India Rose

WRITTEN BY: BEE PAPINO PHOTOGRAHY: LACQUAN SCOTT

When it comes to delivery, lyricism, style, expression, and overall artistry, India Rose remains unrivaled. A perfect blend of soft, hard, sensual, and hardcore, India Rose appeals to and leans towards everything a typical hip-hop fan would vibe to. Indeed, she has it all. Coming from the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, India is motivated by her life story and everything she has overcome to keep her artistic fire burning. Being a truly authentic person, she sees music as a channel for truthful and authentic selfexpression.

Talking about her musical influences, it is okay to say the India Rose’s musical palate is indeed wide, sophisticated, and open as she is influenced by diverse musical genres and not only hip hop. These diverse influences can be felt deep in her sounds, as there are elements of everything, including soul, blues, rock, jazz, R&B, funk, and every other musical genre. Although being a hip-hop artist, India remains a big fan of R&B. Talking about the artists she grew up listening to, she named greats and legends like Eve, Eminem, 50 Cent, Monica, Fantasia, Jhené Aiko, Chris Brown, J Cole, Big Sean, H.E.R and many others. According to India, she resonates with these sounds because they speak of life and reality.

For India Rose, growing wasn’t all fun. She had a father who was in and out of incarceration and a mother who constantly abused drugs. This led India to lead a somewhat nomadic childhood, as she moved a lot from place to place, often shuffling between staying with her aunt and staying with her parents. As a kid, she went through a lot physically, mentally, and emotionally, and this forced her to find the inner strength and willpower to keep going, regardless.

Growing up with an aunt who was a strict disciplinarian played a huge role in India’s life. Also, growing up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, a city which faced predominantly poverty and inner city system struggles, India, in her own words knew “exactly what she didn’t want to become.”

India got into music by telling her story. According to her, it took just a few minutes to build her voice and let go of every kind of fear. Aside from music, India is also an entrepreneur, as she owns GlamoRose Boutique. She started the boutique in 2016. According to her, it all started when numerous people became interested in the clothes she wore at the time. India saw a business idea and started sending clothes to the folks who were interested in her clothes. Talking about how she chooses her pieces for her boutique, India had this to say - “First, I take the time out to narrow down my target consumers by answering a list of questions like, ‘what do they wear? Where do they go?’ I even asked what type of music do they listen to? From there, I just choose my pieces by sticking to that consumer profile I developed.”

Although being a mother, India has managed to combine motherhood with business and music perfectly. According to her, although she wants the best for her business and career, she always and will always put her children first. India made it clear that - “On the business side of things, I run my store six days a week (Monday to Saturday). As far as music, what works for me is completing multiple projects at once so that I can focus on other entities. I have always been disciplined and responsible, and I attribute this to my upbringing. I’d be lying if I say it’s easy, but I believe that if you truly want something, you have to get it done by any means.”

“My only message to women would be to stay powerful and to stay a warrior! It’s crazy to think of all the things we women have to go through and experience. We are so under-protected even though we are responsible for the most important task in the world - to birth a new life. We are really superhuman for real. The world is gonna always try to tell us what to do with our bodies, our beliefs, our voices, etc. The truth is, we are powerful; we are life, and nothing or no one can stop that. Live authentically in your power and never change that.” - India Rose