Rome Will Burn

For anyone who thinks there’s nothing new in electronic pop, Rome Will Burn is here to challenge that notion. Or rather, to burn it to the ground. The duo is comprised of radical contrast on all fronts, from their music’s combination of electro-pop with folk and classical elements, to the band members themselves: Alyssa Suede, singer-songwriter whose voice “soulfully blends mainstream pop lyrics with splashes of alternative rock” (USC Daily) and Carlton Moody aka Manifesto, international DJ, producer and violin virtuoso, whom the Examiner called “the thinking person’s DJ… for those who thought electronica is dead, no – it has evolved.” The evolution of the unlikely duo is a fascinating one as well. “We were written in the stars,” Suede likes to say, due to the almost mystical similarities in the roads leading the two together. Growing up in Virginia, Manifesto competed in aggressive rollerblading competitions; raised in Los Angeles, Suede spent most of her time training with an Olympic coach as a figure skater. Their experiences made extreme discipline and performing for large audiences the norm. That and – as Suede admits with the coy pride of someone much tougher than her sweet disposition might suggest – “We broke a lot of bones.” Both came from families of musicians, so despite their dedication to skating, music was always integral to their daily lives. Manifesto began learning violin starting with the Suzuki Method at the age of 5. Through middle and high school, he studied both classical music and traditional Irish violin, which is how he developed his signature gypsy style that attendees of his shows today call “an all-encompassing seduction of your senses.” Like Manifesto, Suede nursed a love for classical music quite young, listening to Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Bach while skating. It didn’t hurt that her father, renowned composer David Campbell, had his studio right below her childhood bedroom. “Because I had to go to bed early to get up at 5am, I would fall asleep to his composing,” Suede remembers. Her floorboard lullabies included orchestral parts for the Goo Goo Doll’s Iris, Alanis Morissette’s Uninvited, and Green Day’s Time of Your Life (Good Riddance). Manifesto recounts how he began DJing at the ripe old age of 11. “A bus driver told me he was a DJ, and trying to look cool, I told him I was too.” A week later, the driver was DJing a teen party and had a family emergency. With tears in his eyes, he begged Manifesto to take over, telling the eleven-year-old, “You’re the only one in the room that knows how to DJ.” Manifesto continued DJing and has never had another job since. “I like to say DJing chose me.” The path to self-discovery was less clear for Suede. “I jumped around from thing to thing,” she says. Part of it was due to the severity of her skating routine, which left her without much freedom; another part was the shadow cast by a superstar brother. “I was typically ‘Beck’s little sister.’ I had to fight just to stand out as myself.” In her high school years, Suede finally found her own voice. She taught herself guitar and began wracking up a series of impressive musical accomplishments as an independent singer-songwriter, performing at SXSW and Sundance. “Suede has chops,” L.A. Times wrote. “Full of melodic rhythmic songs with poetic lyrics, this pop/folk musician will get in your head and stay there.” The Olympic training didn’t go to waste, either. She figure skates in her music video for Falling From Mars, which won awards at film festivals globally - including the Memphis, Las Vegas and Canada International film festivals, as well as the Independent Film Quarterly Festival in Cannes. Meanwhile, Manifesto’s career was blowing up, selling out venues both nationwide and around the world, in as varied places as Russia, Italy, Ireland and Japan. He has played over 1,500 live shows and as Philadelphia News wrote, “has quickly become known for his ability to combine his European influences and American tastes with his unique violin craft." Rome Will Burn’s first fire was started in 2010 when Suede attended one of Manifesto’s shows in Washington DC, where he also happens to be the #1 DJ. Suede was blown away. “I had never seen anything like it,” she remembers. About a year later, she got into electronic music. “I wanted to make fun electro-pop music, but didn’t want to have to sacrifice complexity of musical composition to do that,” Suede says. Manifesto was her first call. Late at night, she drove to Manifesto’s apartment to play him some demos, and they soon discovered just how much they complemented each other as artists. The two immersed themselves in writing and production, and collaborations with several production teams; with their musical integrity as a base, they focused on songs with broad appeal about the things that make you want to dance. New age romance. Love-lust. Often their songs cleverly combine the subjects of love and music to great effect, as in Live By The Beat’s dance floor romance, “Want to feel the pounding of your beating heart / that’s how you found me / we were dancing in the dark,” or Body Language’s plea, “You don’t need to tell me / what you feel / words are absurd, your body / makes it real.” It wasn’t long before Suede introduced the idea for Rome Will Burn to her key collaborator and producer... her father. Mr. Campbell saw their potential and wanted to see them play some shows. They went into intensive writing and rehearsal mode, perfecting not only their unique sound, but also working tirelessly with choreographer Tony Michaels on their live performance style. Having worked with successful artists including Beyoncé, NSYNC, and Jennifer Lopez, Michaels calls Rome Will Burn “one of the most innovative, mystical duos I’ve ever worked with. The talent they embody is endless.” They played over 30 shows in the greater Los Angeles area and at over two dozen high schools for thousands of teens. The reactions were far beyond what anyone could have predicted. Ironically, both Suede and Manifesto were outsiders during their own high school years; though seeing them now, it’s difficult to believe. “Honestly, I didn’t know how to interact with people my own age. I was way more comfortable performing,” Suede reflects. Manifesto tells the story of DJing one school dance, when someone asked him, “Don’t you go to our school?” His response: “I sit behind you in history class.” It’s fortunate they feel at home on stage, because fading into the background is not an option for the rising stars. After seeing the reaction to their shows, Campbell confidently states, “Rome Will Burn will build a loyal following from a diverse fan base. I’ve seen audiences of varying age groups and tastes - teens, young adults, 30s-50s - get drawn in by the band's on-stage chemistry, strong melodies, hooks and electronic production. They connect on all the levels - musical, rhythmic, stage moves and command of a crowd.” While finalizing their first EP, Rome Will Burn began attracting the attention of several prominent industry professionals. “Their latest songs sound like radio hits,” Campbell says – and he’s not the only one who thinks so. Grammy-Award winning producer Randy Jackson, upon hearing Lovin’ Out Loud, reached out to the young duo. “It’s time to bring music back to music,” Manifesto says, deeply passionate about Rome Will Burn’s priority of keeping musicianship in focus over “smoke, mirrors, and auto-tune.” It’s also time for the duo to take their next step.“We’ve both put in the 10,000 hrs+ on our craft and came into each other’s lives at the exact right time,” Manifesto says. “See, written in the stars!” laughs Suede. “I honestly couldn’t ask for more,” she adds. “Now we’re just excited to finish getting our team together and get our music out to the world!” For anyone who thinks there’s nothing new in electronic pop, Rome Will Burn is here to challenge that notion. Or rather, to burn it to the ground.