Rose Gray Is Partying Her Way To Stardom

Rose Gray hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and a cardigan — mainly because British Airways lost her luggage, which contained the planned wardrobe for her guest performance at Demi Lovato’s Los Angeles show on May 16.

“I went to Target to get tights,” the 29-year-old singer tells me at Bustle’s office two days later. “Luckily, I had a really nice shirt that I wore with knickers and Louboutins onstage.” On top of that, she had only 15 minutes to rehearse her remix of Lovato’s “Joshua Tree,” but their duet went off without a hitch. “Her voice was blowing me away because I had her live vocals in my ears,” she recalls. “She’s a beautiful person and such a hard worker.”

The next day, Gray flew to New York to kick off her biggest U.S. headlining tour to date, celebrating her 2025 debut album, Louder, Please, which garnered acclaim from critics and earned collabs with dance-pop divas like Kesha and Lovato and an opening spot on the former’s tour. But growing up in London, Gray didn’t initially envision a path to pop stardom.

“I’ve always had this huge annoying voice,” she says with a loud chuckle. “I played Annie in a school show. I sung, ‘The sun will come out tomorrow,’ and I have a very vivid memory that I mucked up onstage. I didn’t work out that [singing is] what I wanted to do for a long time.”

At 16, Gray signed with a label she’s never named and one that refused to let her release the music she wanted, an experience that nearly made her quit altogether. “I got out of my record deal and hadn’t released any music, so I was like, ‘This industry is not for me,’” she recalls. But after working odd jobs, from starring in an unreleased yogurt ad to manning the door at London nightclub Fabric, she still found herself drawn to songwriting. “It’s almost like I couldn’t not make music,” she says. “It’s in my blood. I just have to create.”

After briefly releasing music independently, Gray wrote more than 200 songs and found a new record label. And unlike most new artists, who typically release individual songs to drum up interest, they were so overwhelmed by her output that they wanted her to make an album right away. “I don’t necessarily think I was in the position to put out a record,” she says. “I was playing 100-cap shows in London, very small. But my team didn’t have a choice.”

The result is Louder, Please, a collection of fizzy dance-pop that meshes her rave influences with slinky pop hooks and emotionally charged lyricism. (Think if Charli xcx and Carly Rae Jepsen had a baby.) While the album is deeply personal, Gray still kept an air of secrecy around her life, which she’s hoping to shed in her next era. “I debate with myself all the time about this mystery thing, and I saw a quote about how the moment you get over the idea of being mysterious and just be who you are, then you’re free,” she says.

On June 12, Gray will release “Club to Your Arms,” inspired by a sentimental reunion with her longtime boyfriend, Babygirl star Harris Dickinson, after playing her biggest show in London last fall. It’s not only the first taste of her sophomore album, but a rare look into her private relationship. “I hadn’t been home in three months. I went out partying with my friends, and my partner went home. I arrived at my door with all of these suitcases, so drunk with no keys. I could hear the birds twerk...” she stops, bursting into laughter, before clarifying: “tweeting.”

Thanks to their burgeoning careers, the two are often apart for long periods, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I don’t know any different,” she says. “I actually love it. You just meet in different cities, and it’s really fun. There’s lots of trust.”

‌‌‌‌Leaving Bustle’s office, Gray’s luggage still hasn’t been recovered in time for her two shows at Le Poisson Rouge. “At least I can go shopping,” she says, donning the few clothes she kept in her carry-on. “Maybe my looks will be even better now.” The following night, performing in a sparkly bra and ripped tights, she looked every bit a star.

Learn more about Gray in her Bustle Booth questionnaire below.

In The Bustle Booth

What is your coffee order?

Iced Americano. I love an oat flat white, but in the heat, it’s just black iced coffee.

What are the saved weather locations on your phone?

Obviously, London. Birmingham, because my family lives there. New York, LA. I’ve just been to Australia, so Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, because they have very different climates. São Paulo and Rio [de Janeiro, Brazil].

What’s your star sign?

Capricorn, which is painfully accurate, being incredibly driven, tunnel vision. I really relate to the journey of the goat — not as in greatest of them all — just traveling up the mountain, falling, taking my time to get where I want to get.

What’s your favorite overused movie quote?

Oh, “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off,” from The Italian Job. It’s very British.

What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I feel like I’m slowly becoming her.

What’s one movie or TV show you’re currently obsessed with?

The Sopranos. I’m really glad I’ve waited until now to watch it. I feel like it’s the perfect time. I’m obsessed with it.

Who is your celebrity idol?

Madonna. Or Rihanna. I miss her, but I’m really happy for her. She’s living, being a mama, and earning the most money.

If you had to go on a reality TV show, which one would it be?

Who Do You Think You Are? In America it’s not very well-known, but in England it’s quite [popular]. You get your ancestry. I have a friend who went on it. For instance, a lot of my family I know are Irish, so I’d probably go to Dublin, and you’re in the library going through all of your family history. I’ve heard it’s actually really boring, but I really want to do it.

What’s your go-to karaoke song?

“Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega. There’s an a cappella version, which I accidentally did for karaoke in London once, and it was so awkward because it’s just basically speaking.

What’s something that’s been inspiring you lately?

The tour and traveling. Just arriving in New York as the sun was setting last night was quite inspiring. Eight years ago, I was here for eight weeks in the summer, and it was my first proper time in New York. “Everything Changes (But I Won’t)” is about it. I’m always taken back to that time when I arrive here.

What is something you would want people to say about you?

I’m a really good person, and my music makes them feel good.