The small room at the Théâtre Lino Ventura in Nice was transformed for an evening into a gathering of friends. Yes, among friends! Rose chose to go for an intimate concert rather than a major production. The strategy paid off, as it has been sold out for over a month. One key to her success is her charming personality that doesn’t hesitate to shake up the norms. The setting of the evening is conducive to encounters and sharing. Her smile is contagious, and her zest for life captivates an already spellbound audience. In just a few songs, she enchanted the assembly. The lovely woman from Nice is riding a wave of success but has never forgotten her roots. Proud of her past, her first words are for the audience: “I’m very happy to be in Nice with you.” Far from being an inaccessible artist jaded by showbiz, Rose nurtures her love for her audience. To feel even more emotion, she even asks the spectators to gather in front of the stage. No barriers exist anymore between the artist and her fans. That’s how Rose is, natural, simple, and charming.
The harmony is perfect, the various songs are sung again and in unison, and the audience is fulfilled. Some even joined the artist on stage for the last song. A true bundle of energy and good humor, she delivers her melancholic texts with an angelic smile. With the microphone in hand or the guitar, the former teacher puts on a great show. Accompanied by a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, she launches and performs “La Liste” and “Ciao Bella,” her two hit tracks.
As soon as she starts humming a few notes, the audience follows her lead. Rosemania is in bloom. A concert under the sign of good cheer. Far from repeated and meticulously timed shows, the atmosphere is friendly. A “jam session” among friends as the evening progresses. Between love declarations to her “Julien” and her close ones, Rose once again proved her immense talent.
The evening ends with a new unreleased track: “Je guéris” (I Heal). A happy woman and a fulfilled artist, the audience gives her a standing ovation as a farewell. A beautiful evening under the thousand and one stars of Nice, with eyes only for the most beautiful Rose.
Interview with Rose a few hours before her concert in Nice (by Tanguy Hugues)
Rose accepted to participate in this interview with complete simplicity and authenticity a few hours before her concert in Nice, just before starting the soundcheck.
NP: You often mention Nice in your interviews, you particularly love this city as you are from Nice. Is it a bit of a special concert for you here tonight?
Rose: It’s more about the people who live here and who will be there tonight. It feels weird to come back to Nice with my band. It’s true that we’ve been touring a lot and haven’t come to Nice yet. It feels strange arriving with the truck as if we’re arriving in any city, but here we recognize everything and it feels like home.
NP: You say you’re afraid of disappointing on stage; tonight, this must be even more present?
Rose: I’m not generally nervous, I’m not afraid of going on stage, but there’s always the little doubt of wondering, “Will they like it?” Tonight it’s even stronger because I have friends, my parents, and many people who knew me in college, in school, in Nice. They’re coming to see what Rose really is because they’ve never seen it. They heard about Keren who was selling records. It’s a bit of a myth in Nice. They stayed with the idea that Keren is Rose. And tonight they’re going to check that out.
NP: Everything happened very quickly. Writing the ten additional tracks, recording the album, and your popularity. The songs are still a hit even though the album was released last year; your concerts are sold out. Are you surprised by all this, by this rapidity?
Rose: I was surprised that everything went so quickly. Especially at the beginning because I was surprised, after presenting my two tracks, to be signed. Once I made this album, I was more than optimistic. It was maybe a bit presumptuous, and since I liked the songs, I said, “It’s going to work!” After that, it started very slowly, so I was a bit disappointed. But after a few shows, Taratata and a 1 PM news edition, it took off right away. It’s not sudden fame like they say, it’s not like overexposure such as at Star Academy where everyone knows them on the street afterward. Me, I can walk quietly and honestly. I don’t get recognized much.
NP: Was it easy to go on stage?
Rose: Nothing was easy. I keep saying in every interview that I was very fortunate, so it was easy on a practical level. But, in my mind, it was never simple. What was difficult is being taken and told, “Here, now you’re capable of doing an Olympia.” While I had just composed one song. Then when I’m told there will be a hundred dates on the tour, you wonder: am I going to be capable? In the end, not so much because it’s the fifth date, and I’ve already lost my voice. Each time, there are doubts and a lot of questioning, all the time. Performing has been the hardest thing but is today the greatest joy of this job.
NP: You declared to Cosmopolitan magazine in October: “Love is elusive. It’s an inner void that gets filled. It’s the only way to feel alive.” It’s a bit like the summary of your album. What is the secret of this album that touches so many people, while describing such personal and intimate feelings?
Rose: Yes, I also believed it was intimate and personal, but in the end, we’re all the same. We’re all made the same way, and we’ve all more or less lived this kind of story. With a love story, there are inevitably wounds and everything I tell. Even with “Ciao Bella,” I think everyone has experienced the death of a loved one. I didn’t do it to especially touch people. I did it to tell my life. I think what made it work for me is that people felt that I didn’t do it for that purpose and that it was really an authentic approach.
