Today we’d like to introduce you to Irene Rose.
Hi Irene, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The death of my grandfather inspired my first real song,“The Sun’s Behind A Cloud.” As a teen, I was able to process his death by knowing that even though times may be dark, the sun was merely behind a cloud and it would shine again. In high school, my parents gave me a guitar. I had never asked for one, but I took one lesson, wrote a song, and performed it at a coffee house two days later. I fell in love with guitar and began writing. After college, I went overseas as a missionary traveling through New Zealand, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Brazil. A southern girl at heart, I missed home immensely and set to writing country music about life back home in the south. After gigging all through my twenties, I got signed on Music Row in Nashville as an artist and writer. Through my connections, I was cast on multiple TV shows about up-and-coming stars. Though they promised me fame and fortune, I walked away from the TV deal, record deal and national tour when the producers were forcing me to portray an image that was inconsistent with my morals. I decided not to sell my soul to showbusiness, but rather to invest it in what was truly important to me.
Fearing I had committed career suicide, I moved back to Charleston and started a children’s entertainment company called Once Upon A Party. We won the Charleston’s choice award! Over the next few years, I traveled to and from Nashville subsequently producing five albums of children’s music. All of my music teaches messages of character, morals and faith. One album is even bi-lingual teaching Spanish/English.
One day while volunteering with inner-city youth, I met Nena Jackson: the author of a children’s book series. She pulled me into the fold, and I became a singer/songwriter/actress for her book/TV series, “Fruit that Lasts.” I wrote the theme song and am featured on the show. The show focuses on connecting children to God in a relational way instead of merely behavior modification teaching children to be good. The pilot is finished, and we have a letter of intent from the Christian Television Network saying they would air the whole season, but we need funding to complete the filming.
I became the number one children’s artist in SC on the ReverbNation charts, created a songwriting masterclass, and was a music director for a school for 10 years.
My heart for special needs led me to write for the Sing Me A Story Foundation: a nonprofit that turns the stories of children in need into original songs.
TV opportunities surfaced in my own hometown and my original song “Summerville” is featured on the UP!Network show, “Small Town Christmas.” I’ve had 30 songs on the radio and TV. I am currently focusing on creating sync licensing music writing for ads, film, and TV.
I didn’t completely abandon my country roots and still write for country artists. I have multiple cuts with country artists Lauren Hall, Larissa Lundstrom, and Jericho.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Imagine you own a cake shop. You are just getting started, so you buy all the ingredients, make a bunch of sample cakes and hand them out at a street festival. Everybody loves your cake and stands in line over and over for free samples. However, nobody buys your cake because there are unlimited free samples. You know the investment of your time and money will be worth it because people will eventually come to your bakery. A few people buy a few cakes, but you need more to recoup what you spent on ingredients. People keep stopping by your table for free samples at every festival telling you how wonderful your cakes are.
One day, a celebrity tries one of your cakes and asks you to make one for their wedding. This is great! Your investment in yourself paid off, and you got a big opportunity! However, they want you to do their wedding for free because so many high profiles will be there, and they promise it will be “great exposure for you.” They promise to tell everyone at their wedding who made their wedding cake. You do the wedding for free. People at the wedding love your cake too!
More opportunities come, but everyone wants you to give them your product for free promising you possibilities of better opportunities. You continue to invest in cakes until you eventually have no money left to buy ingredients. You close your bakery and sell real estate.
The struggle is that it costs a lot of money to record music. Streaming has reduced the artist’s ability to recoup recording costs because it produces minimal revenue. (1/10th of a penny or less.) It would take millions of streams to even break even on recording costs. It’s nearly impossible for a grassroots musician to get millions of streams without large advertising dollars behind them or a viral video to create traction. I’ve seen my talented friends from Nashville revert to gimmick prank videos to get attention to sell products because their music alone (which is fantastic) doesn’t produce any revenue. We are often expected to perform for free or for exposure. We do this, which gets us attention, and then we are asked for bigger opportunities for the same free performance because it is “such great exposure.” It feels very cyclical, and it is very discouraging not to be able to generate revenue to continue your art. I was in the top 6% of musicians who got signed and were still paid nothing. In Nashville, I worked for 25% of my hourly rate teaching lessons and had to pay to perform at the bars. Not paying musicians for their music robs them of the resources to create more.
One time I met Dolly Parton’s cousin, who promised to get me on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. I was thrilled when I drove to Nashville and bought a new dress and shoes. The day of the would be show, he disappeared, would not answer the phone, and I never heard from him again. I wrote a song about it and learned if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I write and produce character-building music for children and have developed curriculums that I teach at camps and conferences.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of getting a publishing deal on music row, 30 songs on the radio, winning the Charleston’s Choice award for my children’s party company, and being number one the ReverbNation charts for SC. It is the most meaningful when moms send me videos or stories about their children making wise choices due to knowing my songs. The purpose of the recording was always so that my message could have a further reaching effect than I could physically have.
What sets you apart?
My ability to write a song about almost anything sets me apart from others. I was contracted by the nonprofit “Sing Me A Story” foundation to turn a story into a song from a girl with Epilepsy. I didn’t know anything about the disease, but hearing her story inspired me, and I quickly wrote her life story into a song. To see her face light up as she heard her life in music was heartwarming and made me so grateful to be a songwriter.
I’ve also created a songwriting course to foster young artists. Since 2020, I’ve been working with my producer partner Chris Dodson creating sync licensing music in effort to write for TV and film.
Who else deserves credit for your story?
- My mom gave me a guitar without me ever asking for one and set me up with music lessons. She could always see my potential and fostered my growth in all areas.
- My dad told me, “You are just as talented as anybody else in Nashville. Somebody has got to make it; why not you?” My parents also financed my second album.
- My dad’s boss Tom Atchison gave me his late son’s guitar and hired me for my first gig.
- Eddie White ran Awendaw Green music venue and sponsored my first album for free.
- Donnie Polk produced my second album for free without barely knowing me and had no ulterior motives. He just said, “Good things should happen to good people. I think you’re good people.”
- Daniel Wood spotted talent in me at a restaurant in Mount Pleasant and offered me a publishing deal on Music Row in Nashville.
- My Nashville producer Chad Raymon produced my first kid’s album with two days’ notice and barely any budget. He gave me the tools to learn how to produce and always brings out the best in me.
- David Wooten: My amazing graphic designer who has generously given of his talent for years to help every creative scheme/venture I have come to life in colorful vibrancy!
Pricing:
- Albums $8-13
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reverbnation.com/IreneRose
- Instagram: @IreneRoseMusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/IreneRoseMusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irene-rose-yereb-157ba82a/
- Twitter: @IreneRoseSmith
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Rbladechk
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/irene-rose-smith
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2UZDvwNicPBwFmtByR4tXg?si=j3jiH4u6REaXrbcsNsWSFQ
Image Credits
Ellen Sheehan, Mel King
