Melbourne folk singer/songwriter Rose Wintergreen's new single, 'Feet in the Sand', is a song "about what is felt, rather than what has happened".
'Feet In The Sand' was shortlisted for the Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition in August. "I'd gotten a phone call a few days in advance from the public announcement and I actually thought she was prank calling me," Rose laughs. "It was very exciting to be shortlisted amongst so many other talented artists; it kind of blew me away. It's very new to me to have that kind of recognition and I think it's helped a lot in getting the single out there and getting more ears across it."
Another new experience for the talented young singer came when Rose filmed the clip for 'Feet In The Sand'. “It was a cold, wintery day in Melbourne, I was wearing summery clothes and I spent most of the time lying on my back in wet sand,” she laughs.
“I always focus on trying to capture something real; sometimes it is quite literal, but other times it’s a mood or something I’ve been thinking about.”
Rose says her confidence has skyrocketed since her first performances in 2006. “I’ve been singing my whole life but I was always really shy about it. I’ve had to practice a lot to get more comfortable on stage and it’s been really great and has just transformed the way I perform. It’s so much more fun being able to capture people fully in a performance — you can’t do that if you’re shy. You have to put yourself out there as much as you can and be really emotionally honest and available to an audience if you want to have any meaningful connection with them.”
On top of her current tour and an album release next year, Rose says she's most looking forward to connecting with fans. "Singing and performing is really about having that magical connection with people. I don't think there are many opportunities to do that in today's modern life so that's what I'm striving for with every show. I'm constantly working on ways to improve how I can do that and make people feel like they're a part of something bigger and that they're not alone.”
Written by Devon Bright
Rose Wintergreen plays The Empress Hotel this Friday October 18 with Rosie Catalano and Dan and Hannah Acfield.
