In the heart of New York’s vibrant music scene, pop singer/songwriter ROREY emerges with her new single “Standby,” part of her upcoming sophomore EP, “Dysphoria.”
Her leading single, “Standby,” is a raw and candid account of her first step in recovery. “I wrote this song during a manic episode in 2021. It was my ultimate epiphany in understanding that my healing process wasn’t going to happen instantaneously; I couldn’t just “stand by” waiting for it to happen. I had to take action and commit to getting better; no one was going to do that for me. I had two choices: accept the help offered to me or continue lamenting that everybody was living life and I was stuck getting nowhere,” she confides.
Follow ROREY @itsrorey
Who influenced you, and why did you choose to make music?
Literally, as a toddler I would sing random melodies anywhere and everywhere 24/7. As I got older, actual phrases started to accompany those melodies. For years, I would just play guitar and make up songs until my mom begged me at nine years old to write them down. I would consider one of my first fully written songs “House of despair”. The dramaaa.
Do you play any instruments?
Yes, I play guitar and piano. I can also kind of get away with pretending to play the drums.
Tell us about your new EP, “Dysphoria?”
In 2021 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I wrote six of the eight songs featured on my ep Dysphoria, that year. I was so inundated and mentally unwell I would text my co-producer Scott at 4 am being like can I come in and write this song idea I have with you. You can feel that urgency to express in each song and the project as a whole. It was very healing years later to string these demos together to make a project that tells my story. I’m inviting my listeners into my psyche and dysphoric experience of life at the time.
And about your single “Stand By?” What’s the story behind the song?
Standby was my ultimate epiphany in understanding that my healing process wasn’t going to happen instantaneously, I couldn’t just “stand by” waiting for it to happen. I had to take action and commit to getting better, no one was going to do that for me. I had two choices to accept the help offered to me or continue lamenting that everybody was living life and I was stuck getting nowhere.
Can you walk us through your creative process for this single? How did the idea come to life?
The day is a blur because I’d slept 2 hours the night before. All I remember is going to the bathroom and singing to myself “everybody’s living life, and I’m just on standby”. I ran back into the session with Scott and sang it for him. I picked up his classical guitar and started playing this down stroke rhythm. As the lyrics unfolded, so did the sonic atmosphere.
Were there any specific experiences or emotions that fueled the writing and composition of this song?
The recurring “lalalas” that start off the song are meant to be unnerving. They’re the sonic version of covering your ears with the palms of your hands to cut out the noise around you; in this case my cyclical thoughts.
The song is intentionally sparing in lyrics for that reason. I freestyled the entire internal monologue in the bridge. I just remember watching my friends all experiment with their hair and their style. Traveling, and living their lives with full agency, and I was a hostage to this never ending cycle of debilitating highs and lows.
How do you usually start working on a new song? Do you begin with lyrics, melodies, or a concept?
I have no set method. A lot of times I will bring a song idea into a session and expound on it, whether it’s a lyrical concept with a half-formed melody or a life experience I want to write about. I have written many finished songs alone in my bedroom, but my favorite part about making music is collaboration, so I love having a co-writer in the room to bounce ideas off of. A lot of the EP songs came from voice notes I had recorded in the middle of the night.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
When people reach out and tell me that my music makes them feel seen, understood and a little less crazy for having similar thoughts and feelings to my own.
What advice would you give to your younger self, and why?
Stop overthinking so much. Just do it. You’re never going to be ready.
How would your best friend describe you?
We aren’t speaking right now after a falling out, but she would describe me as a dark angel – a dark ethereal angel with the most out of pocket humor.
If you were a book, what would be the title of the book and why?
Title TBD. Time will tell how I define my life. I will say though, I am on volume two at this point and three is def underway.
What’s next for ROREY in 2024?
Lots of new music, and hopefully a tour. I’m headlining The Knitting Factory in NYC on April 25th. It’s my first headline show. I’m super stoked about that!
What is your favorite vegetable?
Broccoli, it’s an obsession really.
What is your favorite food?
A croissant. They just bring me joy.
How would you explain your fashion style?
I’m a serial outfit repeater, and a forever jeans and t-shirt kinda gal. Rarely will anyone catch me in a skirt or dress.
What is your own definition of happiness?
A fleeting sense of bliss that comes and goes.
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
My dad. He died when I was fourteen, and I feel as though I barely knew him. I would give anything to get his insight and advice right now as an adult. I always wonder what kind of conversations we would be having. He was brilliant. My grief is a theme I explore for the first time on my upcoming EP.
What would be your dream holiday, and who would you go with?
A villa in the Turks and Caicos with all my favorite people.
Best advice ever given?
“Go where the love is, not where it isn’t” or “you can’t think your way out of a chemical imbalance”
Do you support any charities?
The Kinderinsel Affing (Children’s Island) is a non profit organization, offering animal assisted therapy to children and adults with all kinds of mental and physical disorders to help them get back to new life quality.
The children come regularly once a week, either in small groups or single, depending on their needs. In very difficult situations they even spend weeks or months with us, until they are ready to go back home…
Where do you see yourself and your career in 5 years?
I try not to have expectations, because I find they are the enemy of all things good, however I would love to have had my first world tour and a true global reach with my music.
What is your favorite song to belt out in the car or for karaoke?
“Hot n’ Cold” by Katie Perry
Book: It’s not a book, but the play “No Exit” by Jean Paul Sartre. Does that count?
Quote: I don’t have a favorite quote per say, all that comes to mind right now is “the pen is mightier than the sword”
Movie: Interstellar
Tv Series: Orphan Black. Tatiana Maslani is superhuman for her acting in that. I highly, highly recommend it! Go binge it rn!
Travel Destination: Anywhere, but America. Though this small town in Bavaria called Affing has immense sentimental value to me it’s my second home.