Press photo by Varvara Mikushkina
Rosa Bordallo (f/k/a Manett) is a singer-songwriter and a Chamorro from the island of Guam. She has been living in New York City since the age of 19, and has written,
recorded, and released several albums and EPs as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock band, cholo. Her second full-length solo album, Isidro, is out today.
"I picked up guitar in high school, and I started writing songs right away. Being a
performer both terrified and beckoned me."
She supported her musical projects with money made working an office job and
moonlighting as a restaurant host, before switching full-time to the service industry.
Between rehearsals, recording sessions, shows, and the day job, she also juggled
being a single parent.
"Music has always been my outlet, my pressure valve. I was a really shy and awkward
kid, but I loved listening to the albums that my older siblings brought back from the
[United] States. Artists like Björk, PJ Harvey, David Bowie and Pixies. I wanted to have
an impact the way those musicians impacted me, on the other side of the world."
It's the other side of the world that concerns her more and more these days. Her
homeland in the Pacific is not just threatened by climate change. The Mariana Islands is one of the most militarized places on the planet - America's so-called tip of the spear-and the people of Guam are facing yet another buildup of the American military bases that occupy over a third of the island.
"I wrote these songs in 2021 and 2022, in the shadow of the pandemic and New York
City's recovery. I was grieving personal tragedies as well as the collective loss. It was
the realization that my ancestors survived their own catastrophic near-demise that gave me perspective. I'm a survivor. We all are."
Bordallo composed all the music and lyrics for the album, but when it came time to
recording it, she enlisted the help of Ben Etter, a recording engineer and producer
based out of MAZE Studios in Atlanta. His work with Deerhunter and Hazel English,
among others, had impressed Bordallo.
"I found Ben from the album credits of one of my favorite albums. I reached out and sent him some examples of my work, and when he agreed to work on the album, I was overjoyed. He gave me the encouragement I needed."
At Etter's suggestion, Bordallo finished writing and recording all her demos in advance of their recording session. Etter and Bordallo tracked the album in eight days at MAZE Studios. Atlanta musicians Sean Zearfoss filled in on drums and Keegan Krogh provided production assistance.
The result is a heady blend of indie pop and lush, psychedelic electro-rock. At turns
grand and intimate, the dulcet tones of Bordallo’s voice thread through a rich and
polyphonic tapestry of shimmering synths, lively rhythms, and searing guitar solos.
The last song on the 10-track album is also its first single, and its ironic tongue-in-cheek title belies the blistering emotionality of its orchestral rock wall-of-sound. Just like the rest of the album, “I Feel Numb” leaves the listener feeling anything but.
"Why? To remember, all we know of Heaven, to remember, we are still here"
- Maria Popova
"All your weapons won’t prevail"
- Jules Laforgue
"Don’t forget love; it will bring all the madness you need to unfurl yourself across the Universe"
- Mirabai
TOUR DATES
FEB 7 - NEW YORK, NY - Indoor Indians @ Lincoln Center
