“Roses” was the song of summer 2015, created by the now well-known American DJ duo The Chainsmokers (previous hits include “#Selfie” and “Don’t Let Me Down”). The track featured emerging singer-songwriter Rozes. The aptly named musician recently sat down to talk about the inspiration behind the song, and what it was like working with The Chainsmokers.

ROZES VIDEO EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

The songwriter revealed to uInterview that her relationship with The Chainsmokers started in college. “So I met The Chainsmokers via Twitter; they followed me back when I was like in my college grocery store, and so I followed back obviously. And then, they direct-messaged me saying, ‘I love your sound, and we would love to write with you and collaborate with you,'” she recalled. That Twitter message evolved into a four-hour songwriting session, which Rozes greatly enjoyed. “Immediately we hit it off the bat, they have a great sense of humor and it kinda just felt like I was hanging out with my best friends for the day. We ordered Chinese food when we got hungry, and I’d say it was like four hours long until we were like, ‘I think we got a song.’ We spent more time eating than we did writing, I think.”

Rozes was candid about her outlook on the finished track, which both she and The Chainsmokers thought would be nothing more than a fun little addition to their discography. “I think the lyrics pulled a lot of people in,” she said. “But, I also think the formation of the drop that they put in, where it wasn’t the traditional dancey dubstep kind of drop, and it didn’t sound like a remix of any sort, it kind of just was its own genre of drop.” Regardless of the reason, the success came as a shock. “We didn’t think that it was gonna be on the radio, we didn’t think it was gonna be on Billboard, or we’d sing it at Coachella, it just happened, and even our teams were like, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty cool song.’ But, they were never like, ‘This is a hit!’”

The songwriter admits that while “Roses” is a catchy, fun beat, its lyrics resonate with her on a more personal level. “My initial concept was the first time you’re falling in love with somebody, because I had just met my boyfriend at the time; so we just kinda vibed off of that,” she revealed.

Creating “Roses” has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for Rozes, who will always look back on the work fondly. “I think it will always mean the start of my career and the start of my love. I mean, it’s about falling in love and that’s really what showed me how to fall in love with the industry and how it’s got my back and it’s just the start of beautiful beginnings I guess.”

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Q: What was it like working with The Chainsmokers to create "Roses"? -

So I met The Chainsmokers via Twitter; they followed me back when I was like in my college grocery store, and so I followed back obviously. And then, they direct-messaged me saying, ‘I love your sound, and we would love to write with you and collaborate with you.’ So, they sent me a few tracks, and I usually like to work in person, because I like relationships and then it creates an emotional bond towards the song, so we ended up working in Manhattan in Drew’s apartment and I had a few concepts in mind just in case they did wanna work on the things that they had prepared. So, my initial concept was the first time you’re falling in love with somebody, because I had just met my boyfriend at the time; so we just kinda vibed off of that and I guess “Roses” just kinda came about.

They’re great, I mean they’re goofy guys. Immediately we hit it off the bat, they have a great sense of humor and it kinda just felt like I was hanging out with my best friends for the day. We ordered Chinese food when we got hungry, and I’d say it was like four hours long until we were like, ‘I think we got a song.’ We spent more time eating than we did writing, I think.

User
Q: What is your songwriting process? -

I seem to write songs within like six hours, I have them finished. But, I think that because we got along so well and we all had our separate ideas, that we just kind of figured out how to piece them together and it clicked kind of like a puzzle would.

User
Q: Why do you think the song has been successful? -

I think the lyrics pulled a lot of people in. But, I also think the formation of the drop that they put in, where it wasn’t the traditional dancey dubstep kind of drop, and it didn’t sound like a remix of any sort, it kind of just was its own genre of drop, if that makes sense.

User
Q: What does the song mean for you? -

We thought that it was just a fun jam, it would do well on Soundcloud, and people would like it. We didn’t think that it was gonna be on the radio, we didn’t think it was gonna be on Billboard, or we’d sing it at Coachella, it just happened, and even our teams were like, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty cool song.’ But, they were never like, ‘This is a hit!’ I think that’s what made it go so far, is that it’s not the traditional song and it’s not what people hear everyday. It’s a refreshing sound.

I think it will always mean the start of my career and the start of my love. I mean, it’s about falling in love and that’s really what showed me how to fall in love with the industry and how it’s got my back and it’s just the start of beautiful beginnings I guess.