Recently, I was able to speak with Meowgical Rosie, a J-Pop idol from Scotland who I’ve known about for some time now! We had a great discussion about how this year has been, some achievements, future plans, inspirations and much more, all of which you can read below!
Firstly, introduce yourself! What should we know about you?
I’m Meowgical Rosie, and as my name suggests I’m a magical girl kitty cat idol from Scotland!
My goal as an idol is to share sparkling kitten magic everywhere I go, and inspire my kittens – that’s what I call my fans – to have the courage to shine brightly too!
As some may know, you’re a kaigai idol! Can you explain what a kaigai idol exactly is to those who might not be familiar with the term?
Idols are a subcategory of performer that originates in Japan but can be found all over the world, typically cutesy bubblegum pop singers but can be any style or genre! The appeal of idol singers is that they’re generally inexperienced performers who you can watch grow and improve over time, and often have a close connection with their fans.
Kaigai is the Japanese word for overseas, and simply refers to an idol performer who operates outside Japan!
So far this year, you have released two new singles; “Meowry-Go-Round!” in January, and “Sixfold” in October. Let’s start with “Meowry-Go-Round!”, what do you think of the song, and how did it feel recording a Japanese version of “Everything is Meowgical”?
‘Meowry-Go-Round!’ quickly became a favourite both of mine and of my kittens! It’s such a cheerful upbeat song that never fails to make everyone smile, and getting to film the music video on actual fairground rides was a very interesting but fun experience! I love performing it live because everyone shouts out ‘Rosie!’ with me at the ‘jinsei wa Rosie’ parts. It’s such an earworm and has been stuck in my head several times this year!
As soon as I had confirmed that I would be performing in Japan I immediately knew I wanted to sing my opening song in Japanese. I’ve always felt very strongly about a song’s lyrics being a powerful way to connect with others – I personally always feel a stronger connection to a song if I understand the lyrics while listening, so I wanted at least one song in my setlist to be in the language that the audience will understand.
If I’m ever lucky enough to perform in another country that speaks a different language, I’d love to release a version of ‘Everything is Meowgical!’ in that country’s language too!
Moving onto “Sixfold”, what do you think of both songs featured on the single? What do they mean to you? How did it feel making the music video?
‘Sixfold’ has a different feel to the kind of songs I’ve released and performed so far, but I want to be the kind of idol who can capture lots of different feelings and styles. It was produced by another_shiro, the same producer as ‘Meowry-Go-Round!’, and when she reached out to me with the song and I saw the meaning behind it I felt it was some kind of fate. I’ve been dealing with some mental health struggles this year and the lyrics of ‘Sixfold’ really resonated with me, and I’m especially glad it resonates with my kittens who are facing similar struggles. For the music video, I wanted to give off the initial impression that there was a ‘happy Rosie’ and a ‘sad Rosie’, but then midway through when the perceived ‘happy Rosie’ has a breakdown, it is shown that this was actually ‘outer Rosie’ who frequently hides her sadness with a smile, and ‘inner Rosie’ who is misunderstood as being cold and emotionless even when she truly cares.
This is further shown at the end when ‘inner Rosie’ finally smiles, a genuine display of happiness and acceptance of the umbrella, which symbolises being loved and cared for.
By only nurturing ‘inner Rosie’ under the umbrella, ‘outer Rosie’ doesn’t know how to find her place in the world anymore, and by only nurturing ‘outer Rosie’, ‘inner Rosie’ feels empty and unimportant. Both Rosies having an umbrella at the end instead of passing it between each other shows the balance of the inner and outer self, and how nurturing both is important to loving your whole self.
Whew! That was long. Can you tell I’ve been dying to get into the details of that one? Hehe.
‘Tears of Gold’ was actually supposed to be released on my album ‘Kitten Starlight Power!’ back in 2023, but I didn’t feel it was ready by the time I had to finalise the track list. The theme and lyrics of Tears of Gold was inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold with the idea that the pottery is just as beautiful even with flaws. I feel that extends to us as people too, that even if we feel flawed or broken we are still beautiful and sometimes we just gotta let out those bad feelings through our tears, because tears can be cathartic and healing – hence the title, Tears of Gold.
Looking at 2025, do you have any plans for the year? If so, I’d love to hear what they are!
I already have 8 events planned for 2025 as a solo performer, but the most exciting thing for me in 2025 is I’ll be making my group debut! I’m currently working hard behind the scenes with my groupmates in an idol group called Uni☆Stars, and we hope to make our debut in late Spring to early Summer 2025.
