Rosie is living her dream

Now six years after first wowing the nation with her big voice as a Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist, she is doing just that.

In just a few days Rosie will release her new single Take Me As I Am, followed by a remix recorded with rap artist Karim Al-Saied in Nashville.

Away from the spotlight she has immersed herself in her singing and song-writing after graduating from The London College of Music and moving back home to Streetly.

But now the 25-year-old is ready to share her stirring lyrics, soulful voice and passion for performance with the world.

"I've been working on my image and new music for so long that I'm excited about getting out there and showing people what Rosie O'Sullivan can do," she says.

Growing up listening to likes of Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, the former Arthur Terry School pupil first discovered her passion for singing at the age of eight and later learned to play the piano and saxophone.

"I grew up surrounded by music and I would always be the first on the dancefloor singing and dancing.

"I sang with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain but I always had this jazzy, pop voice so I stood out.

"My first big inspiration was Nina Simone and when I started playing the piano and singing, the first song I learned was Feeling Good. She had a very distinctive voice, she was incredible," says Rosie.

After leaving school, Rosie studied for a degree in music performance at The London College Of Music and along with a group of friends decided to audition for Britain's Got Talent in 2013.

"I was at uni, living in London and I thought 'what have I got to lose?'. I was the only of my friends to audition in the end. I waited all day and I was the last act to audition on the night.

"My friends were all worrying about how we were going to get home if we missed the last tube because we couldn't afford to get a taxi being students but I was determined to do it, I wasn't going to miss this chance," Rosie tells Weekend.

And it proved to be worth the wait. Her soulful and heartfelt rendition of James Brown's It's a Man's Man's Man's World was an instant hit with the audience and judges at the London Palladium.

"When I finished I looked up and saw the crowds on their feet and the judges stood up one by one. It was an incredible experience," says Rosie.

She went on to perform When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge in the live semi-finals but didn't make it through to the next round.

But the experience made her even more determined to conquer the music industry and share her sound with as many people as possible.

"Britain's Got Talent gave me a big shove into the music industry. I didn't realise how much I loved singing until I was stood on that stage. I haven't looked back since," says Rosie.

She also hit the headlines with her inspiring weight loss – almost halving her body weight by slimming down 16st.

Since then Rosie has thrown herself into her music, honing her song-writing skills and performing live at every opportunity.

"When I'm singing I'm in my own little world, it's just me and the audience in this bubble. I absolutely love it. My music is from the heart, I'm saying what everybody wants to be able to say. I absolutely love songs that have a meaning and I love telling stories. I hope the audience relates to that," says Rosie.

She is excited about her new single Take Me As I Am which is released on Friday ahead of a new album due to drop in the spring.

"Take Me as I Am was written in 2017 a year where I was trying to find acceptance to be myself, not only in personal relationships but also in today’s unfortunate stereotypical society.

"After losing an incredible amount of weight and drastically changing my image to find acceptance both in my mind and socially, the buzz line Take Me as I Am took over.

"As humans, all we want in life is to be truly accepted for who we are. Everyone is beautiful - learn to embrace differences and diversity in our ever-changing world. If people cannot take you as you are - it’s their own loss," says Rosie, who is supporting Lemar at Chester Racecourse in November.

The remix featuring Karim will be released a week later was recorded in Nashville in June. Music City left a lasting impression on Rosie.

"It was absolutely incredible. There is live music everywhere. There is a huge road, like Broad Street in Birmingham, and there's a different band playing in every bar from noon to 5am the next morning," she tells Weekend.

Since November, she has also been working as a presenter for Switch Radio in Birmingham hosting a weekly show called Rosie On The Radio.

"I chat about what happening in the news and play lots of different music. I like to promote new and up and coming artists from the Birmingham area.

"I'm still finding my feet as it's very different to singing in front of an audience when you can see how they are reacting and what they like

"On the radio you can't see if they are enjoying it but I have a lot of interaction with listeners so I think it's going down well," she tells us.

In the coming months the singer is busy taking to the stage at shows around the country including Rock the Beacon in Walsall next month.

Despite her busy schedule Rosie is loving every minute. "It's all I ever dreamed of. As a little girl I wanted to travel the world and sing. If you've got a dream, you've got to go for it," she says.