Edinburgh student Chloe Roze records her debut album during lockdown and earns admirers around the globe

A student who wrote and released a collection of songs to relieve the boredom after moving back in with her parents during lockdown has won an army of fans around the world.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.Chloe-Rose Barnes – who goes by the name Chloe Roze - was studying drama in Edinburgh when lockdown struck last year.

She moved back to her parents' home in Tarbolton, Ayrshire, and started writing songs to sing to relieve the boredom.

Now, after being produced by her musician dad Marc, Chloe's stunning debut EP, "Free Falling", has been released on major platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.

And her songs have been streamed more than 10,000 times by listeners all over Europe and in countries as far as the US, Canada and even Brazil.

Chloe, 20, said: "When lockdown was announced my course was cut short and I ended up going home to my mum and dad's.

"Writing songs started off as a boredom thing. I'd spoken to my dad before about putting a song out but then because of the lockdown I started having lots of ideas. I thought I'll write a wee EP and see how it goes.

"It was just going to be our own project. Then we started recording wee demos and slowly I thought 'this is actually quite good."

Lockdown singing star Chloe Roze

READ MORE: Music school scores with lockdown surge in adults learning instruments

The five songs on the EP; from the title track Free Falling, through Live Lie Love, Breath, The Girl I Am, and Haunted, tell a chronological story of Chloe's life during lockdown with an eighties influenced synth-pop sound.

She said: "A lot of the songs are about isolation and self-discovery so in a way the lockdown helped -- I just wrote down how I was feeling and put it into my songs.

"The response has been amazing - there are people listening to my songs in France, Spain, Finland, America and even in Brazil – and I've also had some really positive comments.

On stage: Chloe-Rose Barnes AKA Chloe Roze

"I'm just excited and proud that people are listening to my songs. Now I want to do more."

READ MORE: 'I will never complain about being asked to sing Wonderwall again' - How Covid has impacted Edinburgh's pub musicians

Chloe, who now has thousands of followers on social media, has been immersed in music since she can remember.

Dad Marc Barnes, who recorded Chloe's EP, is a full time maths teacher, but also keyboard player and producer for Ayrshire-based events band Angelstar. Angelstar also features Chloe's mum, drama teacher and singer Cheryl Barnes, who has collaborated with leading DJs and performed in the past with the likes of the New York based Highland Divas and iconic dance act The Time Frequency.

Chloe said: "My mum and dad have gigged every weekend of my life so performing has always been normal. I'd listen to my mum and think 'I want to do that too'.

"I was self-conscious about singing when I was young but doing drama helped my confidence and I started doing wee gigs at an under-18 club in Ayr.

"I was about 13 at the time, singing songs by Little Mix and Taylor Swift. When I look back it felt so good in the moment and I just enjoyed myself -- I felt like a mini pop star."

READ MORE: My life in lockdown: Singer Fish talks finishing his new album, remembering how to drive, and making movies

Chloe, who is now back in Edinburgh completing her drama course at Queen Margaret University, added: "My entire year of being 19 was in lockdown. Now I am really looking forward to being able to sing my own songs in a live venue.

"I'd love to do my own show with an audience once things open up again from lockdown."

* Chloe Roze's EP Free Falling can be found on all major streaming platforms.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.