Rodes Rollins

Photo provided by, Rodes Rollins

Meet Rodes Rollins

Fresh off their latest single aptly titled “Isolation” Rodes Rollins has come by to say “hello”. Giving a nod to 60’s Baroque pop music their downtempo grooves will have you hanging beaded curtains in all your doorframes. You might even buy one of those cool egg-shaped chairs that hang from the ceiling. Who knows? It’s all your personal journey. Before you contemplate radical interior design decisions check out the interview and chill out with Rodes Rollins.

Would You Rather

your skin flash like a fast strobe light, or be incredibly slippery? Why?

I would definitely rather my skin flash like a strobe light. That way, instead of my awkward banter on stage, people could just focus on my incredible abilities of the flesh.

Some questions with Rodes Rollins

Do you write music in your head, in a notebook, on a computer, or your phone? Why?

I write music by recording myself and singing things over and over again until it sticks. I really trust my ear. If something flows out, I want to record it because I don't think writing music should feel forced and overly-edited. I'm all about capturing the sounds and words that come out naturally and rolling with it. I also have a strong need to record myself because I have a terrible memory. I could write something and forget it a second later.

What are the biggest differences between the LA and NYC music scenes?

The industry side of the music world is more alive in LA. In NYC, it feels more DIY and intimate to me. The fact that the industry is more thriving out west has drawn me there professionally, but simultaneously has repelled me. I don't enjoy being part of a "scene" of people all striving towards a similar goal. It's always been a turn-off to me. I'd rather have a healthy mix in my community, where people are all chasing different goals and speaking different languages. That seems to conjure a more authentic support system.

How do you keep your creative momentum going during quarantine?

This year has been a particularly challenging one, globally, of course, but also personally. I've learned over the course of this year that a "survival" mechanism of mine is to stay hyperactive and creative. It's what seems to keep me afloat - until I burn out that is - which has naturally been a part of the process too.

What is the best pizza in NYC?

I've recently been digging L'Industrie on South 2nd in Brooklyn.

If you could change one thing about the music industry what would it be?

I wish there was a way to hold people more accountable for their actions. Between the cut-throat competition, drugs, and party-like nature of the music industry there is endless room for bad behavior. I've always wished that there were more protections for artists - especially for young women like myself. Where the F is HR when you need it?!

What would the title of your memoir/biography be?

Cowgirl Poetry.

What was the driving creative force behind your 2020 single “Domino”?

Domino is the second single released from my upcoming EP Dissociation, which centers on my experience as a young female artist navigating the dark side of the intersection of art and industry, and my realization for a need to dissociate from the external performance and reconnect to myself as a person.

This song centers on a metaphor of the artist as a domino, positioned perfectly in a long line of other dominos that, from one perspective, all look the same. Only when you take a step back, are you able to see the fuller picture of those intricately-positioned dominos combined through a wider lens. That change in perspective allows you to see an elaborate and meticulous arrangement - a representation of complexity that all of those identical pieces are only able to create from a fuller, more aware perspective.

And yet, with just one flick, the entire body of dominos can collapse at any given moment. In an instant, one shift in the cultural tide can change the entire arrangement of these intricately, and intentionally-placed pieces. The result is a flattened shadow of what came before it. The only way to re-erect the pieces is for the hand in charge of the game to realign as they please. 

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

I will be releasing the third single off of my upcoming EP on August 7th - it's called Isolation. I added it last minute to the collection of songs. It's one that I wrote while quarantining in Colorado, and it's one of my favorite songs I've written!