Alternative pop artist ROKI started writing and producing music at a young age as a creative outlet, and later headed up multiple bands. After taking a brief hiatus from music to pursue her love of filmmaking, she returned, producing new tracks with Ben Kaplan (Mother Mother) and Winston Hauschild (Wanting Qu). During the process of recording her debut solo album, MOTHER, she experienced the greatest changes and challenges of her life: becoming a mother while losing her own. The latter spun her into a darker state, and unsure how to process her grief she poured herself into her music.
Looking forward, ROKI will be releasing a song every couple months until early 2024 when her EP Lovable drops. This EP heralds a new era of sound for ROKI – dreamier, brighter, “loved up” and hopeful for new possibilities.
The lead single, “The One,” is about watching the person you love hold back the hurt in their life and bear it on their own to save you from feeling it too. ROKI wanted to write this song to reassure those individuals that it’s okay to feel hurt because that’s part of being human, and you should feel comfortable sharing those feelings with your partner. Whatever the reason for hurt may be, your loved ones will be here for you.
“For these next few songs, this little era of music is definitely brighter than I usually write and release,” says ROKI. “My EP is called Lovable, which sums up this batch of songs pretty well I’d say. We are all lovable, and they are written from a place of peace, happiness, love or wanting to make a relationship work.”