Rosie Lowe grew up in south Devon as the youngest of six siblings. Their father, an accomplished jazz saxophonist, encouraged them to follow creative interests and together they bonded over a shared love of music. For Rosie, a childhood love of jazz set her on a path that would dictate her future. “There’s never been anything else that I’ve wanted to do,” she asserts. “Music wasn’t an option, it was a necessity.” She soon became enamoured with the leading lights of the female singer-songwriter tradition – Carole King, Erykah Badu and Joni Mitchell to name but a few. She learnt their songs then broke them apart. She analysed their lyrics. She fell in love with the art of songwriting. It wasn’t until she studied popular music at Goldsmiths, however, that she found her own sound. The breakthrough came when she ditched her instruments and focused on teaching herself production and recording techniques. She was soon approached by management and signed to Domino Publishing. London indie label 37 Adventures soon jumped on board too, and released her critically-adored, four-track debut EP ‘Right Thing’.

On debut album Control she was striding out alone, tackling politics, feminism and modern relationships. Lowe’s sound was similarly resistant to being pinned down. Electronic, British, Soulful, Progressive, Rhythmic, Introspective. Some of the many attributes of Rosie’s music. On her second album YU, however, Rosie Lowe digs deeper still. With its warmer, sensual, cosmic and funk-driven textures, here is a record that asks bigger questions of how the heart and mind works, ultimately finding power through opening up both. This isn’t, though, an album just about love and being loved: throughout Lowe explores and questions life as a twentysomething in London, as a woman empowered and in control. If Control was Lowe’s singular expression as a solo artist, YU sees Rosie share the creative journey of writing the record with Dave Okumu (The Invisible, Grace Jones, Kwabs, Jessie Ware).