It’s a Saturday morning and Rosa Linn is on the bus traveling to the next stop on tour.
“I’m working today,” she emphatically says. “Being on the road has been fun because I’m learning so much. I get to perform night after night, and this is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
It was only a few years ago that Rosa Linn left her home country of Armenia to move to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream of being a musician.
Along with her drive, she’s managed to make impressions with the right people and finds herself supporting on national tours. She also has an EP, “Lay Your Hands Upon My Heart,” which was released on June 23.
She started the earlier part of spring opening for Ed Sheeran on his stadium tour for seven dates — this was her first tour ever.
“I started in stadiums,” she says, thinking back. “Ed came to me before the first show to make sure I wasn’t nervous. He told me, ‘Make sure you’re not nervous because you don’t have anything to prove. You’re already here.’ His words put into perspective what I’ve always wanted to hear.”
Currently, she’s in the opening slot for the Young the Giant tour, which makes a stop at Revel ABQ, on Tuesday, Aug. 1. The tour also has Milky Chance on the bill.
“The shows are very different for me,” Rosa Linn says. “Opening for Ed Sheeran was in stadiums, so I had a band with me. On this tour, it’s just me, my guitar and one guitar player. The set is a little more subdued but full of powerful songs.”
When it comes to writing for the EP, Rosa Linn worked with writer and producer Rick Nowels on songs.
Prior to meeting Nowels, Rosa Linn spent time in Los Angeles writing with other writers.
“When I met Rick, we loved working with each other and started writing every day,” she says. “Instead of me jumping around, we started working for a couple months and recorded a bunch of songs. The last few months before I went out on tour I was putting the finishing touches on the EP.”
Although Rosa Linn has found success early, her journey has been filled with plenty of peaks and valleys.
“There have been a lot of sleepless nights,” she says. “I need to remind myself that three years ago, I thought it was impossible. I’m from Armenia, and things like this don’t happen to people like me. The first step was getting to the United States. Then I worked daily to spark the interest of people in the industry. At the end of the day, when I’m on stage, it’s totally worth it.”
Lyrics also come from a personal place, which makes it easier for her to connect with the song.
“It’s important for me to perform songs that I feel,” she says. “The best thing about songwriting is it’s easy to code stuff. I will write about my experiences but change some references. That’s the gem with songwriting.”
Life on the road does take some getting used to. Rosa Linn has established herself a great circle of support of friends in Los Angeles, yet she misses her home in Armenia.
“I literally left my life behind and started with a blank page,” she says. “It was 100% different except for the fact I was still writing the songs. I came here alone, and it was hard to be away from my country, family and friends. So, I always try to share my story through music. I leave a piece of me on every song I write.”
https://www.abqjournal.com/lifestyle/music/from-armenia-to-los-angeles-rosa-linn-is-making-waves-within-music/article_ddf918de-28f5-11ee-9524-27312c5d901c.html