Vanity Rose: Unstoppable

Let’s hop right into this latest single, “Cupid” Remix — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition?

Aside from the “Cupid” Remix already being a viral moment, we don’t like to put ourselves in a box. We can do all kinds of music, so we wanted to show love to Jersey in particular because we love their style of music, and Honey also grew up there.

“Cupid” Remix follows right on the heels of “F*CK FACE” / “NUT CASE”” — Talk to me about these selections…

They’re both fun records for girls who are not looking for love right now. Not every girl is in a place where they wanna be tied down. A lot of girls just wanna have fun and live life, so those songs (are) dedicated to them.

Reflecting, tell me y’all’s whole inception into music — When did you all first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for Vanity Rose?

As kids, we’ve always been interested but it wasn’t till we became teenagers and a group that we believed that we could be successful in it. We – Hazel & Henny – met Honey in high-school. We were friends with her for a while before she even knew we could sing and she could, too. So when our mom suggested it, it was a no brainer and we been at it ever since.

Now y’all are natives of Atlanta, Georgia, correct? So growing up in ‘A-Town,’ who all did / do you all consider to be your strongest musical influences?

We were not born here, but we did grow up here so we had a chance to see the kind of impact OutKast had on the South. We definitely consider them as not only a strong influence for Atlanta, but for us, too, as a group. Overall, we definitely consider TLC and Destiny’s Child to be the strongest musical influences for us.

In having said that, how do you all classify your overall sound and / or style?

Well…we sing, we rap, we can do Pop…anything you put in front of us we can and will do it. So we’d classify ourselves as versatile. There’s no box we’d put ourselves in.

Now from an individual standpoint, what do each of you bring to the table both personality-wise and creatively?

Henny: I’m hype / sassy, and definitely the party starter. Creatively, I’m not afraid to give anything a shot. I’ll lay down a melody and lyrics; good or bad…I’ll give it a shot and keep trying till I feel Iike it’s great.

Honey: And, that’s where I come in…creatively, I come up with concepts easily. And if Henny is not all the way there with lyrics, I’ll come in and maybe take words out, rearrange or add to what Henny or Hazel may lay down. I’m definitely the Spicy Mami; very sexy, fearless and not afraid to look someone in their eyes and make them uncomfortable while saying the nasty part of any song.

Hazel: I’m the aggressive one; very hard, but I definitely balance it well with being sexy. Creatively, I also will lay a melody down quick. They come to me effortlessly…words, too. I’m a writer at heart, especially when it comes to Pop and R&B. Those are my favorite genres to write.

Where did y’all’s monicker originally derive from?

Our name Vanity Rose originally came from our name Vanity Three. We felt the name was too similar to a previous girl group, Vanity 6, so our mama replaced the Three with Rose. We chose to stick with the name VanityRose because Vanity symbolizes beauty; we are three beautiful black women. And Rose symbolizes our growth. We are always growing, always changing; goin’ through different seasons…and we have thorns that grew over time that have protected us from anything that tried to break us.

What particular string of events actually led to your initial linking up with Michael “Blue” Williams and later inking with his Family Tree imprint through Outback Presents?

Initially, we were discovered by Vince Herbert who was partnering with Blue. When the partnership ended, thankfully Blue, all of Family Tree and Outback Presents, already had a chance to see the potential in us and decided to sign us directly…and we’ve (been) working hard ever since.

Switching gears here…

Longevity, what do you all feel will be the ultimate key to y’all’s longstanding success?

Keeping your eye on the prize, the bigger picture and being loyal to each other. As long as we continue to do that, we’re unstoppable.

What do you all want people to get from your music?

We want people to have a good time, we want people to listen to us and be like, “yesssss, me, too!” We don’t want them to feel like fans, we want them to be like, “I wanna hang with them. I want to be around them because they understand.” We want people to be inspired, because they can do it, too. Not what anyone says.

On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of R&B?

We appreciate the current state of R&B because it has changed in more ways than one…and we believe we’re the perfect people to mix the old with the new, and make it work for us as group.

Do you all have any additional inspirations?

Our mothers for sure. They are hard working women who taught us to put our best foot forward in anything that we do, so we’re definitely appreciative that that was instilled in us and they definitely led by example. They are some hard working women.

To date, what has been y’all’s greatest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?

We’d have to say hearing ourselves on the radio. Not only in Atlanta, but in all different parts of the country. How hype other people, friends and family are when they hear us. It just confirms for us that we’re on the right path.

One track of y’all’s that you think defines you all and why?

We think our upcoming single, “Anywhere,” describes us perfectly. The way we delivered the song, definitely defines us as a whole, Sexy Sassy & Aggressive!

Finally, what’s next for Vanity Rose?

We have another Freestyle dropping sooner than later and a single called “Any B*tch.” Shortly after that, we will drop a video for “Any B*tch.”

Is there anything I left out, or just plain forgot to mention?

Nope, I think we covered everything!

Any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?

If you don’t know our name, you will VERY soon. We’ve arrived! It’s our time and we’re not letting up. We’re humble and just overall thankful for the very door that has opened for us; for everyone who saw it in us when everybody else had their doubts. Stay tuned because we are just getting started. It’s gonna be one for the books. —-