- Big Gipp & James Worthy – Out Of Control (Official Music Video) - December 30, 2023
- SnOOp Dogg Still DA FLyeSt and FreShEST - November 8, 2023
- Sultry and Soulful Songstress Jori Sun Previews Fresh New Track - November 3, 2023
Featuring energetic music with a creative backbone, Vancouver based husband and wife duo Drew and Danielle McTaggart are Dear Rouge.
Together the two have an expansive sonic palette with punchy guitar hooks and uplifting synths. They have been climbing the Canadian rock and alternative charts with their album ‘Black To Gold’ and they look to takeover the U.S. very soon.
GroundSounds recently caught up with the pair to talk about their latest music, new endeavors and more, check out the exclusive interview below.
Many fans just discovering Dear Rouge don’t realize that you are husband and wife, can you tell us about how you two first met, the initial attraction and how you guys started making music together?
We first met through music actually. We both had our own individual projects going on. I had my own singer/songwriter project and Drew had his band. I first heard of his band called “Maclean”, through a friend and I fell in love with their music. I got in touch with him to help out with some of my music but he was too busy for me;) We stayed in touch and over time there was an attraction. At first we were both surprised by it!! We had our differences and we also lived in separate provinces, but we just couldn’t stop talking. Long story short we ended up dating and then started Dear Rouge. I was a bit jaded from my past experiences with music and the music business… so our goal was to make music with Dear Rouge for fun. It really is amazing that we ended up doing music as a career and full time. We’re having a blast!
How did you guys decide on the moniker Dear Rouge?
The name was tough actually. I think it probably is for most bands. We wanted something really original. We ended up on Dear Rouge when Drew and his brother were on a trip and discussing the name. His brother actually came up with the idea of using my home town Red Deer, Alberta some how in the name. It seemed like a decent idea. So we tried a few variations and ended up on Dear Rouge.
What do you guys enjoy most about Vancouver? What is one thing every visitor to should or do?
We love Vancouver!! It’s an amazing, beautiful city. I think we enjoy that the most actually. It’s so fresh and nature is so incredible here. We love our home because it’s an apartment on the 16th floor and it looks out to Mt.Baker. We can see the islands and ocean from our deck. It feels so good coming home from a long trip and having that to look at. Visitors should check out the sea wall. It has the most amazing views.
Your record ‘Black To Gold’ hasn’t been released in the states yet, can you tell us about working on this project and bringing it to fruition? Is there a U.S. release date?
We’ve had this project in the works for about two years. The writing process happened in stages. A few springs back, we wrote most of the songs up at a family cabin and recorded at Echoplant Sounds near Vancouver with Ryan Worsley. It came together very organically. We just recorded the songs we liked and didn’t really over think the process too much. The last track that got added to the album was “Tongues”. We wanted another song that had a bit more grit to it. Over all it was an awesome experience that we took seriously but a had great time making it.
No plans yet for a US release date but we are working on it. We are very excited to perform in the States this summer.. and hope to find some American partners to help us release the album very soon.
Your first ever US tour coming up in June, what are you guys most excited about?
It is such a dream to get to play in some of our favourite, legendary American city’s. Some of these places we have never seen.. so it’s going to be an over all amazing experience to enjoy these places.
In regard to your tour, are there any cities in particular that you are most excited to check out?
New York would be our top one. We have never been… and it’s an incredible place.
What was the inspiration for your track “Black To Gold?”
I was a big fan of “Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” when I was a kid. I ended up reading the book again recently and wanted to write a song about it. We had the music for the track written with our friend Ryan Worsley.. so I thought to put this theme in it for the lyrics. It’s really taking the idea of going from darkness to light.
What do you guys enjoy most about being on the road?
We love the new people we meet. It’s always amazing to hear of people enjoying your music.
Can you tell us about the creative and writing process for your track “Best Look Lately?”
We were having band practice and just started jamming on some chords. Drew had the idea of the chorus “Best Look Lately” We thought it was a very catchy title for the song. The core of the song was written that night with some of our friends and then we went from there and built on it. The lyrics come from the idea of our culture feeding us that we need to have more. When really the best look you can have is confidence in your self and who you really are. That truly is the “Best Look Lately”.
After the tour, what’s next for Dear Rouge? What can fans look forward to?
We have busy fall lined up which is exciting. Watch for some announcements soon. We will also be doing more writing for future projects, videos and such. It’s going to be an awesome year so stay tuned:).
