No Rome Is a The 1975-Cosigned R&B Star to Look Out For
Growing up in a musical family can be inspiring for many, hearing the classics as a child and learning to create is a gift only a few are blessed with. Even with this, there are only a few that take all of this knowledge and run with it. From that pool, there are even less that do it when they're 12 years old. Further, only a few and then move to London and get signed by one of the biggest London act since The Beatles. Even further, only a select few then go on to create an experimental blend of trap drums, dramatic synths, and R&B melodies. It is at this point that we arrive at No Rome.
Rome Viray Gomez is a 22-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer, native to Manila, Philippines. He has been creating his own music since the age of 12, with his first official release being the 2013 EP Fantasy. No Rome's music can best be described under the wide-scoping umbrella of R&B but the incorporation of modern indie music, classic R&B, and contemporary hip-hop makes his music stand in a class all his own.
Time after time, No Rome delivers on both the sonic and visual level. His release "Talk Nice" is ample evidence, as each still frame from the video could be used on Instagram feed devoted solely to the term "aesthetic."
As No Rome's music progresses from his humble 2013 release, he has found himself quickly gaining notoriety in the industry. Following the success of his 2015 EP, Hurry Home and Rest, the Manila artist found himself negotiating contracts in the city of London. Eventually, No Rome found his artistic home alongside The 1975, The Japanese House, beabadoobee, and more, over at Matty Healy's record label, Dirty Hit. The iconic Matty Healy did not only sign the young man, but he also went on to refer to him as his personal muse.
No Rome's artist name begins with the concept of rejection and is a reference to his first forrays in the music industry. No, Rome was the very phrase he heard uttered so often as an aspiring trying to make a name of himself, and the phrase stuck. Now, not many people are saying No Rome, unless they find themselves chanting it in a crowd.
At the end of the day, music is constantly in the need of an outlier to make a change, leave a lasting impression. Sometimes it takes a young man raised in the Philippines to be the one to expedite that change and birth the next generation’s sound. And with No Rome's personal rendition of R&B shaping the future of the genre, we can't wait to hear more.
