If you are someone who likes the genre of romance in any medium, a new artist named Khloe Rose is perfect for you. She gained popularity on TikTok after she posted videos of herself singing. One of those songs that she wrote and sang was called “Fictional” which eventually became a huge success, reaching millions of listens on Spotify.
After she released her single, she released an EP titled “The In Between.” Khloe Rose has quickly become one of my new favorite artists because her music speaks to a niche audience: women who love romance—especially romance books and movies. I think Khloe Rose is one of those artists who is sort of bringing back a classic style of music. It is very ballad-like rather than being more upbeat. Her style is very similar to early Taylor Swift while also being contemporary.
Her music is very story-driven; each song tells a story. Some of them have very similar stories like her songs “Permanently Bruised” and “Starting Over,” which are both breakup songs. Within these songs, she sings about experiencing a breakup and how hard it is to get over it.
Her songs “Fictional” and “The Other POV” are filled with romance tropes that make you feel like you have entered the world of a book or movie.
“Fictional” is my favorite song from her entire discography because it really speaks to me. In this song, Rose sings about how fictional men are better because whenever she has dated real men, they’ve always let her down. One of the lines that really speaks to me is “I’d rather keep on dreaming of someone I’ll never meet than give love to another one who won’t choose me.” This feels really relatable, as sometimes you feel like it’s easier to imagine things after having your heart broken so many times. One of the best parts about reading romance books or watching movies is that you are able to escape reality for a bit and can dream that the characters are real.
Another one of her songs is called “The Other POV.” This song is told from the perspective of a character who is part of a love triangle and they are always the one who is not chosen. There’s a line within the song that says, “I’m not the happy ending that they want to see.” This feels directed toward a certain audience with her use of “they.” The audience is people like us who watch movies and TV shows or read books where a love interest has to pick between two characters. We’re always rooting for one of those characters while the other one just fades away from existence. I like how Rose references so many literary plots and elements.
I think one of the interesting things about Khloe Rose is that she is self-aware of how her songs promote escapism. Before her EP came out, she wrote in her Spotify Artist Biography: “We’ll all get to scream, cry, and live out our delusions together!” I love how honest she is about her music and how proud of it she is. Some people might think that her music promotes an idea to women about just living in a fantasy world, but I personally think that it is perfectly fine to have moments in life where you would rather dream than live in reality. Khloe Rose’s music is perfect for moments when you just need an escape from reality.
Overall, Khloe Rose is a new artist who makes beautiful music with a beautiful voice and she is perfect to listen to if you love rom-coms, romance or any other literary tropes. Her music brings a refreshed perspective on the female pop genre.