(cont'd from left) biggest acts in the world, Coldplay, Nickelback, Avril Levigne, Maroon 5, to name a few. Bob Parr was known not only as a respected studio and touring bassist who did hundreds of hit albums, tv shows and films - but also a respected songwriter and producer, with a world class home studio. Roxy's Aunt believed her niece would make a big impression on them and they might have interest in helping her. Sitting in a car outside a train station in Westport, CT, Roxy and her mother concluded a three-hour meeting with Bob and Claire Parr by having Roxy sing for them. The decision waas made right there....and that began two years of frequent trips from Tennessee to Connecticut to start writing and working on her material. Bob's focus was all about finding Roxy's unique voice - and working with her to write material that really talked about her own life. "I didn't want her simply singing generic songs. I've worked on developing artists over the years and one of the things that I think is most important is that they find their own unique voice. I don't want to give that to any artist - as I think the audience knows when they are listening to manufactured music."
"I asked her to keep a diary of what was going on in her life and keep feeding the pages to me. It was easy to sit down, read them and put myself into what was going on in her life, so I could write material that was specific for her. She is a mature young woman facing all the excitement and the tough stuff that young people are going through. She had a lot of challenges in her life and was kind of angry at the point we started. The songs we started to write and work on together became a reflection of these early journals."
Roxy says that she's grown a lot since the first meetings at the Parr house , and those early late nights in the studio. "I feel so much more confident now about who I am and what I am supposed to do as an artist. I see myself working with fashion and design, even acting at some point -if that's what God has in store for me. The last couple years have been about growing up, coping with becoming a young adult, graduating from school and getting ready to face the pace and pressure of the entertainment business. My biggest influences have been my parents, my pastor and I feel like I've had some real lessons on the misc business from being around the Parrs and their constant work with me - but also watching the progression of the artists and projects they have been working on. I feel so lucky to have had the time to really get a sense of who I am before I got thrown into the pressure of the world. I know that I'm going to give this everything...I can't imagine anything better."
All About Roxy (cont'd)
"Recognized early as a talent -Roxy's exposure began early in pageants and modeling. "I don't remember when I got into the pageants thing exactly...just that I loved the singing and dancing. It gave me a great outlet...it was so different than my life growing up around horses...I loved that I could ride the horse and be a tom-boy, then put on make-up, high healls and belt out a song at a pageant."
It's no surprise that Roxy was exposed to music early. Her father, Danish rock and roll guitar player, Alf Batz, was well known around the world, having played a stint with metal legend IRON MAIDEN and then forming the successful European rock group, BATTLEZONE. "My dad encouraged me so much. He always supported my love for music and being around him creatively was so amazing. He taught himself to play and is such a fantastic musician. He really inspired me to have confidence to do this."
"Recognized early as a talent -Roxy's exposure began early in pageants and modeling. "I don't remember when I got into the pageants thing exactly...just that I loved the singing and dancing. It gave me a great outlet...it was so different than my life growing up around horses...I loved that I could ride the horse and be a tom-boy, then put on make-up, high healls and belt out a song at a pageant."
It's no surprise that Roxy was exposed to music early. Her father, Danish rock and roll guitar player, Alf Batz, was well known around the world, having played a stint with metal legend IRON MAIDEN and then forming the successful European rock group, BATTLEZONE. "My dad encouraged me so much. He always supported my love for music and being around him creatively was so amazing. He taught himself to play and is such a fantastic musician. He really inspired me to have confidence to do this."
Roxy's mother might have spent her days with horses and running the family farm with Alf - but she also has a solid background in musical theater and toured internationally with theater production. "My mom is so incredible. She truely is my best friend and has given me so much to be able to have a chance to pursue this..she believes in me 1000 percent and it has given me so much freedom ... in the studio or on stage knowing I have both my parents and my whole family behind me."
Roxy's childhood took her from her birthpalce in Virgina Beach, VA to Georgia and then on to Tennessee. Her proximity to Nashville didn't really wear off on her, as her musical idols were Alanis Morrisette and the Spice Girls - not country music. As she developed her own vocal style - she started to move toward more rock driven projects - easily finding Seether or Saving Abel pop on on her iTunes playlists. She says with a smile though - "You know I love Avril, I will always be a fan of hers!"
At age 15, Roxy went to New York to compete in the Talent America Model Competition. More than a traditional modeling contest, Talent Ameria's was focused on more than the simple ability to find someone who "looked good". Roxy wowed the judges with her vocal ability and her ease on stage. She won the competition - beating out contestants from across the country. "I never really get nervous or self concious when I am performing. I feel like it's where I am supposed to be and I'm truly happy onstage."
Later that year, a phone call from her Aunt, world-known Grand Prix show jumping rider, Debi Connor, pushed her to call some friends in Connecticut, Bob and Claire Parr. Claire Parr's promotion company, The Navigator Company, had promoted and marketed some of the