‘The LGBTQ+ community was the first to embrace me’: Ariana and the Rose on her career and new London show

Ariana and the Rose exists in the sweet spot where pop spectacle meets emotional truth. A New York–bred performer with a deep love for theater, synths, and storytelling, she’s built a world that’s as dramatic as it is deeply human. From queer dance floors to intimate piano bars, her art channels the lineage of iconic New York performers while carving out something distinctly her own.

As she prepares to bring her one-woman Breakup Variety Hour show to London’s Crazy Coqs on 22 January, Ariana reflects on the evolution of her sound and identity, the catharsis of songwriting, and how her acclaimed show transforms heartbreak into communal joy, humour, and healing as well as being camp as a three dollar bill.

Your music is a mix between dreamy pop, electronic theatre and emotional honesty. How has your artistic identity shifted as you’ve grown (both personally and creatively)?

Ok, well firstly, I really love that description of my music, so thank you. I think the biggest shift is that I really cared about being “cool” when I first started making music. I was trying to mimic artists that I thought were cool or interesting and then overtime that fell away and I leaned more into what I thought was fun and cool. I’ve always loved synths and a bit of drama. I’m equal parts inspired by singer/songwriters like Sara Bareilles and Carole King and electronic/synth artists like Robyn and Goldfrapp. I think my music sits somewhere in the middle.

For someone discovering you for the first time, how would you describe ‘Ariana and the Rose’ in three words?

Theatrical, dancefloor, storytelling.

You’re from New York – what are your favorite queer spaces or nightlife that you’d suggest to a visitor in the city?

There are so many amazing places, if you’re looking for just a pure joy queer dance party, Three Dollar Bill is always throwing very fun parties. For something more intimate and lower key, I love Club Cumming. It’s a small piano bar on the lower east side owned by Alan Cumming and it’s my favorite place to perform and hang out.

Which artists or cultural moments shaped the version of you we see today?

Theatre in New York in general shaped me. From straight plays to musicals to immersive theatre, I am consistently inspired by and pulling from theatre references. I love live performance in every capacity but there’s something about Broadway and downtown theatre that really captivates me. I’d also say the kind of New York dames have been a big inspiration for me. Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minelli, these women who are just unabashedly themselves and not contained by one box. They’re funny and over the top and vulnerable and intense. I just love how they sit at the cross section of popular culture and performance art.

What does your creative process look like? Are you someone who follows inspiration, or do you go into the studio with a clear concept?

It’s been different through different phases of my life. When I first started making music I was in writing sessions a lot with other people, either for my own project or writing for other artists. I would create EP’s and collections of music through stringing my favorite songs together. When I made my first album, Lonely Hearts Club, it was Covid and I was writing in my house alone and then worked with one collaborator, Andy Highmore, on making the whole thing. We started very broad and then when we realised it was going in the direction of an album we honed in on a sound. My most recent album, The Breakup Variety Hour, I knew I wanted to be a one-woman show, so I wrote each song building toward a story arc. I re-wrote songs, cut songs, changed things around, until everything fit together for the concept.

Songwriting can be its own form of therapy. Do you find creating music cathartic, and has there ever been a song that revealed something about yourself you didn’t expect?

It’s definitely a catharsis for me. I write when I don’t know what I’m feeling, and the song will sort of reveal my own emotions to me. I’ve used sitting at my piano and playing as coping mechanism for so long. A lot of times, when I’m writing a record, I don’t totally know what the theme is and then overtime it’s revealed to me based on what the songs are all circling around. It’s cool to see how your subconscious is really at play when you’re creating anything artistic.

Have you ever written something so honest you hesitated to release it? If so, what pushed you to let it out into the world anyway?

I felt that way about the album I just put out, The Breakup Variety Hour. The album has talking interludes and an entire live one-woman show that goes with it. The whole thing is very raw and autobiographical. The entire time I was creating it, I kept checking in with myself asking, “Is this too much?”; “will people think this is cringey?” and ultimately, you have to just  have strength of conviction, hope that it’ll find its audience and will resonate with people.

You have a strong rapport with the LGBTQ+ community. How has that shaped your sense of purpose as an artist and performer?

The LGBTQ+ community has shaped my sense of purpose as a person, a friend, a family member as much as it has shaped me as an artist and performer. I’ve learned so much from seeing the fearlessness and just joy from my queer friends and in those spaces. It is inspiring and a reminder that no one can take those things away from you. As an artist, the LGBTQ+ community was the first community to embrace me. The first performance I ever did was at a gay club called Twist, in Miami. The first festival I ever played was a Pride. I feel honoured and grateful, [that] this community said, we see you and support you and lift you up, and I will always do the same.

