Campaign Story

My Reason Why

Music has always been the thing that helped me understand where I came from — and eventually, who I wanted to be.

I grew up between two coasts. Southern California was home, but twice a year I’d leave everything familiar behind and fly across the country to New York to see my dad and that side of my family. At the time, I didn’t know how to articulate it, but that back-and-forth shaped me. Music became the thread that held those worlds together — something that helped me feel connected when everything else felt split.

As a kid, I learned piano early and fell in love with singing, but as I got older, music also became a form of rebellion. I drifted away from classical styles and leaned hard into punk, surf, and rock and roll. That music gave me a sense of identity and autonomy. It gave me a way to process family, distance, frustration, and growth — long before I knew how to put any of that into words.

Later, as I started reconnecting with my East Coast roots, I found myself drawn to my dad’s music — classic rock, vinyl records, stories of shows he’d seen decades earlier. Holding those records felt like holding history. It made me want to create something lasting of my own. Something tangible I could pass back to the people and places that shaped me. That’s really the heart of why I make music.

I’m Rose Vaughn, and this is my fundraising campaign.

Up 'Til Now

I started writing and performing my own music about ten years ago, after graduating college in San Francisco with a degree in broadcasting and audio production. I was living by the ocean, surrounded by artists, playing in DIY spaces, and learning firsthand how music builds community. Those early bands carried me through some of my hardest moments — breakups, mental health struggles, uncertainty — and showed me that making music wasn’t just something I loved. It was something I needed.

The Rose Vaughn project really took shape during the pandemic. Like so many people, I was searching for connection during a time when it felt almost impossible to find. When the world opened back up, I made the decision to move to New Orleans — and that choice changed everything.

In the four years since moving here, we’ve written and recorded over 20 songs, released multiple singles, an EP, and a full-length album, with another full-length record currently in progress. We’ve played venues all across New Orleans — from BJ’s and St. Roch Tavern to the Maple Leaf, House of Blues, Gasa Gasa, Siberia, and Saturn Bar.

We’ve toured throughout the South and the West Coast, played festivals like OffBeat Festival in Reno and Tunica Hills Music Festival, and performed in markets including Texas, California, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Nevada. Along the way, we’ve shared stages with artists like Teddy and the Rough Riders, The Pink Stones, Cactus Lee, Hayden Butler, and Christopher Seymore.

Our music has been featured on local radio, interviewed by outlets like Nola County Radio, and reviewed by blogs like Day Break. We’ve captured live performances in New Orleans and San Francisco — documenting the energy and honesty that defines what we do.

Now we’re ready to take the next step.

What's Next

We’ve partnered with Edgewater Music Group to help us fund our next record, with major-label distribution already lined up. This partnership gives us the infrastructure and reach of a label — without giving up ownership of our music.

The Reality

But here’s the reality: making big moves in the music industry is expensive. Studio time, production, manufacturing vinyl, marketing, distribution — it all adds up quickly. And we’re doing this as completely independent artists, building everything ourselves.

That’s why we’re asking for your support.

This campaign helps us finish and release our next album the right way — on vinyl, with proper promotion, and with the resources needed to get this music in front of more people than ever before. We’ve got some really cool rewards lined up for everyone as a token of our appreciation for your support. Copies of the music, merch, private shows, all-access passes - you can even be the Executive Producer on the project!

But because this is an all-or-nothing campaign, if we don’t hit our goal, we don’t receive any of the funding. So every dollar counts! Every contribution directly supports the creation and release of this record — and helps ensure this music gets the life it deserves.

Thank You!

I believe music is the great unifier. I’ve felt it connect families, communities, strangers, and entire rooms of people who may have nothing else in common. If you believe in that too — and if you believe in what we’re building — we’d be honored to have you be part of this journey.

Thank you for listening, thank you for supporting independent music, and thank you for helping us bring this next chapter to life.

–Rose