Gabriella Rose is a name you need to know in the world of country music. However, she might not respond well to requests (demands) if you attend one of her shows!
This specific example raises concerns about fan behavior as well as artist decorum.
Rose, a rising star to watch out of Nashville, bucks the current trend of country music. A large amount of new songs are tailor-made for the radio or produced to go viral on TikTok. That is not the case here.
Rose was raised on gospel music, delta blues, and cowboy ballads of the 50s and 60s in Northern California. She started to write her own music at the age of 14 when her brother taught her how to bluegrass pick. Her music blends Biblical themes with the sounds of artists like Colter Wall, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris. It is a modern day throwback to the Western days of old, if you will. She’s awesome!
As Gabriella Rose continues to grow in popularity, her fans want to hear the songs they know when they attend one of her shows! That is pretty standard across the board. I wouldn’t be excited to hear my favorite artists play songs for which I am not as familiar. It is their prerogative to do so but I, admittedly, would be less inclined to see them perform again.
Therein lies this latest debate involving Gabriella Rose.
Rose recently played a writer’s round at the historic Bluebird Cafe. One of her fans asked her to play her song ‘Necklace,’ which is her most popular release at the moment.
Actually, let me rephrase that! One of her fans demanded that she play ‘Necklace.’ It was not a polite request. It was overly direct and rude.
Rose was not thrilled by the outcry. She looked legitimately furious and disappointed by the insistence because she was going to play a different song instead. The crowd essentially bullied her into ‘Necklace’ after a tense back-and-forth. The whole exchange was super awkward.
Gabriella Rose ultimately succumbed to the peer pressure. She sounded great!!
On one hand, I entirely condone the fan for blurting out her demand in such a blunt manner. She acted inappropriately. If you really, really, really have to say something, a polite ask for a specific song is one thing. To shout “play this” is totally not cool at all.
On the other hand, I think Gabriella Rose could’ve handled the situation better. She should know what the people want to hear. Artists on the come-up often have to play their biggest hit until it no longer becomes fun to play. That’s kind of part of the deal. And even if Rose wanted to play a different song despite the “request,” she could’ve said something to the effect of: “Let me play this one first, then I’ll play Necklace.”
I don’t know. Both sides of the interaction rubbed me the wrong way. I won’t hold it against Gabriella Rose (who I think is going to be a star) because the fan demand was not cool, but I don’t love seeing how she reacted. There were probably other ways to handle it.
What do you think? Let me know at Grayson@Brobible.com or @GsonJW on X!
Content shared from brobible.com.