FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Rose Gray

FEATURE:

Modern-Day Queens

Rose Gray

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THIS artist…

IN THIS PHOTO: Rose Gray at the BRIT Awards at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena on 28th February, 2026/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

has appeared on my blog a few times now. I have raved about her debut album, Louder, Please. That was released last year. I felt it warranted a Mercury Prize nomination and a lot more love than it got. I spotlighted Gray in 2022 and again last year. I want to include her for a third time, as there have been developments since her last appearance. News of new music. Rose Gray is someone I can see having this incredibly long career. One that includes acting too. Maybe it is presumptuous to say she would make an amazing actor, though I do feel that she is has this untapped potential and talent that would translate to the screen. In terms of music, she is one of our finest songwriters. Hackney Wick is one of my favourite songs from the past few years. I have not seen her live yet, though I shall try and rectify that. I did forget to mention that Rose Gray was nominated for a BRIT. Nominated alongside Jacob Alon and Sienna Spiro in the Critics' Choice Award category, Alon won (and they are worthy of that honour). However, it does show that Rose Gray is a serious talent to watch. Looking at her tour dates, she does have some incredible dates coming up. On 14th May, she plays London’s KOKO. I am tempted to go to that. Five days after that and she will play in New York. Gray will soon conquer America and I can imagine her performing on huge U.S. chat shows and appearing on some big stages there! I am going to get to an interview from this month. Bring things up to date. However, it is worth mentioning that Rose Gray performed at Trans Mission recently. Billed as “A Night of Solidarity For A Lifetime Of Change", it aims to support, celebrate, and raise funds for the transgender community. She was on a bill that included Wolf Alice.

An artist who firmly supports the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community, so many reasons to cherish and admire Rose Gray. On a slightly random tangent. I did actually think Rose Gray would be named in the cast of the upcoming series of Beatles films from Sam Mendes. I am not sure if she is a fan of the band, though I feel she has the ability to slot into a 1960s-set film. Something about her that would stand out. Anyway. I digress. My Beatles tangent is not a coincidence. Rose Gray’s boyfriend, Harris Dickinson, has been cast as John Lennon in those Beatles biopics/films. Not that Gray should have played an ex of Lennon. I feel like there was a role for her. Actually, last July, Gray was interviewed Emma Stout for Interview Magazine. She did actually talk about her Beatles era and how it was and look. Maybe she would blanch at being cast in a Beatles film in that case:

“STOUT: Who’s in your pop girl coven—besides Kesha, obviously? Which pop girls are you listening to right now?

GRAY: Addison. I’m absolutely in love with that record and the production on all those songs. I’m so into her aesthetic.

STOUT: She’s amazing. There’s something about her that makes you think, “We would be best friends.” And that’s what all the best pop stars do.

GRAY: Charli does it well. Like, you want to be their friend.

STOUT: On the subject of pop 101, I was so impressed reading your interviews because you have this immense appreciation for pop history.

GRAY: I do love pop music. “Studied” makes me sound way too studious—I’ve just been in love with pop music ever since I was a kid.

STOUT: What was the first CD you ever owned?

GRAY: It was Christina Aguilera Stripped. Also, Lily Allen was a big part of my childhood. I just love that first record Alright, Still. And my mom loved Madonna, so I grew up with Madonna on in the house. It took me to get a bit older to really fall in love with her.

STOUT: So we have Madonna, Addison, Charli—

GRAY: Oklou, Björk. I love Alanis Morissette. Jagged Little Pill, I always come back to that record. I saw her at Glastonbury, like, 3 weeks ago. Have you been to Glastonbury?

STOUT: No. We have Gov Ball, but we don’t have a music festival like Glastonbury.

GRAY: They should start doing one. What do you call the countryside of New York?

PHOTO CREDIT: Emma Stout

STOUT: Upstate, darling. Charli had this album listening party upstate, and she brought all these journalists out to the middle of nowhere. There was no cell service, and it turned into a two-hour DJ set. Wait, have you been to Basement?

