Carly Rose embraces nostalgia and her X-Factor Past with the release of "Brokenhearted"

“It feels extremely surreal,” Carly Rose states at the top of our interview. “In the best way. It is honestly something I never thought I would do, but when the 10-year anniversary hit it just felt right.

“I am so blessed to have so many people who connected with me during my time at X Factor, especially with my performance of this song. I wanted to show my appreciation for their continued love and support, and honour at that particular time in my life.”

Has this process given you the opportunity to reflect on the song and learn anything new about yourself?

Absolutely! As a 13-year-old, I couldn’t possibly really know what a song called “Brokenhearted” truly meant. I knew the general emotion of the song was sadness and longing, but I had not yet experienced heartbreak, romantically or otherwise, at this time in my life. Now, with ten more years of life under my belt, I can bring some new authentic perspective to the song that I am excited to share with people. I think it feels rawer because it’s coming from a place of like, ‘oh I have literally found myself in this exact situation before.’

What is your interpretation of ‘Brokenhearted’ about and what does the title represent to you?

The song is a really honest representation of what it feels like to long for someone who isn’t giving you everything you deserve. We have all been through that situation of feeling like we put our all into someone and not getting what we need in return. Whether it’s waiting by the phone for their call, like the lyrics in the song describe, or just often feeling let down by the person, I like that the song does not shy away from the raw desperation that shows itself during an experience like this.

Does your song still represent what you wanted to say at the start of the creative process, and how was that reflected in the final product?

I am proud to say I think we achieved everything I wanted when going into this project. I really wanted to honour the original cover I did on the show while elevating it where I could to reflect the 10 years of growth and experience I have lived through since then. I like to think we did a good job at keeping the magic of the original cover while adding some new elements that people may not have known they wanted.

What was the creative process like for the song and was it any different to how you went about working on your own material?

It was really different from working on my own music. I felt a certain pressure when I was just starting to approach the song because I knew that people had a certain attachment to the way I did it on the show. When making my own music, that is one thing I do not have to think about because nobody has anything to compare it to. With that being said, it was really fun to explore new sonic elements and different vocal techniques that I think to take the song to a whole new level.

How do you look back upon your time on the X Factor and has that shaped you as a person professionally or personally in any way?

I look back at that time extremely fondly. However, I will say that sometimes when I go back and watch videos from that time, it feels like I am watching someone else. It is such a strange feeling and almost feels like a part of my life that happened in a dream. I really did gain so much from the show. From live television performance experience to learning how to stand up for myself in a setting where I was being pulled in many different directions, to learning how to perform under insane amounts of pressure, I feel like my experience on the show prepared me for the real world of entertainment extraordinarily well.

What would you like listeners to take away from your revisiting this song after 10 years message-wise?

I want listeners to understand just how grateful I am for them championing me during my time on the show and beyond. So many fans of mine are around my age, so it really does feel like we grew up together and that is an amazing feeling. I want this cover to be my parting gift to everyone who tuned in to the show every week. I want it to be the bow that I tie on at that time in my life as I acknowledge all that it gave me and move on to the next stage of my career. I hope that everyone who listens to this cover gets their dose of nostalgia and feels inclined to come along for my ride as I prepare to release a new EP following the cover. There is so much more I want to share with everyone and I am so excited for what’s to come.

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