jnj: It's been nearly seven years since the release of your last album 'Arrival'. Where have you been in between? And why did you take such a long hiatus?
Rosie Gaines: I took time out to spend some time with my family and just enjoy life! I had been touring and gigging for a long time so I wanted to sit back and see what I wanted to do...I wanted to write a new album and inbetween I did some material with Snoop Dogg and Bootsy Collins as well as some low key gigs with Prince.


jnj: Please tell me how your song Can't Get You Out Of My Mind made it on the Hidden Hits compilation and how your new album You Gave Me Freedom got released by Dome Records. Will there also be releases in the USA and Japan?
Rosie Gaines: Steve Mackkever, who was my A&R at Motown had heard the song through my manager Scott Gibson and wanted to put it on the Hidden Hits album, as he is the CEO at Hidden Beach. Scott was also playing some of my material to UK DJ Terry Jones and Terry said maybe we should speak with Dome Records. At that time we were speaking with lots of companies both here and in the UK, some wanted me to do it with a big budget etc and some (Majors) wanted me to sign me for 4 albums. But in our discussions with Dome we realised they loved the music and were happy to let me do the album the way I wanted to do it. That means more to me than the other things....the album will be released in America as people are showing a lot of interest in licensing it but right now we are just content to let it breathe.


jnj: What do you think of the music business today? Are there artists you admire and would like to work with?
Rosie Gaines: Alicia Keys, India.Arie...there's good and bad in the music industry today, same as there was last year, last 10 years and the last decade...you just got to get on with your groove!


jnj:How do you feel as an independent artist these days? And what are the advantages in your opinion compared to a contract with a major label?
Rosie Gaines: I'm free to do what I want - work with who I want and I'm not stuck in an agreement which makes me unhappy!


jnj: What keeps you inspired to write and record songs?
Rosie Gaines: My family, my manager and my love for music...music has always been there throughout my life and it's what I do!


jnj: How did Get Into This Groove made it on the album in such an inferior sound quality, since in my opinion it destroys the overall feeling of the album a little? It is a nice song but for me it's sounds more like a highly compressed mp3 file.
Rosie Gaines: There's a long story behind that tune...that was a song I did a long time ago, and the masters went missing. Everybody who had heard it before was always saying they loved the song as it was really saying something about how we live - you know things can get a bit weary for people. So in the end I just really wanted to put it on the album as it was meaning so much to people over here, hopefully it will only spoil your enjoyment of the album a little - you can always skip it.


jnj: What are your plans for the future? Do you plan a tour to promote your new album and if so in which countries. And do we have to wait another seven years for a new album?!
Rosie Gaines: You definitely won't have to wait 7 years for a new album as we are writing new material just now! I would like to tour and if people are feeling this album then I'm happy to play it live for them. Right now I have my own compnay for my songs and I have good people around me, so I hope to keep releasing more albums, writing with other artists and just keep on making good music...