In what is the second year of her music career, Ghanaian alt-pop artist Anabel Rose and member of Ghanaian music collective 99PHACES rose to fame after her single DND went viral on social media in 2023. The single will go on to amass over 300,000 streams across all DSPs, which is an incredible feat for an independent artist making alternative music. The popularity of DND, which was her second single at the time, earned her performance slots on several shows, including M.anifest’s Manifestivities (2023), Black Sherif’s Zama Disco (2023), and Baaba J Live (2023), amongst many others.
Off the back of a successful debut year, Anabel will expand her reach in 2024 through collaborations with Iyke Parker and Leonardoddj on their single Pain and Pleasure, Koo Kusi & RBD’s Sex, and Say What by Reez, Kxlab & Johny Holiday. In August 2024, she will release her first song of the year, Lungs, which will earn her a spot as the cover for Sizzlers and H&M playlists on Spotify. Unbeknownst to many, the single will be the buildup to her debut project.
Titled “Something About A Rose,” the EP consists of six songs, including pre-released singles Love Me or Die, DND, and Lungs. With no features, the project is Anabel’s introduction to the music world as she unveils the different personalities of herself through the songs on the tape. With production from Insane Auggie, Mēl, Johnwav, Lolu, and Kxlab, Something About A Rose invites listeners to step into Anabel’s creative world and explore her unique perspective.
In a conversation with Superbold Mag, Anabel shares insights about the project and everything that went into its creation.
SB: How significant is Something About A Rose to you and your career?
AR: It feels like the embodiment of who I am as an artist at this particular stage, but also who I am as a person. Because I am unable to show all sides of me in my everyday life, I believe this project is the perfect introduction to Anabel Rose and how she views the world. Sonically, it shows that I am just at the beginning of my sonic exploration, but already there is so much curiosity about what I can achieve through experimentation. It feels like a breath of fresh air.
SB: How would you describe your growth over the last two years?
AR: Well, I’m freshly into my second year, and the growth has been almost unbelievable. To get the opportunity to build a genuine fanbase that is still growing, perform on some of the biggest stages in Accra, and be nominated twice for an award because of the songs I’ve made? Surreal. As someone who knows what she can achieve and where she wants to go, it’s easy to lose sight of all the growth I’ve made in just a year and a few months, but I always try to remind myself to stay present and grateful for where I’ve gotten to now.
SB: Were there any personal life events or turning points that directly inspired this project?
AR: Not really. When I was making the songs for this project, I didn’t do so with the intention of creating an EP, except for “Too Friendly,” which was the final song we needed to complete the project. It turned out to be a good thing because it allowed me to create freely, reflecting on everything I was experiencing at the time. Once we compiled the songs, it felt like a roadmap of my state of mind during that period.
SB: How does Anabel Rose view the world?
AR: There isn’t a specific way I view the world; it’s more about how I express my feelings and navigate the things that affect me. I think that’s a better way to put it. With this EP, I explore various topics—love, fleeting obsessions, how women are treated through the male gaze, depression, and more. I would say the EP reflects how I move through the world with a lot of emotion. I feel things very deeply, but my struggle has always been with processing or communicating those feelings in the real world. I don’t often have conversations about how I’m feeling, so I end up expressing those emotions through my songs instead. As the EP came together, I realized it had a very cohesive theme—it captured the different things I was experiencing during that period. Every song on the EP is a reflection of those moments, and together, they tell the story of how I navigated that time in my life.
SB: Walk us through one or two tracks that best embody your different personalities.
AR: For Love Me or Die, the song is basically a hyperbolic way of describing how deeply I feel whenever I have a crush or like someone. But I’m never going to tell them—that would be too embarrassing for me. Instead, I mostly just rely on giving them eye contact, even though I know it’ll never really convey how I feel. Meanwhile, all these raging emotions are happening inside me. It’s kind of obsessive behaviour, like constantly checking their social media pages, always wanting to see them, and feeling like my entire day is made after just one conversation with them.
