As a kid we have dreams that go beyond our expectations. We tend to set the bar so high we can hope anything is possible. Some people pray for luck and others find their luck on their own terms. Singer/ Songwriter Heather LaRose can definitely relate to all of the above. Moving to a different city with a full support team behind her and taking chances, that is a start to a great story in the making. Heather will now take us through her story and some exciting projects she has in the making.
Q:Thank you, Heather, so much for joining us today.
A: Oh, anytime. I am so honored to be here. Thank you.
Q:No, thank you for joining today. I’m very excited to be interviewing you, you’ve had a lot of great songs that have been coming out. And I understand you have much more work, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. So let’s start with a simple question. How old were you when you decided you wanted to be in the music field as a performer?
A: Well, I always wanted to do music. I remember in kindergarten and first grade when we had to do our creative presentations. One day I brought my little Hello Kitty journal up there and said I wrote a song about today. So music has just been something that’s always been on my heart. It’s always been like, my favorite way to express myself. So since I was since I was like five.
Q: Were there any role models of yours that inspired you to get into music or did just come up suddenly?
A: Honestly, my first three CDs were Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, Abba’s Greatest Hits, and the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack. And I would like just listen to them incessantly. Then like a lot of young Disney stars started saying of how they wrote their own music like Aly and AJ. And then obviously, the iconic Taylor Swift came out and was like, I wrote all of these songs.
People can do it, you could like achieve your dreams. And I love how when a song is written by someone, it just carries that extra like personal gravity and like craftsmanship and artwork there. So those have definitely been people who have affected me growing up.
Q:That is awesome. So you mentioned Taylor Swift, would it be a dream of yours to perform with her someday?
A: Oh, my goodness. There was about a year ago back when live concerts were a thing. There was this contest through an LA radio station to open up for her. And I came in fourth place. And I was like so close. It was one of those things where you had to get everybody and your mom to vote for you online every day. You could like buy votes, too. So I told everybody “please do not buy votes for me.” But honestly just to make it that far out of like that was amazing. I think over 10,000 people applied.
Q: That is incredible.
A: Oh, yes. Taylor, if you’re listening, like oh my gosh, Dream, dream.
Q: Oh, who knows? That could come true someday. So you said you started writing songs when you were in kindergarten? What were the first few songs that you published and recorded?
A: Oh, man, the first ones that I recorded. There was this song that went viral on YouTube. That was right when I learned how to play guitar. I was definitely still 15 it was called Trapped or it was called Trap. And I had to take that down because I ended up years later going to music school and learning a lot more. But back then it was just me with like a little DSLR camera. And just being like, this is me with my attitude guitar.
Let me think for you. Oh, so at first, like I was just really gung ho. And then I like looked back and I was like “Okay, if this is something that I really want to do, I need to figure out how to best articulate myself as a musician. Like learn the craft and just really workshop who I am and how I’m feeling. And in these three minutes that I’m given, what do I want to say to the world?”
Q: That is incredible to hear. So how long have you been in Los Angeles? And what inspired you or pushed you to move out here?
A: Well, I’ve been in Los Angeles now for two years. I’m from New York originally. And at the time, I was touring and going through a lot of personal stuff. When my first boyfriend passed away from cancer, and it was really difficult. Everything that I was driving past and every moment had these memories that I just knew I needed to escape from.
And I’ve been to Los Angeles before at that point, and I’ve been out here for projects and working with different producers. So my mom actually encouraged me to come out here because she saw how much healthier it was for me. It was a really big mental health choice to get out of New York come to LA. New York has great music and really awesome people but LA just seemed to be the place where I was able to find myself and grow in a very healthy way.
Q: Wow, that is quite the story. And I’ve never heard anything like it before. And it’s good. Your mom pushed you to follow your dreams because a lot of parents either said don’t give up or don’t you know, risk yourself out there. Your mom seems like your biggest cheerleader?
A: She really is. I love her. Honestly, from day one. I remember like the first time like I taught myself how to like play guitar and write a song. My mom was like, oh, Heather, who’s that song by and I was on our deck and I was like, it was by me Mom, I did it. And she was like, Oh my god, let’s get you Well, she does not talk like that. She was like, Oh my gosh, let’s get you a YouTube right away. Let’s do this. Um, so from day one, my parents have always been so so supportive, and I can’t thank them enough for that because it without them like I wouldn’t have been able to like just to like really fully accept myself and like who I am and everything.
Q: That is awesome to hear. Now, I have wanted to ask this question. Your song Betty Cooper. What inspired you to write about that? Are you a fan of Riverdale?