I’m also involved in a collaboration single with a friend and fellow performer that I can’t say much about at the moment, but I’m really excited about it!
Earlier this year, you performed in Japan for the first time! Congratulations! How did it feel? Was it scary being in such a different country, did you have fun, did you visit any new places you don’t typically see here in the UK?
I was really nervous to perform overseas, especially in Japan where there was the obvious language difference, but it was such an amazing experience. Even though my Japanese proficiency was veeeery basic, I was able to have simple conversations with people who came to see me after my shows and everyone was really kind! Some even brought me gifts – giving idols gifts seems to be a much more common thing in Japan. Cheki photos are also much more popular over there!
Aside from performing and idol culture, I adored the cafés over there. There were so many cute themed cafés with adorable food! Even something as simple as visiting the 7/11 was fun because we don’t have 7/11 in the UK, nor do we have things like fruit sandwiches or onigiri in convenience stores here. I loved visiting the 7/11 each day.
As usual, you’ve had a lot of live performances this year! Which would you say were your favourite and why
Getting to perform overseas in Japan and the US for the first time was an incredible experience, especially in the US I loved getting to meet so many kittens and performers that I’d only known via social media up until that point. I also love performing in Glasgow, I may be a little biased since that’s where I’m based, but my Glasgow audience is always super energetic. Newcastle is always very welcoming and energetic too! It’s so hard to choose just one favourite out of all my performances this year, but those are a few highlights!
Speaking of performances, what’s the funniest and/or craziest thing you’ve seen happen while on stage?
The funniest things I see during my time on stage are the things people wave that aren’t penlights. Not everyone has a penlight especially if it’s their first time seeing an idol show, so I encourage everyone to wave something that conveys the feelings in their heart. I’m not sure what feeling a JPEG of Shrek is trying to convey, or a squashed can of Monster energy, or a banana, but it always makes me smile, once making me laugh so much that I forgot the lyrics to my song!
What would you say your favourite part about being an idol is
I’ve met so many lovely people through being an idol, both my wonderful kittens and other performers. It’s definitely my favourite part of being an idol; it warms my heart so much when someone tells me how much my performance made them smile or how my music has inspired them to follow their dreams too.
Let’s look back at your first album “Kitten Starlight Power!”. Which songs are your favourite and why?
It’s so hard to pick a favourite because I love each song for different reasons! I love ‘Everything is Meowgical!’ because it describes me and my vibe so well. I love ‘Akihabara Daydream’ because it’s so infectiously bubbly and fun to dance. ‘Your Legacy’ for the bittersweet story in it. ‘Gardens of Wonderland’ for the mysterious gothic vibe! I’d have to say those ones are my primary favourites.
If someone was trying to get into your music for the first time, which songs would you suggest and why?
A good option would be ‘Meowry-Go-Round!’ as my most popular song, but I would also say ‘Everything is Meowgical!’ is a good place to start, because it’s essentially my theme song and sums up what kind of vibes you can expect from me!
What should someone expect if they’re seeing you perform live for the first time?
Lots of energy and lots of hype! My shows are always the best and most fun when everyone gets involved and joins in with all the chanting and dancing. If you have a light stick, bring that too! Or just wave a piece of fruit. Or a can of energy juice. Or a dancing GIF of your favourite Vocaloid on your phone. Honestly anything goes and I do love the slightly chaotic vibe that my kittens sometimes bring, so any way you want to share your sparkle is welcome!
Thank you so much for your time! To wrap this up, do you have anything you’d like to say to your fans?
Thank you so much for having me!
To my wonderful kittens, I wanna say thank you for all your love and support in 2024 – let’s make 2025 even more meowgical together and spread kitten magic across the world! If there’s an event you wanna see me come to, make sure to reach out and request me, because our magic works stronger together! I really wanna come see as many of you as possible in 2025!
You can keep up with Meowgical Rosie’s future activities at her social media accounts here, thanks again to Rosie for taking part in this interview, it was such a pleasure to speak with you!
Instagram: @meowgicalrosie
TikTok: @meowgicalrosie
X: @MeowgicalRosie
Facebook: Meowgical Rosie
YouTube: Meowgical Rosie
Twitch: MeowgicalRosie
Bandcamp: Meowgical Rosie
Website: meowgicalrosie.uwu.ai