Rose Gray Is Ready for a New Era With “Club to Your Arms”

There’s always a risk when a musician plays an unreleased song in concert. What if it flops in front of their biggest fans? Rising pop star Rose Gray didn’t have that problem when she previewed her single “Club to Your Arms” at a sold-out show at La Poisson Rouge in New York City late last month. After the final note, the crowd erupted. The couple in front of me almost immediately started making out. “That song is so fucking good,” someone shouted when she finished. It’s safe to say her stans are on board.

Gray’s been on a steady rise since she released her debut album, Louder, Please, back in January 2025. She’s toured the world, opened for Kesha, and collaborated with Demi Lovato, Shygirl, and the Spice Girls’ Mel C. The English singer even begun to attract tabloid attention in her home country (British gossip press reported she married her longtime boyfriend, actor Harris Dickinson). But the success has been a long time coming. Gray, 29, has been pursuing a pop career since her teens, with several stints working in clubs and writing songs for other artists along the way. Caught backstage before her New York show, Gray was both still surprised her career has made it this far and eager to begin rolling out a new era.

Louder, Please has been out for about a year and a half now. What have you learned in that time?

I learned how to bring an album out by doing it the wrong way around. Since putting it out, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is what you’re meant to do. You’re meant to do shows.’ I was so naive. I didn’t understand anything. I knew the music side, but not touring and marketing and everything that goes with it.

But it’s worked out so far.

I’ve always been a very determined, positive person. But with my career, I started to accept that it maybe wasn’t going to be the way I thought it would be. I’ve always wanted to play arenas and tour the world, but I had been hit back so many times. But I thought, that’s okay because I still get to make music and write for other people.

It feels like we’re in a generational shift with pop music. In the past, you needed one big hit early in your career, but now you can more gradually build longevity. We’ve seen so many artists recently where they’re on their third, fourth, or fifth record, and that’s when they’ve really popped off.

It's really exciting. It feels like a lot of women in their late 20s and 30s are blossoming. I’m turning 30 at the end of this year, and I feel really happy that it's happening now.

Tell me how “Club to Your Arms” came about.

Since January of last year, it’s been a whirlwind. I’ve been traveling to places I never thought I’d see—we’re talking five suitcases for all the tour looks. I’d been doing DJ sets. I’m probably partying too much. I wrote “Club to Your Arms” about my return to London being so chaotic. I came home one night, lost my keys, and sat outside my house on my suitcases. I got in the studio a week later at the end of last year. It started as a joke on the mic, talking about my showgirl fatigue. I had the most pressure I’ve ever had on me, but I actually never felt better. It was instant, and formed very quickly. After the first demo, I was like, “Yeah, this is special.”

Would you consider this song the start of a new era?

It’s definitely a continuation of Louder, Please. It feels connected, so I'm channeling that. I’m finishing a new record, but it's moving in a different direction.

Is there anything you want to do differently this time around?

I love visuals, I love a music video. With “Club to Your Arms,” we shot a video on film all over London. It was a two-day shoot. It felt like a small film. I would have never been able to do that before. I’m also collaborating with people I grew up listening to, like Demi.

Have you gotten good advice from any of the artists you’ve worked with?

Kesha is very good at advice. She’s maternal and motherly and looked after me on tour. She actually just said, “If you ever think something doesn’t feel right or you want to question it, just ask me.”

Have you had any pinch-me moments since the album was released?

I still find doing a show thousands of miles away from home with, like, 800 people in front of you singing the words back ... I’m not getting bored of that. It still feels like, “Wow!”