GHOSTS, GRIEF AND GRIT: BILLIE ROSE DROPS POWERFUL NEW SINGLE ‘SLAYING GHOSTS’
Alt-Country trend-setter Billie Rose holds nothing back on her haunting new single, ‘Slaying Ghosts’.
The 3 x Queensland Music Award finalist penned the song after a relationship breakdown. “Slaying Ghosts was written back in 2021, and it was inspired by my very first experience of being ‘ghosted’ by a guy I had liked,” she shares.
Turning to close friend and collaborator, Peta-Cherae, the pair quickly transformed heartache into a gutsy hit. “At this stage I was living in Brisbane, so we wrote Slaying Ghosts over zoom in just under an hour.”
The track opens with Billie’s delicate vocal arranged in eerie harmony. In a masterstroke of light and shade it slowly lurches towards its hard-hitting chorus. Produced by Garret Kato (Jem Cassar-Daley, Pete Murray), the two sought inspiration from unorthodox places. “I knew the song needed to be expressed in an edgy way. Instead of playing it safe we decided to draw inspiration from the likes of Nirvana.”
Despite falling outside of Billie’s regular wheelhouse, the rock-tinged tones that emerged from Kato’s Byron Bay studio perfectly married the song’s angst. “It felt a little out of my comfort zone, but I really wanted the listener to feel my frustration through the production.”
Receiving various accolades for her daring brand of Alt-Country, Billie Rose is surely making a name for herself. Three finalist spots at the Queensland Music Awards – including ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ – and a CMAA Songwriting Finalist nod indicate that the road ahead is bright for this future star.
She’s touted her magnetic live show to audiences supporting Fanny Lumsden , Busby Marou and Catherine Britt. Next the singer-songwriter will join fellow country music trailblazer, Josie, on November 23rd for a show at Otherwise Bar in Townsville.
With a willingness to break boundaries and embrace raw, unfiltered emotion, Billie Rose blends alt-country and gritty rock elements to elevate her distinctive sound. ‘Slaying Ghosts’ captures a journey from vulnerability to empowerment, while showcasing the singer’s multitude of talents. Billie is poised to become a powerful voice in the country scene.