A: I am a huge fan of Riverdale and I really resonated when I was re-watching the series during the quarantine. I really resonated with Betty’s character in season one. She just kind of feels very misguided and pushed into like a cookie cutter version of who the people around her want her to be.
All the while she’s struggling with like her darker sides and battling demons that like the people around her have no idea that she’s going through. And I just it was something that really resonated with me and I just decided I just started writing and the hook came last the making love is super just call me Betty Cooper. I was at first just writing like from the idea of like, what would have happened to her and Archie got together but he never really appreciated her. And like be careful what you wish for kind of thing. And then it was just like I saw myself as Betty and I was like I need to just incorporate her into the song because at this point it’s about it’s not just about me and it’s not just about her. It’s about like us being the same person.
A: Oh, my goodness, that would be amazing. I’m actually in the middle. I just had my second day of shooting for the Betty Cooper music video. It’s gonna be more like a music slash lyric video. I would love to have Lili Reinhart make a cameo. I really admire her and her acting and her work and I would love to meet her. Also, if I ever had the chance to play a romantic lead versus KJ Apa, that would be amazing.
Q: So now that we’ve covered Betty Cooper, do you have any other songs or projects coming out that your man should be on lookout for or should be waiting for?
A: Definitely. Before March 30, I am going to be releasing a song “Right before Christmas.” I got signed to a new label called 45. And so I have a couple more projects coming out with them and then this year, I’ll be releasing an EP as well.
Q: Oh, that should be exciting.
A: Yeah, I’m really excited to just be able to create like a song story in a narrative that really just like expresses, like the journey that I’ve been on as a musician, and just kind of like relating to people in a wider way than just like releasing a couple of singles but really just creating that narrative and the story arc.
Q: That is great and incredible to hear whether it seems like you are definitely on the right path to what you want to do with music and it seems like you are ahead of the game the most people are beat you. So now that you’ve told us about your current future plans, what would be your dream venue to perform in once COVID has died down.
A: Super Bowl halftime show. But somehow, some way, by accident, me and Tom Brady switch places and they push him on stage to sing. And then I end up by accident being thrusted into the idea of being a quarterback. And then throughout a widely like sitcom like, musical theater scenario, they feel they find out that we’ve switched places and I am actually not Tom Brady and not a football player.
Q: That would be something.
A:That’s the pipe dream.
Q: Hey, it’s 2021 anything can happen now these days?
A: Definitely.
Q: Okay, so now that we’ve covered music, you’ve mentioned me do acting as well.
A: I actually only have at this point done acting in high school, but I’ve never done any acting professionally. I’m currently enrolled in an acting class, just so I’m not cringy in music videos. But I do love the idea of getting to just like step into somebody else’s shoes, I’m definitely very much a person who can be in my own head and very, like, overly thinking. So when I get a chance to kind of step out of myself, I really enjoyed that experience.
Q: I mean, not a lot of people have the guts to say what you just did. And that’s very impressive. Thank you. So now that we come to our last question, what advice do you have for musicians like yourself who have been writing songs their whole life, and they’re trying to put their foot through the door? What would your advice be?
A: Don’t worry about what other people want to hear from you. Right now, what I think is really great about being a musician is that you have an unlimited audience, you have social media, which is how you and I first connected, you have so many different ways to be able to reach the people who will appreciate you and what you want to write and what you want to put out. So I would say don’t settle for what other people are telling you to do. Work on songs and write from a place that is most vulnerable and most real to you. So that you’re like staying authentic and true to yourself. And I think that’s the only way you’ll ever be able to be happy and proud of what you’re working on.
Q: That is amazing to hear. That is a great piece of advice for musicians and inspiring musicians and upcoming musicians. So you are definitely in the right mindset of what you’re giving back to people. And a bonus question, what has been the biggest advice or lesson you’ve learned from being on this journey to a successful career as a musician?
A:That one’s really good. Biggest piece of advice that I’ve been given, I think it comes back down to authenticity, and being true to yourself. Not shying away from who you are and letting the commercial idea of people who do pop music expect a certain thing or try to push you into like some sort of cookie cutter mold. I think just staying true to who you are and letting your personality and emotions be what’s being expressed in the song is always most important. And that’s been the advice that I was given young as a younger artist. That’s really stuck with me.
Q: Wow, thank you so much Heather!
A: Thank you!
Heather is certainly not letting go anytime soon! She will keep pushing and creating music until she is on every billboard or performing with every artist on her dream list. In the meantime to get to know Ms. LaRose a little bit better, you can follow her at her social media pages at the bottom.
