* En anglais uniquement
Whitney Rose is a Canadian singer and songwriter who describes her sound as "vintage-pop-infused neo-traditional country." She grew up on Prince Edward Island and was exposed to country music from a very young age: as a child she spent most of her time at her grandparents' bar, where the jukebox constantly played hits by
Hank Williams,
Kitty Wells,
Patsy Cline, and
Dolly Parton. She counts the latter two and singer
Keith Whitley as her biggest influences in the genre.
Rose began writing songs as a teen.
After moving to Toronto, she became immersed in the city's thriving folk and coffeehouse scene, though her own writing was distinctly in the country tradition.
Rose won awards while living there and recorded her self-titled debut album for Cameron House. She toured Canada with
the Devin Cuddy Band, and in 2012 moved to a farm in Southampton, Nova Scotia, to begin writing new songs for a follow-up. In 2014, she toured Canada as an opening act for
the Mavericks. The band's frontman,
Raul Malo, was so taken with her performances that he offered to produce, sing, and play on her next recording. She took him up on his offer.
Malo enlisted some of his bandmates, Cuddy, and other players to fill out the sessions.
Rose cut her album over four days at Toronto's Revolution Studios. Titled
Heartbreaker of the Year, it was released in Canada in April 2015, and worldwide in August. In January 2017, she issued the mini-album
South Texas Suite, a record inspired by her new home of Austin, Texas. The release was swiftly followed in October by the full-length
Rule 62, which was produced by
Raul Malo and
Niko Bolas.
Rose returned in 2020 with We Still Go to Rodeos. ~ Thom Jurek