“2015 was a cataclysmic year. I had tied myself into knots trying to help the label I was signed to stay afloat. Radio dictated all things. I had this song they wanted me to run with called Girl in Your Truck Song. It was a super clever song, not my style. Made me feel I was having to move out of survival mode and into desperation because so many people were depending on me and this was testing well. Then it blew up in my face. They also had Maddy and Tea’s Girl in a Country Song. When the label got wind, I was releasing my song, they changed the release date of the other and blew us out of the water.”
If you want a perfect example of career defining moment, that was Maggie Rose’s. After years of falling in line and following the textbook path to country music stardom, Rose realized the “label execs” had steered her career off course and finally took control back into her hands.
“My label folded in 2015. I knew I had been a well behaved, obedient artist. I’ve done all these things asked of me. Noone can say I haven’t been working hard. I knew I needed to start liking what I’m doing or I’m going to burn out and waste my potential as a singer. My favorite artists are the ones who are having a good time up there. That’s how I want to make timeless music for many years. I have to look inward.”
The most important and immediate change Rose made was singing like the real Maggie Rose. She could break free of the forced country sound in her 2013 debut Cut to Impress. She was free to showcase a vocal range and power that effortlessly covered country, rock, pop, r &b, soul, americana and numerous others.
“I experimented with a lot of sounds. It wasn’t contrived. No more, let’s sit around the boardroom table and decide what the new look and brand will be. I wanted to focus on the music. I had to grow up in front of people because I had released music and garnered attention. It’s like watching a teenager grow up. It can be an awkward thing. The people who stayed on the ride with me can see how we got from point A to B.”
Do you think the vocals in Cut to Impress are a contrived version of your true voice?
“Yes. I accepted that’s the way things were done in Nashville or the music business as a whole. The way you recorded vocals was to sing a bunch of takes. Then, you’d splice together the best segments of each take to ultimately find the end result. I feel that takes the humanity out of the performance. I love how a phrase happens when people are being sincere and not choosing one word from a take. There’s a cadence on how we communicate with each other.”
Rose reflects, “I moved to Nashville at 19. I was surrounded with some really powerful, experienced, well intentioned but stuck in their ways people. I felt I had to do things their way. I was told if I do things their way, eventually I’d be able to call the shots. There is no fool proof plan in the music industry. Things didn’t pan out when I followed that formula. I felt abandoned after. I was lucky to get the opportunity. I wish I had given myself the time to approach things intentionally and learn more about myself.”
As she reached a major career crossroad, Rose knew she had the staying power to keep her music career moving forward. “I could have been discouraged and moved home. Or else I could become fiercer and more confident. Channel that energy to improve what I was doing. Fortunately, I was the latter and became more confident. I realized what my capabilities were when I was recording my music. I was in a room with the people I love. We live and die by each other’s performance and you collectively select the best take.”
“There’s a lot of acceptance and grace you give yourself when you approach it that way. I was able to see in an unvarnished way what I sound like and am capable of. It was a time where I went, ‘Oh I’m a soul singer’ when I’m not frankensteining my music. I felt that’s where the disparity between the live show and record was going. The live show is so important to us. It’s close to what you hear on the record.”
After firmly taking the reins on her musical career, Rose’s productivity skyrocketed. To refute a music programmer’s claim radio should play fewer female artists, Rose started to release music every week called Tomato Tuesday. Effectively using social media to directly reach your audience was an anchor for Rose’s new business plan. She began to see immediate results with 2016’s EP Variety Show and 2017’s EP Dreams > Dollars. Her next album and appropriately titled Change the Whole Thing showcased the multiple directions Rose could easily roam. Finally, she was getting some real recognition. She would continually find her singles on numerous music charts. Spotify, Sirius, Apple Music, and Pandora were giving Rose the attention and acclaim she deserved.
Rose was seeing the payoff of betting on herself and doing things her way. “I was white knuckling that part. I realized I can do this and needed to prove to myself I’m self sufficient. I always had a label and a team. I still had a great team. A great booking agent. My husband who wasn’t quite my husband at the time was working with me. It was cool we had this thing together and I knew he really believed in me. I think a lot of people I used to work with believed in me and wished it worked out better. I felt ownership after being in Nashville for almost 10 years. I was like this is mine and that turned into confidence and more clarity on where I want to take my music. I started to fine tune the sound and it’s pretty much gone up since then.”
With the wind at her back, Rose put together a team on and off the stage completely focused on showcasing her talents to way more than just the country world. Her husband Austin Marshall stands proudly by her side. He’s all in for Team Maggie. At a recent concert, Marshall could be found on stage, at the soundboard, at the merch table, greeting fans and much more. Their “best for the team” approach feels different. The greater good wins out over defined roles and egos. That’s allowed Team Maggie to forge some permanent relationships in vital areas needed for her success.
“I’m lucky to have some talented friends. Austin is constantly thinking. He’s the biggest fan of the band. I know he always has my best interest. He’s really creative. I’m a good collaborator. I’ll let my talented friends work with me. That ranges from producers, musicians, songwriters, publicists, video directors. I’m precious with my music now. I know it will be fluid and still come together if I let other people put their fingerprints on it as well.”
Coming up in part two. Team Maggie continues to soar in all areas as her talent and ability garners welcomed attention and a wider reach. From the Today show to over 100 performances at the Grand Ole Opry to touring relentlessly, Rose uses the hard lessons from the past to pave her way on her path alone.