Country singer Tori Rose is moving on up — and leaving her hometown behind.
The rising artist, 20, is premiering her new song “Back Home” exclusively with PEOPLE, and she says the lyrics — about realizing it’s time to make her way in the world on her own — are directly inspired by her life.
“I grew up in an incredibly small town and I believe I will always call it home, but I knew I had to leave if I wanted to be truly happy and let myself grow,” she says. “I really do believe a lot of people can relate to that feeling… I always hear songs about either loving your hometown or hating it. For me though, it was a little bit of both. I wrote ‘Back Home’ from personal experience about having a love-hate relationship with where you grew up.”
Rose, who is originally from Pennsylvania but later moved to Florida, wrote “Back Home” solo, something that makes her “very proud,” and worked with producer Jimmy Ritchey to bring it to life.
“Tori Rose is an impeccable singer who never has a bad day in the studio,” Ritchey tells PEOPLE. “She’s a stellar songwriter and she reminds me a lot of Sam Hunt when I signed him to his first publishing deal. Tori is a true creative and I’m thrilled I got to produce ‘Back Home’ for her.”
Adds Rose: “Jimmy really just reads my mind when it comes to my songs. He always seems to know exactly what I want them to sound like, and I just always have always had such a fun time in the studio with him. My songs are my babies, so I just feel incredibly grateful that I get to work with Jimmy and that he understands me as an artist.”
Now based in Nashville, Rose says that the music industry has presented her with plenty of challenges, and she’s struggled to learn just who she can trust. But through it all, she’s dedicated to just being herself.
“It can be really hard to just focus on yourself and your own music and not constantly be comparing yourself to other artists,” she says. “That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned, because nobody is going to make you work harder than yourself. I’ve learned to keep my head up and just do me.”
Still, she wouldn’t say no to a collaboration — especially with Gretchen Wilson, Carrie Underwood, Ella Langley or Emily Ann Roberts.
“Creatively I just want to keep growing with my music and myself as an artist. I would love to keep exploring my sound and release an album in the future. There are so many artists I would love to collaborate with!” she says. “I just hope I make my listeners feel something. Whether it’s angry, happy or sad, I just hope they feel something when they listen to my music. Just like I do when I listen to my favorite artists.”
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