Interview: Amanda Rosser

Nineteen-year-old Amanda Rosser hail from the outskirts of Houston, Texas. Her first performance came at the age of five, in a talent show at her elementary school; she was given her first guitar at the age of twelve. I was impressed by her sound on her new single, 'Looking for a Man', and had the opportunity to ask her some questions by email.

You started singing and playing guitar at a really young age - can you remember a time when you weren't singing?

I cannot remember a single time when I wasn't singing. There is video of me on my second or third birthday singing, and my mom tells me all the time about how I used to sing in my car seat to Faith Hill’s ‘This Kiss’. I didn't start playing guitar or songwriting until I was twelve, though. That is when I really started to take my music more seriously. 

You recorded a demo at fourteen years of age and funded it yourself – you obviously had a big drive to get your music out into the world. Is music in your family – did you see someone else doing that sort of thing? Or was it a conviction that came from within?

I am actually the ONLY musician in my family. My mom can’t carry a tune in a bucket and she knows it, so that is okay for me to say. My brothers can kind of sing but I’ve never heard them really try. Music was a conviction that came from within myself. I know that this is a God-given talent that I am going to use in my life one way or another. 

When you continued that path, performing at open mic nights even while you were still in high school, was there ever a point at which you thought it might all be too hard and you were tempted to give up?

I think I almost gave up when I graduated high school and went to college. I felt like that was what I was ‘supposed to do’ and I had to ‘be realistic’ about my future. None of those things came from anyone in my own family, but from myself and what I thought was right for me at the time and what was the cultural ‘norm’. But even in college I always knew that I was meant to be doing something more with my music. 

What’s your songwriting process like – do you wait for inspiration to strike or do you sit down each day, or each week, and see what comes up?

I try to sit down each day or every other day and write something no matter how bad it may be. But the best songs I have written really came from a random inspiration that struck me at a moment where I would be running around looking for paper and a pen to write the idea or line down on so I wouldn’t forget it. 

Nineteen-year-old Amanda Rosser hails from the outskirts of Houston, Texas. Her first performance came at the age of five, at a talent show at her elementary school; she was given her first guitar when she was twelve. I was impressed by Amanda's sound when I heard her debut single, 'Looking for a Man', and had the opportunity to interview her by email. 

If you could describe what it's like to perform for an audience in five words (or less), what would they be?

Adrenaline Rush and Fulfilling.

What motivates you to keep playing and singing and writing? (Some people reading this might be in need of motivation!)

I honestly pull my motivation out of a conviction that I have felt since I was young that this is the path I am supposed to be on and I need to stay steady on. God has given me a gift and I am meant to use that gift to reach others and connect with people. If I ever feel like giving up, I just remember that I have been given a voice and I am supposed to use it!

This single is out - what's next?

I am pretty much just promoting this single, learning a ton about the industry, and taking it all one day at a time. It is a lot to take in at once! Of course I have my goals of eventually recording a full album, touring, opening for Miranda Lambert or Thomas Rhett, and things of that nature, but right now I am just going to enjoy the moment and take in all the knowledge that the people I am working with have to offer me. 



amandarosser.com