How has your own evolving identity — as a woman, creator, performer — reshaped the themes you’re drawn to exploring?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been more interested in exploring themes of identity and how relationships inform how we feel about ourselves, rather than looking outward. I write a lot about love and the various forms it takes but I’ve become more into looking at how that shapes who we are in the world and how we relate to ourselves. I also think, as I’ve gone through several different phases as a performer and creator, I don’t feel boxed in by any one thing I’m doing. I used to feel like the thing I was making at the moment (the music, the show, etc) would define me or my career and the more things I create, the less worried I feel about that.

When did The Breakup Variety Hour shift from an idea into something you knew had to be a full show, and now a tour?

I knew before I made it that it had to be a one woman show. I had the idea to create a one woman show before I knew what it would be about. I had just gone through this horrible breakup, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make next. I was watching episodes of the Cher Show from the 60s and it sparked something in me, I thought, I’d like to make something like this. It was a different kind of process. I created the album and the live show at the same time, and they each informed the other.

For people who haven’t experienced it yet, how would you describe the energy of the show? What do you hope audiences walk away feeling?

The show is comedic catharsis. It’s six steps to get over a breakup, each step is a song, and it really runs the gamut of emotion. I didn’t want to shy away from the heaviness of being broken by something falling apart but I wanted to approach it with levity and humor. I hope people see themselves and their experiences reflected to them in the show and walk away feeling seen. It’s been so cool to tour the show and hear people’s stories of breakups and piecing themselves back together. When someone comes up to me after a show and tells me about their experience, I feel like I’ve done my job.

The show blends music, theatre, cabaret, comedy and storytelling. What’s been the most surprising challenge merging all those worlds on one stage?

Finding the balance was the challenge. I wanted the show to be theatrical but still feel like a pop concert. The storytelling has a stand-up comedy style to it but I wanted it to still have substance and weight in the right moments. And the song always finishes the thought. Getting the whole thing on its feet took a lot longer than I thought and there was a lot more re-writing than I had anticipated. I had to tour the show, see how audiences responded to it, then tweak it in real time. It is a living, breathing thing, no two shows are the same.

Heartbreak can be isolating, but your show makes it communal and joyful. Has performing this night after night changed how you view heartbreak and healing?

Absolutely. I changed the ending of the show after touring it for 6 months! I hadn’t accounted for doing the show, giving it away to audiences as being the final piece of the puzzle. Hearing their reactions and stories gave me a new perspective on the steps I had created, and I actually made a 7^th step that isn’t on the recorded album but is a part of the live show now.

Touring can be intense. What’s keeping you grounded while you’re on the road?

Facetiming with my friends and family is my favorite thing to do on tour. I love having a little phone chat, it stops me from feeling homesick. My Dad stays up late a lot and will call me after a show to see how it went and we’ll be chatting until 1am. I also really made an effort to go out and explore while I was touring. I’m doing this run of shows completely by myself, so it’s taken on a solo traveler kind of energy which has been so fun. I’ve met so many interesting people, I love talking to strangers and hearing about people whose lives are so different from my own.

Has this show influenced how you imagine your future work? Maybe leaning further into narrative, theatre, or mixed-media performance?

That’s a great question. I’m not totally sure what I’ll make next. I’m always writing music and new songs. I have an idea for another live show. I feel like the format of a one woman show, or leaning more into theater really suits me and I feel very free inside of it. I guess we’ll find out!

If you could collaborate with anyone right now, who would make your dream list and why?

Charli XCX would be a dream collab. She’s so innovative and is constantly evolving will maintaining such a strong sense of self and artistry. I love watching what she’s doing. Also, Robyn, always and forever.

What themes or sonic worlds are pulling you in as you look toward your next chapter?

I’m still playing around with what I’ll make next. Somedays I think I’ll do something that’s just vocal and piano, other days I feel like I’ll me a left turn and do something super electronic, 70s house inspired. I’m enjoying being in an open space at the moment.

You’ve performed at various Pride events all over the world. How important is your allyship and the queer community to your art?

It is very important, especially now. Being from the US, I feel a specific responsibility to use my voice and platform, especially for the trans community. Allyship is about fighting alongside and standing up through any means, whether that’s the art itself, social media, in person or at a protest.

What does success look like to you at this stage? Is it sold-out shows, emotional resonance, creative freedom, something else entirely?

I’ve been an independent artist for a long time and feel very grateful to have been able to make this my life and build a core community. I’d love to be in bigger rooms, finding more people, expanding and amplifying what we’ve been building together for so many years.

And finally: what’s one thing about you that people might not know, but you wish they did?

My friends tell me I’m a real multi-purpose friend. You need a wing man to go to some random event you don’t even know what it is? I’m your girl. We’re getting a bottle wine, and you have to cry it out over something? I’ve got the bottle opener. I feel very proud of that. We can go out dancing til 2am or sit on the couch and be asleep by 9.

Ariana and the Rose performs The Breakup Variety Hour at Crazy Coqs, London on 22 January 22, with tickets available now.