol&#8230;nothing too deep here.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: Do you ever feel any pressure from the media to appear a certain way?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>R: \u2028No. I don\u2019t feel pressure anymore from anything. People want me to be a Saudi woman freedom fighter but I\u2019m just a girl going through life. That\u2019s the revolution.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: From an outsider&#8217;s perspective it looks like attitudes are changing in Saudi and there\u2019s a greater focus on equality. What do you think this will mean for music in the country?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: Music is going to definitely become a part of our culture in a way it has never been which is so, so exciting. I have no idea how long it will take for me to get on a stage in Saudi and rock it, but hopefully soon!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: How does live music fare in Saudi? Is there a music scene of any kind?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: No, it does not exist &#8211; yet! We had our first concert a few months ago, before that there was no music shows or anything of the like in public.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: What\u2019s been your career highlight so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: Meeting my incredible collaborators JP Saxe, Carrie Haber, Hayley Gene Penner. It\u2019s priceless to meet people you love and love to create with.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>EP: To wrap things up, what do you hope to achieve with your music? What can we expect from you in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">R: I want my music to tell a story of a girl that lived beyond perception and expectation. I want to own my body and use it as my navigation system and inspire other people to do that.<\/p>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\">\n<div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_41862\"  width=\"640\" height=\"360\"  data-origwidth=\"640\" data-origheight=\"360\"  data-relstop=\"1\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qLMH63fzg7w?enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/essentiallypop.com&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;color=red&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;rel=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"YouTube player\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qLMH63fzg7w\/maxresdefault.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oozing with confidence, Rotana\u2019s debut &#8216;Demo Love Series&#8217; is a glorious celebration of carefree, embracing self-expression and freedom. Bursting with brooding pop hooks and seductive from start to finish, we breezed through some questions to discuss the release, filming on a whim and how she avoids the negativity of LA pressures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[641,7,640],"tags":[9486,16576,16575,286,16573,407,27,989,77,16572,6935,16574,78,304,81],"class_list":["post-40398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-music","category-videos","tag-alanis-morissette","tag-crime","tag-demo-love-series","tag-ep","tag-fairuz","tag-interview","tag-los-angeles","tag-new-artist","tag-new-release","tag-rotana","tag-sade","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-singer","tag-songwriter","tag-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5yMhl-avA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58815,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/01\/keane-reveal-special-three-part-retroactive-ep-featuring-early-and-unreleased-demos\/","url_meta":{"origin":40398,"position":0},"title":"#Keane Reveal Special Three Part &#8216;Retroactive EP&#8217; Featuring Early And Unreleased Demos","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"08\/01\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Legendary UK band Keane have released a very special series of three EPs, all of which feature rare, and early, demos and session tracks.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;EP Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"EP Reviews","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/reviews\/ep-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/keane-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/keane-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/keane-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/keane-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/keane-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59531,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/02\/interview-with-may-rosa-about-before-i-knew-summer-and-2020-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":40398,"position":1},"title":"INTERVIEW WITH MAY ROSA ABOUT &#8216;BEFORE I KNEW (SUMMER)&#8217; AND 2020 PLANS","author":"Essentially Pop","date":"05\/02\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Amy had the chance to talk to Belfast-based singer\/songwriter May Rosa about her new single, \u2018Before I Knew (Summer)\u2019.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/IMG_9959-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/IMG_9959-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/IMG_9959-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/IMG_9959-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14671,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2015\/10\/whats-the-buzz-with-the-hummingbirds\/","url_meta":{"origin":40398,"position":2},"title":"What&#8217;s the Buzz with The Hummingbirds","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"20\/10\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Liverpool 5-piece, The Hummingbirds are ready to release their first EP, 'Out Of The Rain' on November 6 via their own label, Gladstone Recording Co. We checked them out, to find what the buzz is all about.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-hummingbirds1-.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-hummingbirds1-.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-hummingbirds1-.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-hummingbirds1-.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-hummingbirds1-.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71196,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2021\/09\/josefin-silen-releases-her-new-ep-face-the-city\/","url_meta":{"origin":40398,"position":3},"title":"Josefin Sil\u00e8n Releases Her New EP, &#8216;Face the City&#8217;","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"09\/09\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Based in Finland, Josefin Sil\u00e9n, is a singer and an actor, who started writing songs at the young age of 9. She competed in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and at the age of 18 was offered a record deal. 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