Filipino business analyst Rozz Daniels always wanted to be a singer. At 52, she is ready to give it a try.
As she hosts “The Rocks and Rozz Show” on Kumu, Rozz is training with multi-awarded performer Ivy Violan to further hone her skills.
“Dati pinapanood ko lang si Ms. Ivy. Ngayon kino-coach niya na ako. Ang bait-bait niya at todo ang support niya sa mga Filipino artists dito sa US,” she shared. Rozz is part of BahayNiOneArtists Group and NICKLentertainment, the management company of director Cathy Molina and Violan.
Growing up in Dumaguete, Rozz made the rounds of amateur singing contests in the region. “Kahit third prize lang, pambili namin ng bigas,” she related. “Nanginigisda yung father ko, kaya laging may isda, yung bigas kailangan bilhin.”
When the family moved to Manila, Rozz helped her parents by selling balut, banana cue, kamote cue, turon, and palitaw. She met her American husband through her cousin, who at the time was religiously sending letters to several pen pals.
Rozz’s now husband, David Daniels, was her first and only pen pal. After a year of faithfully writing to each other, 18-year-old Rosalyn Torregosa got married and moved to Hawaii. Her nickname “Rozz” was coined by her husband, “mahaba raw ang Rosalyn, kaya Rozz na lang.”
Her luck in winning singing contests continued abroad. While working in Walmart, she won first prize at a company-organized sing-a-long contest. Several years later when they moved to Wisconsin, Rozz bagged the grand prize at an inter-company singing contest in Milwaukee.
“It was in 2010. ‘Pag lunch hour, aalis ako to go downtown sa Milwaukee. Every week ang contest. There were 32 contestants, at ako rin nananalo sa huli,” she recalled.
While running the household and raising four children, Rozz found time to go back to school to take up Applied Science and major in eCommerce/Web Administration. She went to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She currently works as a business analyst for a top US banking and finance corporation.
Her Kumu show started as a fun hobby, something to keep her preoccupied during the quarantine. Little did she know that it would pave the way for another interesting chapter in her life.
“Nung nag-quarantine kanta lang ako nang kanta,” related Rozz. May nag-suggest na mag-Kumu raw ako. Nag-umpisa kami ng friend ko, si Blessie Cirera, kaming dalawa lang, five hours na kantahan, masaya naman, ang daming nagpapadala ng virtual gift.”
She added, “Si Blessie ang nagpakilala sa akin kay Ms. Ivy,” she shared.
Rozz still cannot believe that popular Filipino artists like Joey Albert and Richard Reynoso had performed on her Kumu show. Even concert king Martin Nievera dropped in to greet her one evening.
“Parang hindi totoo ang nangyayari sa akin. Parang panaginip lahat,” she enthused. Artists Rannie Raymundo, Leah Navarro, and Ivy Violan are set to guest on her Kumu show in the coming weeks.
According to Charles Hernando of the Kumu marketing team, the app has around 10 million downloads across the world. “We have about 1,000 full-time content creators on the app, and it’s still growing,” he said.
Aside from the opportunity to watch and live chat with your favorite artists, Kumu allows followers to send virtual gifts that are converted into cash. Rozz would use the gifts from her show to support other artists on Kumu.
Before embarking on this new chapter in her life, Rozz sought the blessing of her family. A lot of promoters have approached her in the past, but she preferred to focus on her family. “Bata pa mga anak ko noon [kaya] hindi pa pwede. Ngayon nagpaalam pa rin ako, sabi ng anak ko, ‘Mommy it’s your time’.”
Rozz has four children – Jenny (30 years old), Rachel (28), Charlene (26), and Jacob (24). She also has a 7-year-old grandson named Wolfgang.
She is preparing to record her first single “Bakit”, composed by Ivy Violan and arranged by Rannie Raymundo. The song will be released by Viva Records.
Kumu followers in Manila can catch her show “The Rocks and Rozz Show” at 10:00 a.m., while those in the US can watch every Friday at 9:00 p.m.