Born to a Nigerian Prince who left the comfort of his home in Ogun State Nigeria on an academic sojourn to Austria and to a Filipino mother, Rose May Alaba is an artist with diverse cultural experiences.
Growing up in Austria, Rose May was exposed to the cultures of her country of birth while also interacting with the Yoruba cultures of her father and the Filipino cultures of her mother. The result is a cultural hybrid that combines with her parent's musical backgrounds to make her an artist whose music carries intercontinental markers.
Through her music, Rose May conveys an energetic and soulful spirit that connects with free-spirited young listeners, and it's the excitement that she intends to bring to the next phase of her journey which involves a bold artistic embracing of her Yoruba roots.
The 28-year-old is fluent in German and English while being slightly fluent in Tagalog which is her mother's native Filipino tongue. May tells me she regrets she can't speak Yoruba.
"I grew up in Austria and my parents communicated in English so that was how I was able to speak English. I learned how to speak German in school."
While she can't speak Yoruba, there can be little criticism considering she was born to parents of different nationalities living in a country far away from home. However, May has not given up on learning fragments of the language.
"It breaks my heart that I can't speak Yoruba because I really wish I can.”
While geographical barriers have hindered Rose May from learning her father's tongue, it hasn't robbed her of interacting with other elements of the culture. Rose May loves Nigerian food just as much as she loves Nigerian music, and she tells she grew up eating Nigerian delicacies in church.
"Growing up, the church was the only place I was able to get Nigerian food because some aunties were always making them for us. My Dad also occasionally made Fufu and stew for us."
Rose May's earliest interactions with music are also tied to her parents' influences, both of whom were musicians in their days. Her father George was a rapper and DJ while her mother Gina also used to occasionally entertain people with her music. Rose May tells me she grew up listening to her parent's music; it was these early influences that perhaps contributed to her decision to pursue a musical career.
"My Dad is a musician and my mom used to also sing back so growing up, I was inspired by their music. My father listened to a lot of Nigerian music and my Mom really loved Bob Marley so I grew up listening to different sounds."
Creativity is always awake in Rose May and while some might have expected her to perhaps follow her brother's footsteps into becoming a footballer, she opted to go to art school. She completed a 3-year acting course at 19 and dabbled into music professionally.
Her music carries a significant element of her Austrian heritage which makes up the dominant language that she blends with English. Her sound is rich and cuts across Pop, R&B, EDM, and Afrobeats which she intends to bring to the fore.
"I want to infuse all parts of my cultural influences into my music," Rose May says as she talks about what motivated her to dabble more in Afrobeats.
The Nigeria part of cultural influence is expected to be highlighted in an upcoming single titled 'Ibadi' which is a Yoruba word that captures alluring feminine curves. For the first time since she started making music, Rose May will be singing in Yoruba and this is something she's excited about. As she undertakes to creatively explore her paternal roots, Rose May's father will be playing a central role as A&R and Manager.
"My father told me what is "Ibadi" and he also helped me with the song. He's my biggest support and my biggest critic, he's also my Manager."
Mr. George Alaba isn't the only Nigerian who worked on the song as May turned to ace producer Blaise Beat to deliver a cadence that can only be produced by an actor operating within Afrobeats soundscape.
Rose May's embrace of her Nigerian heritage has drawn her to Nigerians on Tik Tok many of whom have become fans, and it's these fans that will have the exclusive privilege of enjoying 'Ibadi' as May has elected to only release the song on the App.
"I think the song is custom-made for TikTok and the snippet is already getting a lot of love on the App. So I just want people to vibe to it and enjoy the song."
An excited Rose May shares that she's eager to flaunt her newly learned Yoruba on the song and she hopes it's decent enough for her Nigerian audience.
"I am really excited about this song because this will be the first time I will be singing in Yoruba. I am challenging myself and getting out of my comfort zone and I hope I make my people proud."
For Rose May, the intention is to contribute to the global acceptance of Afrobeats and she wants to add her unique perspective to this drive. Growing up in a very conservative society meant that it took the younger generation of Europeans to give Afrobeats a chance and she hopes to combine her dual roots in bringing Afrobeats to Europe's younger population.
"I just want to showcase my culture in my music. I want to bring all the influences I grew up with into my music and show my identity through it while making Afrobeats more known across the world."
Aside from music, Rose May has emotional ties towards Nigeria which she has visited a couple of times to see her paternal relatives. Knowing that her family members North of the equator are proud of her for leaning towards her Yoruba roots is something that drives her and keeps her going.
"It's a good feeling knowing that my family members in Nigeria are proud of me for upholding the culture," she says.
As part of her connection to Nigeria, she's a principal member of her family's foundation which is partnering with the Ministry of Environment to curb open defecation.
"I always want to give back, especially back home because I get a lot of love from Nigeria," she says about the charity.
Rose May nurses dream of one day opening an art school where kids can hone their creative skills. "It would be a place where kids can learn different artistic skills because Nigeria is filled with so much talent," she says of her goal.
While she's based in Vienna where she juggles her music with the family business, Rose May acknowledges that she needs to be in Nigeria more to gain a foothold for her music.
“I plan to come to Nigeria more often. I have to help with the family business in Vienna but intend to travel down more often.”
For Rose May Alaba, music is her calling. Everything has led her to this point and she has had to make sacrifices along the way. This included choosing art school over an academic path and also ditching her short stint in football.
The daughter of a crown prince from Ijebu Ode in Nigeria, Rose May Alaba is embracing her rich Nigerian heritage and combining it with her Austrian influences for a bold musical journey that aims to bring continents together.