Profile of Rozella
This is the unique story of the Sabahan singer and song writer Rozella Marie Mahjhri.
Five-year-old Rozella would not have believed her own eyes, if she saw today’s Rozella glowing with confidence. Since she was five, she dreamt about becoming a musician. But since birth, it had been a struggle to even make that dream realistic. A significant birthmark on her face made her fear judgements from others and it made her struggle with a crumbling self-esteem. It kept her from what she loved. As she got older, she went away for a couple of months to face her fears, find herself and the meaning of life.
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“For me a song is just like a piece of article. It is about telling a story through the song, the lyrics and melodies.”
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‘Dark Side’ was her first single about her entering the music industry and how people discouraged her to take such a step. This powerful song makes sure that you will chase your dreams no matter what people say. In contrast to the dark side, XOXO is her newest, bubbly song:
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“I’m at a different place right now and it shows in the music that comes out” (Low, 2016)
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Within a week it had almost 100,000 streams. Writing and singing is not her only passion, the project True Complexion is her way of reaching out to individuals with similar experiences. This platform is created to make them tell their stories. Although she has achieved a lot since she was five, the dream of singing and writing will continuing:
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“The most important one [goal] to me is to longevity. To continue doing this for as long as I can and keep evolving as an artist and keep evolving as a person.”
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References:
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LOW, C. 2016. Rozella is a Wallflower No More [Online]. Juice: Juice. Available: https://juiceonline.com/rozella-is-a-wallflower-no-more/ [Accessed 22.10.2018].
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Rozella
XOXO - the song that inspires
If life has ever treated you bad you can still end up filled with love and happiness, which XOXO is a musical proof of.
XOXO is an inspirational song that will make you have a look at your life and discover how much you have to appreciate. If someone have had a rollercoaster journey in their live where they feel sad and alone it is the beautiful Rozella. XOXO shows that due to having a hard time in the teenage and young adult years Rozella is now a grown up woman who is more than glad to be who she is. XOXO is an evidence that Rozella got through to the other side where the sun shines and the beaches are clear.
If Rozella can make it, then can you - Get inspired yourself by XOXO and explore the happiness it brings up in you.
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XOXO
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Rozella goes from a broken self-esteem to leading True Complexion
Photo by Joshua Chay
Already from a very young age, Rozella was aware of her looks because of the birthmark she was born with on her face. The birthmark caused a lot of troubles with herself and her self-esteem.
How it all began…
The dream of being on a stage singing and creating music seemed distant. The birthmark kept her away from fulfilling the musical dream. One day, she realized that she needed the music to be in her life:
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“I was just questioning my life and thinking ‘what am I doing?’. I am not happy (…)”
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In 2013, Rozella began writing music which was something that made her happy. She began to find her strength in herself and believe in her outer beauty as well as her inner beauty.
Rozella in her natural surroundings on Borneo
Keep fighting even though it is hard
Rozella explains that the industry of being a local artist is tough:
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“As an independent artist who is not signed, you have to pay for everything yourself.”
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Not only, did she have to struggle with her looks, she also had to keep in mind of the financial difficulties with being a local artist. But despite these complications, she still managed to keep fighting in order to pursue her dream. Her latest song XOXO has got a lot of success and within a week she accomplished to get almost 100,000 streams.
Rozella doing what she loves - performing with her music
True Complexion - a way to help others
In 2015, Rozella started the project called True Complexion as an online platform:
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“Growing up I never really had anyone who looked like me or could relate to. Once I started doing music and I became more comfortable with myself. I thought, you know, I am kind of ready to come out of my own closet and tell my story to people and create a platform where I can get other people to tell their stories (…)”
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The platform is filled with the stories supported by photographs and citations of people with different conditions like amputees and cancer survivors. Rozella feels that the reason why people get bullied is because of misunderstandings. People see each other for what they see on the outside.
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The platform is made for two reasons:
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It is supposed to build up the confidence of the people telling their stories.
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The platform allows others to see that these people telling their stories are not sad people, but they still have good lives.
“(…) when you tell people’s story, you feel more empathy and you understand at the end of the day we’re all humans despite how we look on the outside and we all want the same thing. We all want to be loved, accepted, and we all wanna achieve.”
Photo by Waqqas Abdul Hadi
Happy ending
The road has been tough and long for Rozella. Already from her early teenage years, the struggles started. However, with True Complexion and XOXO, you are not in doubt of how far she has come. She is in a happier place now with more confidence. Rozella’s newest release XOXO is a proof of her happy ending. The song is indeed inspirational to the ones overcoming similar problems like her.
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Don’t forget to feel inspired at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2DHOfbcNCXqMF3uYeIuKuJ where you can listen to XOXO now!
Rozella cover picture from XOXO