GRAY: No, but I’ve heard a few people talk about it. I’m in New York again in a month. It’s the first night of the headline tour, but I can do it.

STOUT: The first night of your first tour!

GRAY: I know—it feels so good.

STOUT: What’s your pre-show ritual?

GRAY: I do my own makeup and that helps me get in the zone. Then vocal warmups and put on some good tunes.

STOUT: Are you superstitious?

GRAY: I am, but I don’t think I am with my shows. Whenever I do bigger shows, I have a two-minute interlude of me speaking before I go on stage. Sometimes if I don’t have that, I don’t feel as connected to my performance. During those two minutes, I just zone out.

STOUT: You look fabulous, by the way. Can you describe your look?

GRAY: The knit piece, hot pants, boots, and ripped tights. All my tights are ripping. I wore these for a show the other day and they ripped. But it’s the most perfect rip, almost like I did it on purpose. I didn’t. I always wear this kind of vibe now when I play.

STOUT: You’ve very mobile.

GRAY: I like to be mobile.

STOUT: How did you find your look?

GRAY: It happened quite naturally. There have been some eras over the last six or seven years.

STOUT: Bad eras?

GRAY: 100 percent. I’ve had some really weird eras. I had an era where I dressed like I was a Beatle. Very 60s, sort of Sergeant Pepper. Tight and tailored. Do you know what? It was a vibe.

STOUT: And where are you now?

GRAY: Now, everything is stripped down—apart from the hair. I love tights, little shorts, vests, a bonnet, sunglasses. Mysterious, but also comfy. I’ve got to move a little bit on stage.

STOUT: Speaking of the Beatles, your boyfriend is playing John Lennon in the biopic. How do you fend off the “Dickheads”?

GRAY: Oh, they’re lovely. They are so nice. I think they like me.

STOUT: Last question, what can I expect tonight?

GRAY: Sweat and choreography”.

One more 2025 interview before moving on, Ticketmaster UK caught up with Rose Gray in October. She put out the A Little Louder, Please. An extended edition of her remarkable debut. Ticketmaster UK chatted with Gray after the release of her then-new single, April. It is not an exaggeration to say that Gray is going to be a future icon. An artist who will headline massive festivals and have the same sort of career trajectory as the biggest Pop artists in the world:

“Nine months down the line, do you resonate with the ethos of Louder, Please even more, considering how you’ve been firing on all cylinders?

It definitely resonates with me even more now, having sung those lyrics, or shouted them, like, in ‘Damn’. I kept accidentally writing songs with ‘louder’ in it, coming back to the word. Whenever I’m on the mic, I still say, ‘Could you put up a little louder, please?’

This is kind of deep, but since I was a kid, I’ve always pushed for more. Whether it’s making music, art or learning a dance, I will take it to the next level. But it’s also quite exhausting, constantly wanting more for myself. It’s brilliant for my career, because a lot of people would have probably stopped a few years ago, when things weren’t working.

What turned things around for you? Can you pinpoint a moment or period where the music you were making really clicked with your personality?

If I’m being completely honest, I think it was when the album came out. From the morning that my album came out, on 17 January 2025, everything did fall into place. Behind the scenes, things happened that needed to happen. All the shows I wanted to play, I started to book. The artists that I’ve grown up loving started messaging me and wanting to collaborate.

Is that even more rewarding given how long you took to craft it?

I’d got to a place where I actually accepted that no matter what happens with the album, I’m proud of it. I love it, and it will be out forever. The record label that I put my album out with were really supportive of me, but they didn’t think I was ready to be an album level artist. I had to really push to put out an album, insane [amounts].

Is there a reworked version on the deluxe edition that will surprise people the most?

I really love the reimagined version of ‘First’ that I did with Melanie C. That is a soundscape that people might be a bit shocked to hear, but it’s a world that I’ve always loved. There’s real variety in the record. I’ve got classic club bangers, but some of the reimagined versions are quite strange, odd, and alternative. Opening the projects up again really inspired me to take them in different directions, because I didn’t have any pressure for these tracks.

