Today we’d like to introduce you to Ro Malone.
Hi Ro, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I feel like it’s fairly impossible to pinpoint the beginning of anything but, for now let’s say I got started by quitting my 9-5 in Dublin, Ireland, and making the 5,000+ mile journey to Los Angeles. It’s been ten years since that fact, and I’ve never been happier for it! I spent my first few weeks in travel hostels, going between Santa Monica and San Diego! Honestly, San Diego almost stole my heart, but thankfully being there amongst kind and warm-hearted folks only reinforced my courage to come back to Los Angeles and pursue what I had came here to do! Write songs!!!
As the hosteling stays started to eat away at my savings, and the friend that was supposed to show up to share rent with me never arrived; I only had one option… turn to ‘Craigslist’!!! Luckily, I landed myself a humble spot in the beach City of Santa Monica. It was kind of more affordable back then 🙈!! I can’t write a short story on my living situation there so we’ll all have to wait for my book!!! Preliminary title ‘Ode to Monica, of Santa Monica’. But a quick funny fact about the friend that never showed up…. he was a Magician; and boy can he do a disappearing act!!!😂😂😂
So I got myself a job at a car dealership of all places, but it was handy enough in that I could just do my work, get paid, and forget about it. Also, it was only a 15min bike ride from my place which was great because I had absolutely no budget for a car and had never drove on the ‘wrong side’, albeit right side of the road before. So biking ‘back then’ was best….for all mankind!!
With the bills paid and a roof over my head, I could focus back on trying to build a career in music. I had no formal experience meaning no music companies would hire me, so I went about securing myself a music internship for my days off!! I sent my resume and demos along with letters, gifts, flowers, wine ‘the works’, to dozens of companies and was met with lots of……silence!!! One place I really wanted to get into was Mophonics in Venice Beach; so one day, I decided to just ride down Rose Ave with some flowers perched in my cruiser basket, park up again a post, and walk into Westminster Garage, where they were originally based! Thankfully, they didn’t kick me out, and they did keep the flowers 🙂 “Good sign” I thought!! But no internship offer!! I let a month or two go by while trying to ground myself in this gigantic city of cities and then decided to reach out again. So, I emailed, and to my delight, they invited me to come meet with one of their EPs! I brought her giant stem sunflowers and vegan cookies and started the following week 🙂 Love you Coco!! x
They became fam! They are fam! They didn’t listen to anything I sent them until the day I kindly thanked them for my 6 month internship LOL!! but then *BAM*!! I had cycled back to my humble abode on the last day of my internship, sobbing and feeling like an absolute failure; when to my surprise, I saw emails of admiration!! They had finally listened to my demos as I walked out the door, yeow!! And they wanted to give me a shot at writing for a commercial! This is supposed to be brief, right? So BOOM, I won my first job hehehe!! And the rest is history/ for ‘the book’!!! A lot happens in a decade!!!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Immigration was my pea or thorn!! Yeah, let’s call it a giant ouchie thorn!!! That, and my general inner affliction!!!
In short, again, I’ll try!!
You know my situation wasn’t the most dire of situations to experience!! I got interrogated at a border, but I got to stay. A lot of people don’t get to. And the alternative to my staying was going home to the safety and love of my family, I can’t say the same for others. It took a long time to secure my status, and it really was exhausting both emotionally and financially. I couldn’t bear the thoughts for anyone less fortunate.
That said, I’m learning not to dismiss/diminish my own struggles. I exist where I am, and that was my reality; it was tough, but I’m on the other side of it now.
