Today we’d like to introduce you to Rose “Photobombshell” Mercado.
Hi Photobombshell, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My passion for helping independent artists reach their personal and music-related goals started in 2019 when I finally put all of the pieces of my professional puzzle together. I have always been passionate about music and started singing at four years old. Throughout my life, I’ve been drawn to writing prose, bars, and poetry. Even as a professional photographer, my journey that started in wedding photography and portraiture transitioned to where it is now, in performance and concert photography. It seems that no matter what path I take in life, I am always pulled back to where my heart is the happiest – with music. In 2019, I had been offered an ambassadorship for a streaming radio app, and upon accepting the offer, needed to come up with a concept for a show. I was inspired by my family (all singers and instrumentalists), particularly my mother, and her musical journey as the lead singer of the band Jewel of Denial. Sitting shotgun to her experience in the music industry and having a deep understanding of what goes into music creation, I decided to produce a radio show that featured independent musicians in the genres that I listen to most – hip-hop, rap, and R&B. In 2021, after a successful run in streaming radio, I decided to lean into my writing about independent musicians, highlighting their stories and reviewing their music. That year I built Photobombshell.media, my website which houses all of the ways that I showcase and serve independent artists through professional photography, interviews, music reviews, and professional writing services. Currently, I offer free artists tips through my social media content plus music marketing guidance on top of the artist services at Photobombshell.Media, serve as the Vice President of DEP MG, and still love to photograph live music on top of all of the other things I do!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course! I always tell myself that the only way to get past something really difficult is to GO THROUGH it. The passing of my father in 2020 and a few major health scares in 2021 took me out of streaming radio for a while and guided my decision to move into the writing space. Despite being a one-woman show, for the time being, my clients, friends, and followers have always been incredibly supportive of me and my work, particularly when I needed it most. I knew that I couldn’t just give up when I have so much to offer to independent artists who are starting out and just needed someone to connect the dots for them. It is because of the incredible community of independent artists and musicians that I have cultivated and formed that I am inspired and motivated to get up and do what I do every day, even when it seems like things are moving slowly or not at all. I don’t expect my artists to do anything I wouldn’t do and so I lead by example there. The music business is tough. There will always be someone in front of you in line, better than you at something or with more resources. How you beat them (and your challenges in life) is by continuing to get up and choose your dream every single day. Be relentless about your passion and you will never lose.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a creative, I am most proud of my work with interviewing artists. It is one of the greatest joys for me to sit down with a musician and find out how their mind works, what inspires them, and how they experience the world through music. I have honed my stalker-ex-girlfriend-level research skills to dive deep into these artists’ lives before I ever conduct an interview. This allows me to ask them things they have never been asked before and for us to connect as creatives. I don’t want to hear the same old things about when you started making music or what inspired you over and over again, especially if you’ve already discussed that in an interview with someone else. We all know how to Google! I want to get to know the artist on a deeper level and have them feel comfortable opening up to me about their feelings and thoughts on the industry and their careers in the most authentic way possible.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people who know me as Photobombshell, probably don’t know that I have been a singer for decades and as a child and teen, appeared on television with my school. In one particular performance, I was singled out at the very last second when my choir director randomly pointed to me to sing solo during a song, that coincidentally was one of my grandmother’s favorites. I later found out that my grandmother (a singer herself) who was in the hospital at the time, saw that performance while resting in her hospital bed. A few years later, my grandmother passed, but for that moment, we were connected through the music, and for that, I am forever grateful to my choir director for putting me on the spot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Photobombshell.media
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photo_bombshell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photobombshellmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/photo_bombshell
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-cTynAi2idM6-MZprYx54g
Image Credits
Rose “Photobombshell” Mercado Fab Gula Virginia Green-Schwartz
