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by randy hope


o matter how it is spelled, rumors spread like wildfire when people are excited. The idiom is proven in the case of Britain recording artist Rumer, whose success is being fueled by some pretty hefty big-wigs in the industry, not to mention her


much-admired hit singles “Slow” and “Aretha.” The songs appear on Seasons Of My Soul and mark her Atlantic Records label debut. A


platinum-certified popular success upon its release in the United Kingdom last fall, the album went on and proved to be an international sensation, reaching the top 10 in Belgium, Norway, Ireland, New Zealand and the Netherlands. With her fan base already established, Rumer is gaining momentum as she makes her way


across the Atlantic. In preparation of Seasons Of My Soul being dropped stateside the last week of January, her melodic voice and vibrant spirit surely sparked the attention of those who caught her in-depth profile appearance on CBS Sunday Morning. Rumer immediately shot to the top. Seasons Of My Soul landed the No. 1 spot on iTunes Overall Albums Chart and No. 3 on Amazon. The Rage Monthly was privileged to catch the European songstress—whom New York


Daily News named as one of the “Best Live Shows” in its “Best of 2011” round-up—between rehearsals for her U.S. headline tour that kicked off last month. Rumer shed light on what’s been a long and winding road to success for the young artist


whose unique upbringing gives way to a well-seasoned soul—a soul that burns its reflec- tion in her music and ignited by the Torch Songs of Judy Garland. “I became obsessed with Judy Garland at the age of 4 or 5,” Rumer says, claiming it’s the


“I don’t know how I gained much of my yearning to be drawn toward my music. I’m just the maker and the music simply finds me.”


music of Garland that’s most influential in her own musical career. “Not just Judy Garland, but all the writers of her songs. They were all just fantastic writers—Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern—of all those great American melodies and really dreamy songs that try to help people escape their depression,” she explains. Although she’s not quite certain why so many gay people grow up to like Judy Garland. “I assume it’s in part from growing up and feeling different. I grew up feeling different too,” humbly she adds, it’s contributed to who she is as a person and a musician. The youngest of seven children, Rumer


spent her very early years in Pakistan, where she was born. Her father was the chief-engineer involved in the construc- tion of the enormous Tarbela Dam, 30 miles to the northwest of Islamabad. The family found themselves living in an expat colony,


with no TV or newspapers—an enclosed community where the kids would run wild, and the adults would play bridge, golf and engage in the occasional spot of amateur dramatics. This closed, though oddly liberating, atmosphere also provided Rumer with her first taste


of music, which is highly influenced by the ‘60s and ‘70s, an influence heard in her songs “Slow” and “Come To Me High,” which reflect the folk sounds of time. However, the impact that occurred during the popular culture movements of those eras is not something the art- ist born in 1979 much experienced firsthand—a fact she says is made even more interesting considering that neither did her parents. “Since my parents continually moved from outpost to outpost until 1984, my entire fam-


ily basically missed the ‘60s and the ’70s,” Rumer explains, noting she grew up with a family atmosphere described as being “1950s conservative” and “old fashioned.” So how did she gain such influence? As the family lived what seemed like a charmed existence in the sheltered community,


Rumer’s musical roots were deeply nourished at a time she now looks upon as an idyllic. “It was an otherworldly landscape,” she recalls. “Our universe wasn’t defined by anything other than ourselves.”


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RAGE monthly | MARCH 2012


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