Rose Ringed on ‘Mylène’: Turning Grief Into a Powerful Debut Album
- Undrtone Blog
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Amsterdam’s Rose Ringed has been releasing elegant, melodic house for years, but his forthcoming debut album, ‘Mylène’, feels like the defining moment of his career. Out on 17th October via his own Closed Eyes Recordings imprint, the record is a deeply personal work, dedicated to his late mother and the transformative journey of grief, pain and healing that has shaped him.
The album arrives after nearly a decade of writing, refining and searching for the right way to tell his story. “I’ve been working on this album for almost 10 years—and in a way, you could say I’ve been working toward it ever since my mum passed away when I was 11,” Rose reflects. “It wasn’t until 2023 that I truly understood what I wanted to make. Was it about her? About her life? Or about me? I decided to dive deep into everything surrounding her passing and my own youth. That journey took me through a rollercoaster of emotions, family tensions, and personal therapy.”
The story behind the sound
The music on ‘Mylène’ isn’t just shaped by loss, but also by Rose’s wide-ranging musical upbringing. A drummer and jazz pianist since childhood, he brings a natural sense of rhythm and melodic storytelling to his productions. As a live performer and DJ, he’s known for euphoric, emotional sets, but this project also saw him step forward as a vocalist for the first time.
“When I wrote a track in 2020 that had lyrics in it, I realised it would be impossible for someone else to sing them,” he says. “They were too personal. So I started taking singing lessons every week. It’s been five years now, and I can truly say I have the confidence to sing my own vocals. It helps me so much in the studio—when I have inspiration, I can make a track completely myself with almost no holdbacks.”
That drive for complete creative control runs through the entire record. Rose handled the production, lyrics and mixing himself, though he decided to hand over mastering. “My albums will always be deeply personal, so the more personal they are, the more creative control I want. But I also knew I had blind spots in the final mix, so I’m happy I worked with someone else on the mastering.”
Singles that carry the weight of memory
Leading up to the album, Rose has been unveiling singles that chart the emotional path of the record. Earlier this year came ‘Blue Eyes’, written as far back as 2016, a tender tribute to his mother’s gaze. “It’s my favourite lullaby ever,” he says. “I would always look into her eyes and see this sun around her iris. This track is my translation of that love.”
His latest two singles, ‘The Letter’ and ‘Begging’, represent a darker and more conflicted chapter. Both appear in Stage 2 of the album, where he confronts the painful aftermath of his mother’s death and family tensions that lingered for years.
On ‘The Letter’, pulsing piano chords and a steady beat climb behind a mournful organ line. “My mom wrote a letter I never saw, until my aunt gave it to me in 2017, but I didn’t read it until 2023,” Rose explains. “In the week approaching the day I decided to read it, I wrote this track. There is a lot of anticipation and tension in it, mirroring how I felt that week.”
‘Begging’, which is the next track to be released, is even more raw. Opening with a slow piano, it grows into a melodic theme built around Rose’s own resonant voice. “For me, this is the deepest and darkest track of the album, written in a time where I stood alone in seeing the truth,” he says.
From grief to light
While the record is anchored in loss, it is not a sombre listen. Rose is clear that the album had to carry both pain and hope. “I have a very strong philosophy about this. People run away from their emotions so much today—it’s not taught and rather not talked about. To me, it’s the world’s greatest problem. When people face their biggest traumas, fears and anxieties and heal through them, they always come out better. My album shows my trajectory through this pain, but also towards acceptance, letting go, and joy. In the end, there is beauty, always.”
For Rose, finishing the album has been transformative. “When I had the 17 tracks written and produced, I remember walking at night through Amsterdam, listening to the tracks and feeling intense feelings of pride and happiness. It was then that I realised it is my life’s greatest work so far. Every step I took towards making music—singing lessons, practising piano every day since I was 25—it all comes down to this project. It’s a milestone in my life which changed me as a person, too.”
Beyond the record
The live space has always been crucial for Rose Ringed, and the album will naturally spill into his performances. Recent shows at Tomorrowland, Loveland, Val de Bagnes and Lief Festival have underlined his reputation as both a producer and a live artist. This October, he brings his HRMY showcase to Amsterdam Dance Event at Het Sieraad, joined by Yotto, Romain Garcia and Susan Right.
As singles continue to drop, he hopes listeners will take the journey step by step. “By releasing the singles, I’m taking everyone through the storyline of the album. It’s intense, but I want people to really go through the journey with me. Each track deserves its own space, because there’s so much of me in every one of them.”
Ultimately, Rose Ringed sees ‘Mylène’ as more than just an album; it’s a testament to the power of facing grief through creativity. “What I want people to take away is simple: that beauty comes when you heal through pain.”
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