Pittsburgh multi-talented music artist, Jerome Alexander (also known as Rome to fans), is highly recognised for his musical talents; covering a variety of genres, including Jazz, R&B and Hip Hop. Rome’s passion for music was ignited from his first moments sat at a piano, from then on, he enjoyed messing around with sounds and creating his own music, hence why I am writing this article!
Ever wondered where musicians get their inspiration from? Or how they stay motivated!? (After all, it is a career path for the persistent!) Here Rome shares some of his secrets on what influenced his biggest hit singles and how he progressed as an artist…
Where does your inspiration come from when writing lyrics?
A lot of the time when I write, I try to keep myself and my own relationships out of it. I mostly draw on relationships I see around me. Sometimes, it’s people very close to me. Other times, I could be people watching, and just choose a couple and make up a story based on what I see. Recently, I’m starting to put a little more of my own experiences into my music.
Your latest singles- “Bring Me Back” and “Mine Again” both refer to a love interest, is this a relationship you have been in recently or?
These two songs in particular are not about me. Having said that, with each song I had a particular couple, people that I’m close with, in mind. The emotions in those songs are all real, and they come from relationships I’ve witnessed and situations I’ve seen first- hand.
What has been the most exciting period of your life since beginning you music career?
Over this past summer I had a few performances in Atlanta, and I was really able to learn. I learned from other performers, learned how to hone my on-stage presence, and was able to be around a lot of other artists in the industry. That was a pretty cool time. Took me out of my comfort zone, but was awesome experience.
What would your advice be to other aspiring artists?
I’ve said this before and I’ll always stand by it. Make music for YOU first. If you enjoy what you’re doing, don’t listen to the haters and naysayers trying to bring you down. Having said that, it’s a process. Don’t be afraid of constructive criticism. You always need to be improving and learning in order to grow as an artist. There’s no better feeling than being able to have a positive impact on someone else’s life because of music YOU created. In order to get to that point though (and impact as many lives as possible), you’ve got to always be growing. And sometimes it’s just hard work.
Rome has recently been working on a lot of new music for his second album (release date still to be confirmed); he also released a single earlier this week called ‘Stars’ (this guy seriously never rests!). If you love Neyo, you’ll love Rome’s musical style, it’s incredibly refreshing; be sure to check out his Twitter page for regular updates and tasteful photographs- @RomeAlexander1.