Rosie Tee | jazz-infused, alt-pop

r o s i e t e e

Rosie Tee is a composer/performer based in Birmingham, UK

with an innovative, atmospheric blend of electronica, jazz, classical and pop.

With a sound dubbed a “grown-up brand of art-pop” by The Unsigned Guide, her contemporary approach to songwriting straddles the contrasting worlds of alt-pop, rising UK Jazz and contemporary classical. Colour and image are at the centre of Tee’s lyrical writing, depicting imagined scenes and scenarios with sonorities akin to Laura Mvula, Björk and Anna Meredith.

Tee has collaborated closely with her quartet, which features a line-up of Rosie on vocals & glockenspiel with synth (Piera Onacko), bass guitar (Dan Cippico) and drum accompaniment (Kai Chareunsy). Together in October 2018, the band recorded a live session of debut single ‘Chambers’ at Abbey Road Studios with senior engineer Andrew Dudman. Rosie’s experiences surrounding this live-session were later detailed as an extensive feature in Songwriting Magazine UK.

After self-releasing debut single Chambers with an official video, a UK mini-tour marked the release of the follow-up Chambers EP in March 2019. Shows in London and Manchester were followed by a multi-discipline launch in Birmingham. Having received a 5-star review in the Birmingham Mail, this immersive release show featured visuals, site-specific set design and crowd-integrated moving performers. The EP was released to wide acclaim in March 2019, being described as “poised and elegant” by Tom Robinson after several national airplays on BBC Radio 6.

Having been nominated for Best Jazz Act by the Birmingham Music Awards, the band’s live output has made great waves across their Midlands hometown. Notable performances include Town Hall/Symphony Hall Jazzlines with BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year Xhosa Cole, supporting Stealing Sheep with This is Tmrw promoters amongst more intimate shows like Sofar Sounds. This summer, festival appearances comprised Cheltenham Jazz, Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul and Camper Calling.

A highlight of Tee’s career was featuring as a female composer for BBC Radio 3’s celebrations of International Women's Day in 2017. After composing a collaborative piece at Maida Vale Studios, Rosie was invited onto the BBC Radio 3 programme ‘In Tune’ to speak with composer Errollyn Wallen, who described her musical output as “formidable”.

Rosie’s orchestral-style arrangements for the band are often mirrored in her compositions for professional ensembles. Notably, Surround conducted by Julian Lloyd Webber, performed by Orchestra of the Swan and Towards performed by the Dutch-ensemble Orkest De Ereprijs. In February 2019, Rosie won a commission at the 25th Young Composers Meeting, Apeldoorn in Holland, a very prestigious international award. Receiving her musical education from renowned composers Joe Cutler and Seán Clancy, Rosie recently graduated with a first-class degree in Composition from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where she was awarded the RBC Composition Prize.

“poised and elegant”

Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6

“formidable”

Errollyn Wallen, BBC Radio 3

"genre-defying music."

Counteract