But 21-year-old Blake Rose hasn’t had to endure the many thorns that come with navigating the ‘City of Angels’. A place where he says “everyone is free to express themselves, in whatever way”. With the right amount of hustle and humbleness, Rose has made his way from Perth to Los Angeles, finding an impressive network of music industry power players who have invested in his future. Enduring only a few “broken promises” from those Hollywood-types, Rose defied the odds when he signed a publishing deal with Kobalt Music Group after meeting LA-based creative VP Amanda Samii in 2017. “She’s someone that I trust a lot in the industry and she’s got my best interests at heart,” Rose tells TMN of the relationship with Samii. Impressed by his backstory – (his first instrument was a didgeridoo), and his undeniable musicality (his songwriting carries a depth beyond his years, akin to Shawn Mendes) – the Kobalt executive initiated a meeting that would change everything.