FEATURE:
Spotlight: Revisited
Eliza Rose
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A terrific D.J. and artist…
I spotlighted back in 2023, I wanted to come back to her now. Although there has not been an album from Eliza Rose yet, there have been some terrific singles released this year, including Too Slow (All Night). I do think that next year is going to be a huge one for her. “This success has been in the works ever since Eliza began working at Shoreditch’s Flashback Records aged 15, coming to circle East London’s clubs and festivals as a DJ. Inspired by vocal icons including Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse as well as golden age R&B such as Aaliyah and Destiny’s Child, plus the sketchy garage raves she started going to when underage, her love of vinyl found her amassing a collection of her own, digging for gems old and new that she knows will make the dancefloor go off. Now armed with a hybrid DJ-plus-vocals show that pays homage to queer culture’s importance in dance music, and new productions that she’s working on, Eliza is ready for the next chapter. With MOBO and Brit nominations, plaques, magazine covers and a world tour under her belt, she’s straddling both the underground and global superstardom”. That is some biography from Resident Advisor from a couple of years ago or so. I am going to bring things up to date, as there have been some interviews from this year that I think are worth highlighting. If you have not heard Eliza Rose and experienced her incredible music, then do go and follow her and check out her socials.
Before coming to this year and some illuminating interview with Eliza Rose, I want to go back to last year. I think we will get some amazing new interviews and features in 2026. Eliza Rose taking her exciting next big steps. I am going to start out with an interview with COMPLEX that was published last December. They spoke with the phenomenal Eliza Rose about her “No. 1 hit single, “B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)”, working with Calvin Harris, fame and more”:
“Eliza is a product of her East London upbringing, from a fateful work experience stint at a local record store at the age of 15—where she would delve headfirst into a love of vinyls that would then inform her work as both a DJ and producer—to playing at and frequenting the underground basements of Hackney clubs such as Visions and The Alibi, gems that no longer exist as a result of gentrification.
Ahead of her set at Circoloco x The Warehouse Project in Manchester this weekend, we caught up with Eliza Rose to talk newfound fame, staying authentic, and the importance of community.
COMPLEX: Congrats on the release of your new single, “Body Moving”, with Calvin Harris! I understand it all started from a DM Calvin sent you last year, but it’s a big indicator of your fame and popularity—which is a stark difference to the underground scene you were operating in before. How are you finding it all?
Eliza Rose: Acclimatising was difficult at first because, all of sudden, you have all these eyes on you, with all these expectations. In the past few months, I’ve taken back full control of my output with the view of making music that I can look back at in my sixties or seventies and be proud of.
What influences your sound? It has a distinctly London feel to it, for sure.
My parents weren’t really big music heads so I had to go out and find the music I liked. Soul and jazz influences came from the record shop I worked at when I was 15 and stayed at for over a decade. I got into all of this because I loved Amy Winehouse and wanted to delve into her influences, so I got into Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Esther Phillips. The dance element of my sound was shaped mostly by raving at the age of 15 at places like the Opera House and Rudolph where they were playing garage music in its prime. The fact that garage uses a lot of soulful R&B samples anyway just ties into it. That uniquely London garage sound, fused with soulful vocals, has shaped my artistry in all its facets: how I sing, how I play, and how I produce.
Underground scenes nurture a lot of community in a way that isn’t sustainable in commercial spaces—why is community important to you and your work?
The underground scene, by virtue of it being so much smaller, is easier to hold people accountable in. The people are more open-minded and it’s easier to find pockets of people and communities that align with your morals and values as well as your music taste. Community is important because my music and my shows are all about celebrating authenticity and spreading joy. An Eliza Rose show is an experience for people to feel included and joyful, and community is intrinsic in allowing that authenticity to flourish. I try to live and express myself authentically every day, which is a privilege that I want to enjoy and create in my output.
Although your music taps into ‘90s house and ‘00s garage, it feels more future-facing than nostalgic.
Lady Miss Kier is one of my major inspirations in style and music, who has similar values that I express—it’s just that mine are repackaged through a modern lens. CASISDEAD’s storytelling is so amazing it’s almost cinematic in the drama he creates. Honey Dijon is true to herself and is somebody I always reference when it comes to being an example of authenticity. Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion are also an inspiration, in that they’re women doing what they want irrespective of what anybody thinks”.
Just before wrapping up with an interview from July, perhaps her biggest moments was when the single, Weekend, was released in the summer. I do hope that there are more chats with the sensational Eliza Rose next year. Before moving on, CLASH covered Weekend prior to its release:
“Cutting her teeth on London’s club scene, Eliza Rose has an innate gift for translating dance tropes into impeccable club moments. Viral smash hit ‘B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)’ was a breakout moment, a soaring No. 1 success that saw Eliza paired with Intergalactic Criminal.
Since then she’s scored a run of incredible singles, with Eliza Rose pushing herself to the forefront of UK club culture.
For her next move, Eliza Rose is tapping up an iconic name in British dance music – Defected.
