Bio

Singer-songwriter Michael Walker, better known as Rome (previously Rosegang), hails from Tauranga, New Zealand. Born on the 4th of June 1997, Rome has quickly become one of New Zealand’s hottest hip-hop artists, carving out a name for himself with his slick harmonic hooks and driving, dynamic sound.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Rome showed an interest in music from a very young age. At 7 years old Rome taught himself to play the drums, and at only 12, he began playing and singing at Church. By the time he turned 15, Rome was spending seven hours a day practicing his singing and drumming, and often spent his weekends writing and playing music with his brothers and sisters.

Rome and his brother explored releasing music but weren’t able to find much support or guidance in Tauranga. “We didn’t have anyone we could ask questions,” Rome says. “We had no idea about stuff like distribution. We just started chucking things up on our profiles, hoping something would happen. It was hard.”

LED ASTRAY

Around the same time, Rome began hanging out with the wrong crowd. A series of bad decisions led to Rome losing touch with his music. “I was drinking, I was messing around. I lacked focus, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” Rome says.

Things hit their lowest point when Rome was kicked out of home. “There was a lot of heartache, a lot of drama and pain. I was in these crowds, doing all this stuff, but knowing I wanted more for myself.”

Eventually, Rome returned to music, and his life began to stabilize. He started writing songs for fun again, and shifted focus back to the things that mattered. Bit by bit, Rome rebuilt. “It was a crazy time,” Rome says. “But I don’t regret it - everything I went through helped make me who I am and prepared me for where I am today.”

RETURN OF THE KING

In 2020 Rome began releasing music under the name Rosegang. Raw, powerful, and dynamic, songs like 12 Over 6 and Buggatti In My Shed drew on Rome’s time growing up on the streets of Tauranga and quickly earned him a devoted fanbase. Rome exploded in popularity, collaborating with industry legends like Poetik and Irko on his way to amassing almost one million hits on YouTube in little over a year.

But as Rome’s audience grew, so did Rome. “The music I was putting out under Rosegang was influenced by the crowd I used to hang around with,” Rome says. It was powerful and raw, but it wasn’t everything Rome wanted. “I always had other stories I wanted to tell,” Rome says. “There was more to me than what I was showing.”

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME

In 2022 Rome made the decision to change his artist name from Rosegang to Rome. The decision was inspired by changes he made in his personal life, and the feeling that he wanted to explore new avenues with his music. Rome wanted to be more open and vulnerable with his songwriting, something he felt he couldn’t do under the name Rosegang.

“Deep down, I’ve always known I wanted to write more about my feelings, about being hurt,” Rome says. “That’s what I’ve always been interested in. That’s the kind of music I wanted to write as a kid. So for me, the name change is kind of like coming home. It’s about returning to the kind of music I always wanted to make.”

Rome is currently working on his first album under the new name, and aims to release it in the near future. His next single, Beautiful To Me Now will launch on 8 July. A celebration of change and rebirth, Beautiful To Me Now focuses on the pain and beauty that comes from adapting and moving forward.

“In order for my music to get to the next level I had to let go of a few things,” Rome says, “Old habits, old friends, old ways. But that’s okay. I knew for myself and my music I wanted to grow and do more, and that’s what this song is about.”

MORE THAN A MUSICIAN

Outside of his music, Rome runs a number of businesses. Rome is behind Walkinn Kennels (a dog breeding business), Real NFT (a blockchain-based enterprise), Rollover (a pet purchasing website), and Ocean Enterprises (which hires out luxury yachts for trips and tours). Rome is also set to launch his own vodka range in the near future. “I like to keep busy,” Rome says. “I have an active mind, and I’ve found the best way to control it is to keep doing this 24/7”.

Most importantly for Rome, he also runs Walker Sound, a music studio based in the same area he grew up. “When me and Phlimingo [Rome’s brother] were growing up we didn’t have anyone we could go to for help,” Rome says. “With this music studio, we’re trying to give local artists in the same genre the opportunity we didn’t have. When me and Phlimingo first started it was so hard. And it’s still hard. But hopefully with the new studio that changes.”

Links

• Artist Website
• Facebook Page
• Youtube Page
• Instagram Page