They say that the soul often pushes you to do what you were meant to do, and for new artist Rob Roth, his journey started unexpectedly, by feeling a physical pull towards an instrument. “I vividly remember being at a friend’s house back in 10th grade,” he explains, “who at that time happened to have a guitar in his room, and when I picked it up I had this unrelenting desire to want to play it. The next summer when I went to UCLA for a 6 week summer program I learned how to play.  I’ve been teaching myself songs ever since!” Let’s get to know some more about Rob Roth, as he talks to Fab Features about his debut, aim for self-betterment, and message to the world.

Growing up on the shore of Long Island, New York, music was always present in Roth’s life, but took a backseat to other activities, namely sports. (In fact, he was quite the renaissance man when it came to those; he’s played basketball, soccer, baseball, football, and “most importantly, golf.”) Though he was always drawn to music in a very personal way, he wasn’t able to decipher why until recently.

Roth’s style is influenced by mainly “John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Matchbox 20, Goo Goo Dolls, Linkin Park, and basically all Pop/Rock/Punk music from the 90’s”, although nobody has captured his heart more than Dave Matthews Band. “It was when I really started playing guitar again, after a long period of it staying under my bed, that I started to notice myself getting lost into songs.  I became aware how the emotions of what people write about can be captured in unlimited ways through instruments, vocals, and also from many point of views.”

His debut single, titled “You’re Long Gone”, was a long time coming (and reminds this listener of Niall Horan). Created with platinum award-winning producers and engineers, he perfected the vocals through his continuous work with a well-known industry coach who has worked with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Charlie Puth.

The song captures Roth at a vulnerable, reflective point in his life, feeling fearful yet optimistic about what the future may hold. When he started to do some major self-reflection, he noticed parts of himself that were stagnant and ready to come to the surface. Following multiple, very painful injuries during his high school and college years, Roth made a promise to himself, that eventually inspired him to write this song. He told himself that he “would get myself out of this cycle of pain and unknowing depression, and finally get back to being positive and who I was really meant to be as a person. I felt for so long that I was a creature of habit, which means I was just going through the cycles of life without any self-awareness.  Doing the exact same things over and over again, and seeing straight ahead and not all of the other sights around me.  This debut means that I have finally started to get back to being me and that I am brushing off the old me. It also confirms to myself I have a lot more in me that I can’t wait to share.”

https://open.spotify.com/track/63EQotyTxR5drzx6imTq9x?si=13436424f2714d85

Self-describing his own identity as an artist as “pop-rock, empowering, and distinct”, Roth’s future aim is to simply stay in competition with only himself as he builds upon his own skills and lessons. He’s only been singing for a year and a half, so he believes he is “just scratching the versatility” of his singing potential, yet is able to stand out from the crowd with “relatable lyrics and an ability to make an emotional connection”. “I still see myself writing impactful and empowering songs; I believe that my distinctness comes from my voice, but when it comes to genre I don’t have any expectations.” He’s definitely correct in saying, “to put myself into a box this quick would be a disservice to my future self!” That future and current self, however, want his fans to always know one thing: that he is always going to be as genuine and authentic as possible in his music. “What the fans hear will hopefully be inspirational, raw, and give them some solace that there will be better days soon.” Now that’s a vibe we can all rock to, Rob Roth.

Check out more Rob Roth on his Instagram @robrothmusic, and robrothmusic.com!