“I finally feel like I’m opening a new chapter and entering a really exciting new era…”
‘Weekend’ was built alongside The Trip, and the rave production duo lift Eliza’s voice to the uppermost of the heavens.
“I’m super excited about the release of this track! It’s such an important moment for me in many ways, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to put out music on my own terms and I finally feel like I’m opening a new chapter and entering a really exciting new era, exploring the sounds I love. I am so so happy to share ‘Weekend’ with the world, it’s a song about being able to let go of inhibitions as the weekend approaches once again. I was trying to embody that exciting feeling of freedom, of heady anticipation about what shenanigans me and all my fellow party people will get up to on Friday, Saturday, summer, festivals and those long summer nights that turn into days”.
I have recently spoken to incredible D.J. queens, Rowena Alice and Carly Wilford, and I would love to interview Eliza Rose next year. She has had such a busy 2025 and played some incredible festivals. I wonder what she has planned for 2026. There will be huge worldwide demand to see this modern-day icon. Someone who is going to grow in stature and influence. A queen (or the) of underground Club culture, HUNGER interviewed Eliza Rose back in the summer:
“You’ve previously talked about how you find your position in the industry as a Black woman. Are there any fellow Black women in the scene that you can’t wait to see blow up?
Oh, loads. OK Williams is an incredible DJ, my friend Amaliah, Bambi is a great producer and artist. Introspekt was actually one of the first people to put something out on Rosebud [Recordings]. We’ve still got a long way to go, and it feels like we’ve gone a bit backwards — people are not as cautious about making line-ups fair, but there are more and more amazing Black female electronic music artists. There is more space to learn and more female communities. We just have to make sure we’re keeping the lineups there.
In your own journey, where do you see your label, Rosebud Recordings, moving towards?
Really, I just want to keep that DIY ethos. It means I have control over my music and it lets me put out my own weird little shit without worrying. It was never a money thing for me, even if B.O.T.A. came out on it, at first, I didn’t ever expect it to blow up.
‘B.O.T.A.’ was absolutely huge when it came out. How much has your life changed since you hit that viral status?
It catapulted me — meteoric rise and all that malarkey. But it was really like being on a rollercoaster. It really opened my eyes to the fact that music is a business and many people treat it as such. I think the song became bigger than me and I do love it, I’m grateful for it, but I now want people to see Eliza Rose the artist, not just the singer of ‘The Baddest of Them All’.
After playing Glastonbury, what other giants are on your bucket list?
I would really like to put my own events on, maybe a small-cap club somewhere in Hackney, go back to those Plastic People days where it was all about the music. I also want to start touring my live shows, somewhere like Primavera, or do a whole album live at Glastonbury, which is like a spiritual home for me.
Talking festivals, your style is very much mood-board material. What is your fashion inspiration?
I really love the ’60s, ’70s and ’90s, they are key eras for me. Lady Miss Kier has always been an influence to me, but I’m definitely moving into a more grown and sexy era. This Black Kylie Minogue is the realm I want to touch on now, and I feel like my style has really grown a lot. I say, while wearing an acid green adidas top”.
It would also be great to read a detailed interview where Eliza Rose discusses her musical heroes. Those she idolised as a child and when she was growing up. The songs that hit her and why she followed those artists. However, earlier this month, The Guardian spoke with Eliza Rose about the songs that have influenced her. It is interesting discovering the wide array of artists that she selects:
“The first single I ever bought
Aaliyah, Rock the Boat. My nan sent me and my cousin to pick up some bits in Dalston and there was some change left over so I went into HMV and bought this CD for £1.99. I shouldn’t have been stealing my nan’s change but I felt so grownup. If my Jamaican dad had found out, he wouldn’t have been happy. I would have got a couple of licks.
The song I’ve streamed the most
Witness (1 Hope) by Roots Manuva. It’s an island track that suits any occasion. If I’m feeling a bit down it gives me some bad girl energy and reminds me to come correct. It also gives me a good adrenaline hit on a run.
The song I can’t help singing
Genius of Love by Tom Tom Club. They had a real influence on my sound and the newer stuff I have coming out soon. I love funky, electronic dance and I also love soulful stuff.
The song I tell people is my favourite
Billie Holiday’s I’m a Fool to Want You. When I started working at a record shop age 15, Billie Holiday was my introduction into music that wasn’t so commercial. I feel like if you say you like Billie Holiday, you sound a bit bougie.
My karaoke go-to song?
Amy Winehouse, You Know I’m No Good. I’m bussing out Amy on any occasion, I’m a diehard fan. This was my anthem at Stoke Newington School where I went. We even had an Amy Winehouse concert. It was an amazing school with a lot of funding for the arts. A plethora of great artists have come out of that school”.
Ever since I spotlighted Eliza Rose in 2023, I have been keeping an eye on her career. Seeing how she continues to grow and is releasing some of her best work. I think next year will see her play some of her biggest festivals sets. Maybe there will be an album or mixtape. Definitely some worldwide touring and incredible collaborations. Someone I know many will tip for success in 2026. A phenomenal artist that everyone should seek out, the fabulous Eliza Rose is…
ONE of our finest talents.
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