Every band, group and artist has a name - what is the story behind yours?
We wanted a name to actually mean something for us, and with Rozu being the Japanese word for ‘rose’, it emulated our message of wanting to make something beautiful through our work blooming and growing from dirt.
How did the band/group get together?
In the beginning, it was just me and DJ working with our producer and good friend, Tyler Ruehl, just writing as much music as we possibly could. When it felt like we got to a solid point in the project, we had a lot of talks with Brian and Henry to join up and give us that full band feel. The awesome thing was when we brought those two in, we meshed well and have just been constantly writing.
If you could describe your group/band in three words what would they be?
Sad melodic metal.
Tell us about your latest release - what makes this project different?
The latest release is our single ‘Rue’. [It’s] easily one of our favorite songs as a band as it has an incredible feature with our friend Scott Barnes, previously of In Fear and Faith. This song was different for us because it was the first time we really went all out with the budget for the song and the music video. For me, I think the combination of the story, authentic Walking Dead makeup and music have set the bar for the next chapter of the band as we go into our debut album.
Nothing in music is ever new but how do you try to keep your music, artistry and vibe original?
I think as long as you stay true to yourself and [don’t] write words or songs just because they sound cool is the truest form of artistry. Because we genuinely love the music!
What would you say are your inspirations in music?
We all come from the golden years of metalcore and post-hardcore, growing up with bands like Underoath, The Used, Every Time I Die, and Chiodos. We’ve evolved with the music, not only just as a consumer, but also instrumentally with our crafts. For this project, we listened to a lot of Underoath, The Plot in You and Wage War - especially when we need that extra spark of creativity.
How do you remain motivated to create and do you have any tips for budding artists?
For the most part, we’ve just been in this industry and tirelessly hauling for so long that we stay extremely motivated, but with this project, to reach heights we fell short of in previous endeavors was a driving force for us as a band.
Tips for budding artists is to do something else within the same realm of the music industry so you don’t burn yourselves out too soon focusing solely on music, while still keeping the creative juices flowing. I manage bands and direct marketing campaigns for bands [while] DJ is a graphic designer and has been tirelessly working on recording etc. Just have that extra side hustle to give [yourself] a break but also stay in the same world.
Did you always want to do music and when did you start to take music seriously?
I did always want to do music in a way, but never really took it seriously or had a serious band that did well (laughs). I started my musical career on the business side [with] marketing and being a tour manager or merch guy to just keep me on the road as much as possible.
I just love being on the road and over time, I actually had an opportunity to fill in as a vocalist for one of the bands I was working with. That changed everything for me! The rest was history and led to this project.
What should we expect to see from you in 2021?
We are in talks about potentially doing a livestream event when we release these next few singles we have for the year. Other than that, we are just finishing our debut album and writing for another series of EPs.
Where can we find out more about the band?
You can find us here on our Instagram our mailing list at www.rozuband.com.
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