Jay Rosie is a Rhode Island born, presently New York City based queer songwriter and performing artist.
Fronted by Jenna Andreozzi and supported by a group of her closest friends, Jay Rosie was started with the intent of bringing a new level of emotionality to her formerly acoustic songs.
Within her formative years playing covers at local talent shows, Andreozzi developed a sense of her own artistry, beginning to write songs for this EP in her junior year of high school. But upon starting college, she stopped playing music as often. Finding herself disoriented, she came to terms with her personal goals and found the courage to do what many do not: to lovingly and unapologetically create. A pivotal decision made free of self-doubt, this sparked the formation of the project Jay Rosie in early 2019.
Finding her way to New York City and back to Providence many times, she frequented essential venues of the northeast DIY scene, touring intermittently with a cohort of close friends that would become her band.
Andreozzi had long envisioned a more fleshed out version of her previously acoustic material. Her unmistakable songs, which detail both desolate heartache and unreserved adoration, were always written with an eventual full band in mind. Jay Rosie quickly found themselves charming and enchanting audiences with their melancholic and playful strain of indie-pop.
Following two independently booked tours spanning from Brooklyn to Chicago to Boston and more, and the release of her debut single, Asked, Andreozzi had proven herself to be a refreshing voice full of eagerness and optimism. Having worked with friend and producer Rachel Selch, Andreozzi pieced together her first EP, Soft But Not Weak throughout 2019 across a plethora of settings including Miami, Manhattan, and Massachusetts.
About Soft but Not Weak
Soft But Not Weak encapsulates many of the foundational aspects of Jay Rosie – strength within vulnerability, grief, and growth. A collaborative work assembled across the country, Soft But Not Weak highlights moments of desolate heartbreak and unreserved adoration. Blanketed by a bright and lively strain of lo-fi production, the arrangements leave space enough for transformative songs that dance between lighthearted and devastating.
With a five-song track listing beginning with her exciting and dancey single, “Stay Late”, there are several turns that uncover Andreozzi’s scope as a songwriter, moving with ease from the bright, groove-heavy “Don’t Worry” to the exposed and stark tone of “Pinned”. Followed by a more upbeat, atmospheric tune, “Her” gives the listener a bit of context that recognizes how Andreozzi’s sexuality plays into her songs. As the listeners move through the record, they can hear a gained sense of self-solitude through Andreozzi’s distinct emotional melodies. The record ends with track “Without”, a bare and raw song consisting of only acoustic guitar and vocals. Andreozzi has closed every show she has ever played with this song, alone on stage, as her finale.
Altogether, the record gently weaves a loose narrative of growth that underscores the strength to be found in even our most ravaging emotional valleys. Soft But Not Weak is a concise but remarkable record, due out May 1st 2020, which will surely be the first footprint of a much larger trail that Jay Rosie will blaze.
