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Photo: Phoebe Cowley

TikTok can often spit out viral wonders that eventually lose their stick, but East London’s very own Eliza Rose is proving to be the “Baddest Of Them All,” breaking records while making herself comfortable.

Her breakout single “B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All)” has been topping charts across the globe, spilling UK house into unfamiliar crevices. Infectious and electrifying, it encapsulates everything Rose is as an artist. She has an air of Erykah Badu and Jillian Hervey, with vocals as seductive as her melodies. Paired with a garage sound dipped in retroactive groove, she’s staying true to her unique voice. 

Rose’s eclectic sound is bred from the fact that she isn’t just a vocalist or songwriter but a talented DJ as well. Earning a residency at BBC Radio, she knows what makes people move and is able to both curate and produce it. She’s the first female DJ to top the Official Singles Chart in 20 years, an accomplishment that isn’t as overnight as her introduction to mainstream airwaves may make it seem.

She bloomed into her own artistry while working in a Flashback Records store in London at age 15, where the discovery of albums by the likes of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone opened up a world of possibilities for the Brown girl staring back. This led to late nights and countless DJ sets in the underground scene, slowly chipping away at the confines of imposter syndrome and standing loudly and proudly in all she had to offer the scene at large.

Learning her way through getting to know her own sound, “B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All),” produced alongside Manchester-based DJ Interplanetary Criminal, catapulted their careers, introducing a new generation to UK garage. The single took flight in perfect timing with festival season, a defining track that awakened crowds at Glastonbury and beyond. In August 2022, it became Rose's first UK Top 10 single, dethroning Britney Spears and Elton John for the number one spot. 

“B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All)” is nostalgic and empowering, a track that’s meant to be felt on the skin and danced with lovers and friends. While Rose still finds herself digesting the grandiosity of the world’s reaction to her, we aren’t nearly as surprised.

So what’s next for the artist on the rise? From the looks of it, continuing to be fly, funky, and radically devoted to her creative truth will just about do it.