Music
Press
09:15 PM PDT on Monday, June 30, 2008
By VANESSA FRANKO
The Press-Enterprise
Who: Alex Rose; his musical pseudonym RoRo is a nickname from his mom.
From: Moreno Valley
Sounds like: RoRo sings R&B-infused pop. Influenced by Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera, he
stretches his vocal range with runs. "Richman" is a beyond-catchy pop song. The beat is killer, the melody is
infectious and just one listen can make you a RoRo believer.
Releases: A full-length CD due out this fall
Sample the music: www.myspace.com/roromedia
Moreno Valley pop/R&B artist RoRo has been singing since he could talk, but it wasn't until he heard
Mariah Carey that he started to consider it as a career.
"I thought that this is something I wanted to do," the 24-year-old recalled.
RoRo is working on making a name for himself and already has an award under his belt. He won an Inland
Empire Music Award this year in the Best R&B category.
At the age of 12, he started writing his own songs and started performing.
In his teens, teachers helped him enter talent competitions and RoRo even had a spot on the short-lived lip-
synching show "The Great Pretenders," which featured a pre-Black Eyed Peas Fergie. However, RoRo
wasn't mouthing the words -- he "played" the drums on a Third Eye Blind song.
In addition to Carey, RoRo counts Chris Brown, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears among his influences.
"She's a great entertainer," he said about Spears.
He said Carey's music is what inspired him to write songs. He would read all of the lyrics in the liner notes
of her CDs.
Writing comes in spurts for RoRo, but one of the things that always gets him full of ideas is a good beat.
"Oh yeah, that's what gets me started," he said.
He's working on a full-length, which is set to come out later this year. He collaborated with a member of
Crazytown when he began the project.
But RoRo said the biggest help has been his manager, Stephen Martinez.
"Without him I'd probably still be working by myself, still dreaming," RoRo said.
Reach Vanessa Franko at 951-368-9575, vfranko@PE.com, www.myspace.com/Audio_File or
PE.com/blogs/music
- Press Enterprise
Discography
Richman
Lonely
blind
Get By
Richman is currently streaming on http://www.kggiradio.com/cc-common/artist_submission/player.html?art=171202
Photos
Bio
Alexander G. Rose later known as RoRo was born March 4th 1984 in Fountain Valley California. He is the youngest of five children. His mother Luz and Father William ended their relationship when he was four years old. He has not seen his father since. He lived in Inglewood California until the fourth grade when his mother moved her family back to her hometown in Guadalajara Mexico. It was during this time that he learned to read and write Spanish. After moving back to the United States his mother worked to support her children by working as a beautician and grocery store clerk. Due to financial hardships she was forced to move her family many times in and around Southern California. Some of the things RoRo remembers from his childhood neighborhoods are that some were scary. He remembers shootings, drive-bys, rapes and drug dealers. His home was modest and in his words “I was poor”.
According to his mother RoRo has been singing since he was talking. He realized he had talent in the singing department in 1995 when Mariah Carey’s CD “Daydream” came out. He started imitating her voice and realized that he had a good falsetto when people started commenting, “Oh My God, you sound like Mariah!”
RoRo’s education was pieced at best. He was in numerous schools because his family moved often. He was an average student who struggled in subjects like history and science. He says that he always excelled in such things as art, drama and dance. During his senior year in high school and at age 18 he dropped out of school. His teachers had told him to pursue his singing career and that’s exactly what he set out to do.
Right after leaving school RoRo started auditioning for shows. He tried out for a show called “block stars” at the Block of Orange in Orange County, California. This audition led to such gigs as an appearance in the show “Performing As” and an extra in the movie “Little Nicky”. He’s also performed in places such as Octavio Lounge in San Francisco, the Block of Orange in Orange County, Mick and Macs in Long Beach and Club Z in Santa Rosa Ca. When things were slow he worked odd jobs at video stores, movie theaters, restaurants and convinience stores. Eventually RoRo got involved in a relationship that turned into an abusive one. The relationship lasted four years and led to drug abuse. RoRo had lost himself and towards the end of the relationship started pouring his feelings into writing songs.
In 2006 His life began to change with a faitful trip to check out the Grammy’s with a friend. He went to catch a glimpse of Mariah Carey but instead he found himself invited to an after party at the Roosevelt Hotel. He was asked by a friend to sing and was heard by a producer named Phil Marcus who flew RoRo to Pacific Heights California to record tracks. During his collaboration with Marcus he crated his first EP with such tracks as, Rich Man, Blind, Get By, and Lonely.
2007 was a year of hardship and renewal but it has lead to wonderful changes. He currently has had new musical opportunities, a new relationship and he’s embraced a new Clean Lifestyle.
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