Kiaura Rose, a 21-year-old artist based in Pitman, New Jersey, has released a new single under Rowan Music Group, a professional recording label based in Rowan University’s College of Performing Arts. Rose’s new song, “Unbecoming,” takes inspiration from the alternative and anti-pop music genres to create a sound that pulls her listeners in and keeps them wanting more.
Rose grew up in a house “surrounded by music,” with parents who were always writing and playing music. At just age 6, Rose started in musical theater and began writing her music around age 13, later releasing her first song, “Miles Per Hour,” with artist Ant Saunders in 2018 at age 16. While attending a performing arts high school, Rose discovered the Rowan music scene and fell in love. After graduating high school, Rose played shows with Rowan Alternative Music, a student-run music group at Rowan University, and signed a record label with Rowan Music Group in November of 2023.
Rose released “Unbecoming” in early March of 2024. A songwriter at heart, Rose wrote this newest one with a live band in mind.
“Lyrics are definitely the most important foundation for me, and I like to let them guide how I want the song to feel,” Rose said.
Rose opened up about her writing process, saying that with lyrics guiding “Unbecoming,” Rose felt the only way she could bridge together her writing and musical elements was through a “dark, brooding track that was big and dramatic.”
“Everything that will be, I believe, is already there,” she said. “Every idea and every form of inspiration is already here, and it’s above our heads, and we have to be able to let go of our egos and soul in the ways that we can.”
When writing “Unbecoming,” Rose used her own creative “wall” to bounce her thoughts off of to make her emotions a “tangible thing.”
When writing music, Rose not only focuses on the lyrics’ impacts on her life but also how the music will be taken by audiences by trying to “write in the eyes of other people.” Rose said that she likes to “subvert expectations and write with a lot of double-edged swords,” giving so much of herself and her experiences to others while also saving a piece of her art for herself.
Rose ultimately says, “The songs I love the most are the ones where I believe in the lyrics, and I believe in how smart they are.”
While Rose is a solo artist, she performs and writes with a live band, including drummer Jordan Tyler Jensen, bassist Chris Baldarrago, and lead and rhythm guitarists Josh Greeno and Kevin Lynch. Audio engineer Tyler Romeo also works with the band to record at Drexel Music Studios in Philadelphia, PA. The band was founded by Jensen at a time when everyone “had landed in each other’s laps so beautifully.” While the band performs live shows, they have recently been focused on working in the studio and “tightening up as a band.”
With her music, Rose hopes to play as many live shows as she possibly can and hopes to write music for other artists in the future. Rose’s goal is to expand her knowledge and musical abilities to continue making new, bold sounds that grow her fanbase.
“Success, to me, would be being able to sustain a way of living that I adore and to help people to do the same,” Rose says.
When asked what music she has planned for the future, Kiaura Rose said “tons,” including two single releases over the summer and an EP set to release in late fall. Rose says that the EP will have “singer/songwriter vibes” and be full of “dark pop alternative rock pieces.”
To listen to Kiaura Rose’s music, visit any music streaming site and follow her on Instagram @kiaurarose for more. To stay up to date on Rowan Music Group, visit their Instagram @rowanmusicgroup or their website: rowanmusicgroup.com.
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