Change is hard. Whether it’s from one town to the next or 5000+ miles away. Even though I was born in Ireland, I feel like I really grew up in Santa Monica. It’s my ‘home away from home’ hometown!! 😂 It was challenging figuring out how to ‘adult’ with no family or friends. I mean, I did make friends in time, and there was ‘Monica’ 🙂 but initially, it was tough; for me and my parents on the other side of hysterical phone calls. 🙈
I’ve questioned myself terribly over the years, my worth, value, admission to society, and existence. Bad days are bad days, but good days are great; they all come back around!! Some faster, some slower!! One of my favorite lyrics to date, yes that I wrote are, “The fun is in your stride, not always peaking every mountain that you climb”! I’m doing my best to roll with the punches, enjoy the journey, work hard, and play harder!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I write original and custom songs for media, film/tv, and commercials, along with my artist project ‘Ro Malone’ songs, that are available for music supervision. Creatives are always ‘looking for their next project’ so please, take a listen, and give a girl a call!!! 😁😂🤣 I have an unpublished library of songs to pull from!!! Also, I’m an actor, naturally!!! 😛
I’m most proud of my new single “Shimmy Shimmy Bae” that comes out Sept 7th!! The day before my birthday, YAY! You can pre-save it by following this link https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/romalone/shimmy-shimmy-bae
I’m also super stoked about my online merchandise that I have started selling. The first tee is a print of my original artwork for a song of mine called ‘Beautiful’. Beautiful is released already, but I will be sharing a new upbeat mix soon!
My resume includes working with some of the biggest Global Brands both nationally and internationally! I have a connect form on my website for prospective clients to reach out. I’m proud of all my work, and a lot of it no one will ever hear, but I’m proud of it because that’s what goes on behind the curtains of success. Years and years of tries and failures that eventually bloom into something epic!
My most recognizable work to date, I think includes my song ‘Home’ which has had multiple licenses, ‘Don’t Stop’ that was a hit for a San Diego Tourism campaign and peaked in the Irish iTunes chart, and ‘Smile O’Clock’ a catchy rap’sody I wrote/sang and produced for Colgate that was translated into multiple languages for worldwide usage. Ooh also my viral Easter Bunny commercial/spot!!
What sets me apart: My writing is extremely versatile, and I am super fast, but I do like to have a decent turn around haha! I bring raw, truthful, real-life experiences to my writing! No fake biz! Sometimes I produce the music, sometimes I create the chords and melodies, and sometimes I just write to dope music tracks that producers send me to top-line. I always write the lyrics, they are my playground, my worky playground!!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Stay close to family and friends, don’t be an island!!
Get a dog ❤️
Enjoy the order in which it comes.
Believe in yourself or nobody else will!!!
You got to love yourself in this city, and I don’t mean love yourself in a ‘being a prick and full of yourself’ type way. I mean like take care of yourself, and be kind to yourself. The best you is good for you and everyone! The shittiest you should really just feck off!!!
Keep reading and educating yourself in your field. It’s best to know rather than be told because people have alternative versions of reality!
Watch your back, and have your friends back. Los Angeles is a city of angels and evils! Also, treasure good friends when you find them!
Stay busy, including being busy resting!
Love and forgive. You don’t have to forget, and please, as if anyone does!!! Wisdom is knowledge stored 🤣🤣
Super important!!! Be confident. If you feel like a doormat, you’re being too nice, that’s not a good thing. Being too nice is actually being mean to yourself and shitty, and we learned about this earlier!!!
Don’t assume anyone else knows what they’re doing or can do a better job than you. It’s possible and likely they’re having you do theirs for them. Find a good team to work with that knows its strengths and shares the weight.
Communicate and listen!!
Lastly, if you’re here to make a living, you’re here to make more than a dime. Not only must you believe in yourself, but you must also respect yourself and the business. Business doesn’t believe in you; it believes in making money out of you!! Sure, business may like and enjoy you, but we all like and enjoy things that can be discarded. Show business you’re worth investing in by showing your market sentiment isn’t fragile!!! Know your value, add 30% and get your fair split of the dollar bills yo!!
Have fun! Sleep on it! Let it go!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://romalone.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my_name_is_ro_malone/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2GIP_fa3OJkBlinw29YPqQ
- Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/romalone/shimmy-shimmy-bae
