CHRIS Rose is most comfortable when he has a guitar in his hand, but when the 22-year-old from Port Macquarie replaced it with a pen to sign with Sony this month, he couldn’t contain his excitement.
“It was definitely the best day of my life,” Chris said.
“It’s pretty surreal but really exciting to be signed.”
The recording agreement with Sony comes as a reward for Chris’s years of hard work. The singer-songwriter, who began writing songs and playing guitar in his early teens, was asked to join the Talent Development Project (TDP) four years ago when he impressed scouts during his gig at the Glasshouse in Port.
“I think I had heard someone was coming down but I didn’t know too much,” Chris said.
“I’ve always sung since I was a little kid and always been creative.”
Chris’s big break came when chairman of the TDP and radio presenter, Alan Jones, heard one of the musician’s original songs, ‘Nowhere Land’, and loved it so much he played it on his radio show. Following an on-air interview and with Jones’s ongoing support, Chris soon signed a development deal with Sony in 2011.
But despite having a foot in the door, Chris said his future was never guaranteed.
“I had to work extremely hard to get to where I am,” he said.
“For a while there I was just living off my savings.”
The development contract was an opportunity for Chris to perform and write as much music as he could while aiming to eventually receive a recording agreement with the label. Over the last few years Chris has worked with a host of talented musicians such as Damien Leith and Rai Thistlewayte from Thirsty Merc.
Chris said song-writing can often be a difficult process but when his ideas are flowing, he can have songs written and recorded within a day.
“I draw from all sorts of life experiences; it all comes together when I’m writing,” he said.
“I take pieces of my life and put it together in one story.”
Following Chris’s life-shaping deal with Sony, the singer-songwriter has his eyes firmly set on the future and beyond, towards the ever-changing musical landscape that is unfolding in front of him. It will start with his soon to be released single officially under Sony.
“I feel like it’s literally my destiny to do this,” Chris said.
“I’m completely obsessed with it.”
To find out more about Chris and the gigs he has on the horizon, visit www.facebook.com/chrisrosemusician
