“It ain’t the life you chose...but after listening to Arrica Rose’s Pretend I’m Fur you’ll realize you’re glad you’re in the thick of it anyway. Pretend I'm Fur started as a fake band. It was simply an experiment. Producer Dan Garcia (David Crosby, Christina Aguilera, Leonard Cohen) and Arrica Rose were playing around with beats, brazilian instruments and a Bee Gees cover at his downtown L.A. studio (Radio Hill Recorders). This experiment was soon to inspire 6 original tunes.

The simplicity of Pretend I’m Fur’s production allows Rose’s luminous melodies to shine. It’s not cynicism or sarcasm that informs her music. It’s the sweet yet iron-will strength of her lyrics that portray a powerful optimism that betrays any of the shortcomings of the people who cross our paths. This is a soundtrack that has the windows rolled down on a long summer ride.” – Amy Shuster, Pop-Rock Candy Mountain

Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York 45 was the first record Arrica Rose stole from her parents – she was 4. As a child she read a lot, mostly mysteries and stories about dead people who lived tragic lives. She liked to write and kept several journals. Occasionally she still draws upon these journals for lyrical inspiration. Rose got her first guitar for her 15th birthday and learned the instrument by playing in an all girl trio that never recorded a single note but opened for the likes of Commander Venus and Jimmy Eat Worldat small local L.A. venues.

After high school, Arrica Rose took a bit of a hiatus from music and went to USC film school because she loved photography and studying music didn’t cross her mind at the time…although recording it on a four track on her bedroom floor did, which is where Rose’s foray into music began. At this point Arrica started taking less film-production courses and more sound design classes as well as scoring short films. Eventually she decided to trade in her dreams of writing and directing a film for the stability of the music industry.

Arrica Rose & her band the …’s (the dot dot dots) debut full-length People Like Us co-produced by Larry Crane(Elliott Smith, The Decemberists, Sleater-Kinney) was described as a record that ought to “launch [the band] into stardom, something for which [they] seem destined” (Performer) and a “12-song effort with poetry disguised as lyrics” (Daily Sun). Their follow-up EP Last Night on Earth (co-produced by Jason A. Mezilis) also quickly created it’s own buzz, as did their 2nd full-length La La Lost (produced by Dan Garcia).

Pretend I'm Fur is a bit of a departure from Arrica Rose & the ...'s La La Lost, a Paste Magazine recommended album that has been featured on iTunes in 12 countries throughout Europe, peaked at 24 on Italy’s iTunes charts as well as charting on indie/college radio across the country. Arrica Rose’s song “Uh-huh” was recently featured on NBC’s Lipstick Jungle. The song was also re-mixed by award-winning/multi-platinum selling producer Jeff Savage (Toby Mac, Jars of Clay). Citing influences such as Tom Waits, Billie Holiday, David Bowie and Bob Dylan, Rose has one foot planted in singer/songwriter land, another in indie-rock, and an intermittent hand in pop. Arrica Rose will be releasing Pretend I'm FurMay 11 and is also currently collaborating with singer-songwriter Charlotte Martin on a 5-song EP. In addition to her music projects, Arrica Rose is co-founder of I HEART (www.iheartinc.com) an artist operated non-profit organization that raises money for local charities via creative projects and events.