Smile, on the other hand, speaks to a confrontational side of me that I struggle to bring out. As women, we often experience situations like walking down the street and being followed by a man asking for our number. Ideally, I’d confront him and say, “No, this is not okay,” but in reality, I smile, say, “Thank you,” and sometimes even give my number out of fear of confrontation. Then I block them later. Smile represents my ideal self—the version of me that confronts these situations directly and says, “No, what you’re doing is not okay.”
SB: How connected are you to the personalities on this project?
AR: My personality is an extension of myself, and the things I feel or experience on a daily basis are just maybe slightly hyperbolized. These are all things I have felt before but never had the confidence to manifest in reality. I’ve been in my Covergirl era; I’ve wanted to get revenge on someone with my baseball bat. And I’ve had the most soul-consuming crushes.
SB: How challenging was it to put this entire project together?
AR: Planning a whole project is no easy feat. Putting the songs together is just the first step, and as an independent artist, I get first-hand experience with creating strategies, pulling shoots together, and executing a rollout. It’s a big job. Honestly, without the help of my team, friends, and family, I wouldn’t have been able to pull off half of what we’ve done so far. So I’m really grateful for the chance to let my vision be heard and seen.
SB: How does Anabel Rose balance experimentation with staying true to her core sound?
AR: I think it’s an issue I’m trying to figure out myself. Naturally, it’s very hard for me to create something that isn’t true to myself. If I try to embody someone else, follow a trend, or mimic a genre, it feels very unnatural, and I’d end up making something I don’t like. In this fast-paced digital age, we’re constantly bombarded with messages like, “This is the best way to do things,” or “Artists should do this or that.” It often affects my creativity and mental health. I face many inner struggles, especially when making music. To overcome this, I lean into my community—those I trust most when creating—to remind me of who I am, the kind of music I love, and to help boost my confidence.
SB: What has been your biggest challenge as an independent artist?
AR: The lack of a clear roadmap is one of the biggest challenges. There’s no single way to navigate the music industry, and as an independent artist, you wear many hats. You’re not just making music; you’re also handling marketing, planning shoots, and managing your career’s creative direction. While this is exciting, it can also be exhausting and lead to burnout. After intense periods of work, I often feel drained and disconnected from my creativity. However, I always come back to the music because that’s what keeps me going.
SB: If you could dedicate this EP to one person, moment, or experience, what would it be?
AR: This EP feels like a renaissance of my creativity. Moving back to Ghana in 2022 and trying to figure out my life while getting back into the creative scene was a significant period for me. The process of writing music, performing again, and embracing the artist within led to this EP. It represents a journey from confusion and feeling lost to finding purpose and clarity.
SB: Is there a song on the EP that could pass as your theme song?
AR: “DND,” for sure. It’s a feel-good song that evokes freedom—something I aspire to embody in both my music and life. I want to live free from societal expectations, stress, and anything that doesn’t serve me.
SB: What do you hope people take away from Something About A Rose?
AR: I hope the EP invites people into my world and makes them feel something. I hope they listen and find a little bit of themselves in my stories. Most importantly, I want people to see themselves in the music and understand that we all go through different experiences, but they don’t have to define us. Through it all, there’s always room to grow.
SB: How do you want your story as Annabel Rose to be told five years from now?
AR: Five years from now, I want people to see me as someone who had a dream and built a community to make it happen. I hope they recognize the power of manifestation, hard work, and consistency in my journey. Even if I’m not making music then—which is unlikely—I want to be remembered as someone who brought people together and created meaningful experiences through her art.
SB: What’s next for Anabel Rose?
AR: More music, collaborations, and performances. There’s so much more I want to share with the world. I’m excited to continue evolving as an artist and connect with more people.
Written by Nana Kojo Mula, with Additional Contributions from Neone Adebayo