We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ro Rowan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ro below.

Ro, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I can remember listening to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in my bedroom on cassette tape when I was about 4 or 5. I remember thinking, “I want to be a performer. That sounds so fun. Ugh, that also sounds terrifying.” I was a closet performer. You know: in the privacy of my bedroom, in the bathroom mirror, in the backseat while mom ran errands. I loved to imagine being on stage. I also was painfully shy. So eventually expressions like drawing and building things felt more comfortable. It wasn’t until over two decades later that I found myself sitting at my desk in my 5th year of working at the UCLA Recreation Center and acknowledged I was not happy. At that moment, the little voice that longed to make music and perform poked through the noise. I decided to audition for Berklee College of Music.

Ro, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Today I am primarily a studio musician. A good portion of the time I am recording remotely from my home studio. I also perform live, compose, sound design, arrange for strings, do score prep, and occasionally make and edit videos.

Part of my brand when I am remote recording is to deliver stems that are ready to drop into a session without any editing so that whoever is receiving my files can continue with their workflow uninterrupted. And everything surrounding the music is as important as the music itself. Showing up on time, having a positive attitude, authentically connecting with people, treating every project with the same presence and respect, being a fun and chill hang, and genuinely enjoying the work are often the factors people think about when they think of collaborating with someone. I know I do.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started playing cello at the age of eight. I studied classically until I was 16. Shortly after my 16th birthday, my grandma, who lived with us and helped my mom raise me, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. I stopped playing cello that day. It wasn’t until a chance meeting 7 years later at UCLA with someone I used to play cello with in the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra when I was 12 that I knew it was time to pick up the cello again. That week I changed my major to musicology. I took out my cello and began relearning the instrument. A few weeks later, I auditioned for the orchestra and made last chair.

I played in the orchestra for the next five years. I went from last chair to principal. During this time I was running my own personal training business, managing one of UCLA’s fitness facilities, and running their personal training program. In addition to the orchestra, I was playing music at night and on the weekends in bands. One day I felt that music wanted to get bigger and it didn’t have enough room so I asked myself if I could live with how things as they were right now. Nope. But I was afraid to pursue music. I was also tired of being afraid.

I auditioned for Berklee College of Music and was accepted on a partial scholarship. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Electronic Production and Design.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Well, I’m not sure this was a lesson I am unlearning, but it’s…something. When I decided to drop everything and go back to college to pursue music, I committed to myself to put music first. Before having fun, before love, before sleeping. This commitment served me well for 11 years. I squeezed every drop out of Berklee in my four years there. I landed and successfully extended an Apple internship working on Logic, GarageBand, and Mainstage. Today I make a comfortable living in music. I’ve worked with people I grew up listening to. I’ve battled and now manage what was crippling performance anxiety with surprising ease.

And then in August of 2020, I suddenly had frightening health issues. I couldn’t drive. I moved in with my parents so I wasn’t alone. I had countless monitors, scans, and tests. Every result said I was healthy. I realized I had not slowed down for the last 11 years. I had to accept that stress had caused my “hard drive to fritz.” I had to learn to slow down. I reprioritized sleep, nutrition, and exercise. I quit vaping and drinking coffee. I meditated.

Slowing down was something I had consciously avoided. Because I believed that if I slowed down then my career would also slow down. Maybe even peter out! Even so, I started saying no to gigs. I started scheduling non-work time.

Three years later I now have a work-life balance I am proud of. I still work hard, but not so often or so hard as before. I am still unlearning the grind, but it gets better every day. And I like it. And the illusions I had that slowing down would affect my career were just that. Illusions.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rorowan.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/rorowan
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@rorowanmusic
• Other: IMDb: www.imdb.me/rorowan

Image Credits
Jessica Czarnecki Brian Guido