You recently released a mini doc about ‘Hackney Wick’. Is there more of that story to tell, regarding how the place helped shape the Rose Gray we know today?

There’s definitely more I feel. I feel very healed by that song. So many people in America told me how much they loved that song, which is so funny, because I imagine most of them haven’t been to Hackney Wick. It represents that place, wherever it is in the world, that you were drawn to, where some of the big life memories happened.

While you’ve been all over the world, do you miss the place, or is it reassuring that you always have it to come back to?

Hackney Wick has changed. I still love it and choose to meet my friends there for a drink. I really appreciate London more, now that I travel. [There’s] nothing quite like home. London is in my bones, it’s who I am.

Some people might disagree, but I think we’ve got a good balance of work, play and cosiness [in London]. Now we’re moving into autumn, all of our activities are going to change. Stockholm has that, New York has that, but a lot of places in the southern hemisphere are hot all the time and don’t have that.

Are you enjoying riding the wave of everything that’s happening at the moment?

It’s been pretty consistent. When I’m in a studio, I’m sat on my arse with coffee all day. I’m very comfortable and rested when I’m making music. I’m also quite a good sleeper now. I’m making sure that I’m taking a step out of it, remembering how much everything has changed, trying to appreciate it and take everything in. I’m one of those annoying people that’s in a really amazing moment, and then I’ll tell everyone that I think it’s an amazing moment!”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Rose Gray at Trans Mission at OVO Arena, Wembley on 11th March, 2026/PHOTO CREDIT: Corrine Amos

I am finishing off with NME, who spoke with Rose Gray backstage at the Trans Mission event on 11th March. Gray talked about “embracing the guitar on her “wild” forthcoming album, and explained how she uses her music to represent the voices of those around her”:

“When asked about what she has planned after the Trans Mission gig, Gray shared that she is gearing up for her upcoming UK headline tour (find tickets here), and also writing some new music that sees her lean into “wild” new avenues.

“I’m bringing out a new single, which I’m actually debuting tonight,” she said, referring to ‘Straight From The Club To Your Heart’. “I’m still a bit nervous playing new stuff [because] it feels like I’m about to open my diary in front of thousands of people.”

When asked about what fans can expect from the new material, the singer added: “I’m not departing my ‘Louder, Please’ world. It’s still electronic, it’s still pop, and it’s still very anthemic. But I am definitely transitioning into a different world. I have some guitars, which is wild for me, and I’m still in the thick of making the new record.”

Last January, ‘Louder, Please’ was given a four-star review from NME and praised as incorporating an “enigmatic cutting edge into her upbeat dance-pop sound”. It was also named as one of NME’s best albums of 2025, and saw Gray shortlisted for the 2026 BRITs Critics’ Choice shortlist. The latter was later awarded to Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon.

As well as Gray, other performances on the night came from Rahim Redcar, who performed Christine And The Queens’ tracks ‘Full Of Life’ and ‘Deep Holes’, Kate Nash who played fan-favourite ‘Foundations’, and Wolf Alice who showed up after their win at the BRITs to break out acoustic versions of ‘Leaning Against the Wall’ and ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’.

Olly Alexander ran through some Years & Years songs too, and was introduced to the stage by Sir Ian McKellen, who also recited Shakespeare’s The Strangers’ Case speech from Thomas More to the crowd – having also done so on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”.

I think it is timely to re-explore Rose Gray and her music. As she is about to start these incredible tour dates and there is talk of new music, a lot of people looking excitedly in her direction! A spectacular artist who is going to be in the industry for decades, I don’t want to manifest things like acting roles. However, you feel there is all this unrealised talent in Gray. Focusing on music, she is undeniably a modern great. I am excited to see what the future holds. A modern queen who is on the rise, here is someone who you need to follow. Go and show…