One-to-Watch in 2010: ROX [Feature - SoulCulture]

Roxanne Tataei’s musical journey began in church, encouraged by the choirmaster (“He’d make me go at the forefront [to sing] every week and I’d be shaking… It was the best thing that he could have done”).  Primary school performances soon led to tours around England with the National Youth Music Theatre, which she describes as a “grounding” experience, before putting it all to the side in favour of writing her own music and experimenting with sounds.

Following an extended trip to Mexico she formed an acoustic jazz trio and gigged around London, which brought the A&Rs her way.  Then last year, in stepped Rough Trade records and ROX’s solo quest began.  “I’ve always sort of known I wanted to do music,” the half Iranian, half Jamaican South Londoner tells me.  “I just didn’t know what I wanted to do in it.  As I got to 16 I was like, ‘I wanna be a singer songwriter’, and I went with it from there.”

2009 has been a pivotal year in the 21 year old’s career: namely consisting of the intense process of writing and recording her debut album, Memoirs, in London and New York with some priceless media endorsements inbetween.  In her words, the year has been about “showing people that I’m here and I’m ready to do my thing.”

Luckily for her, all the right people already seem to know….

Full feature on SoulCulture.

Tags: interview, rox, thisisROX