PhotographyTom Martinelli.
True love rarely begins in the back seat of a car – and if it does, it’s usually not a tale for innocent ears. But for Rosie and Blair Shaw, better known as award-winning country music duo Rowdy’s Rose, it was a shared invite and carpool with a mutual friend to their local pub’s Christmas Eve celebrations 15 years ago that kicked off their love story.
“We joke about being each other’s Christmas present,” smiles 41-year-old Rosie.
When the pair arrived at the bar in their hometown of Te Awamutu, Rosie bought Blair, 49, a drink and that’s the moment he knew he’d met his future wife.
When music sparks romance
“It’s rare for a woman to buy a guy a beer,” muses Blair.
“I turned to my friend and said, ‘I could marry that girl!’”
Their mutual love of music set the rhythm for a summer romance, before Blair jetted off to Canada on a one-way ticket and Rosie went travelling in Europe. Yet it wasn’t long before Blair realised his love for Rosie was too strong to justify the oceans between them.
“I bought a ring in Canada, flew home, then asked her to marry me the day I got back,” he says.
Shares Rosie, “Our families say we’re the male and female version of each other, because we’ve got the same sense of humour and believe in the same things. I recognise a lot of myself in Blair and when you find someone like that, it’s special.”
From romance to family and music
Since then, not only have they set up home in Kihikihi, where they’re raising two boys, Jasper, 11, and Jesse, eight, but they’ve also created the country music duo Rowdy’s Rose. Beginning in the depths of the 2020 lockdown, their music career started after they posted covers of their favourite songs on social media.
Eventually, that led to songwriting and playing the guitar together, five years on, Rowdy’s Rose has found both national and international success with original music. In 2024, they broke into the US market, winning the HUGS Radio’s Best New Artist award in Pennsylvania and taking home International Songwriter of the Year at the Who’s Hoo Country Music Awards in Indiana.
This year, the couple nabbed the International Band Single of the Year at the ISSA Awards in Atlanta. To make their globe-trotting life work, the talented singers homeschool their boys and run their own handyman business to supplement their music income.
Chasing joy, not work
Rosie explains, “Along the way, we’ve made decisions by asking ourselves ‘Is this going to chase our joy and fulfil us or are we just going to be a slave to work?’ We have a saying in our family: ‘Good things always happen to us’. If we have that mindset, we’re attracting that. Sometimes good things don’t happen to us, but we talk to our kids and say to each other, ‘OK, that was a really bad thing. What can we take from it and how can we grow?’”
When tragedy strikes, music is their saviour. Recently,Rosie had both of her parents pass away within just two years of each other, which just devastated her.
“After losing them, I put all my love and attention into the three people in this house,” she reveals.
“They’ve pulled me through. It sounds really cheesy, but music’s saved my life. It’s how we express ourselves – we’ll put on a song and cry.”
A mother’s spirit lives on
It also helps she feels mum Rosalind’s presence on stage.
“She was my biggest cheerleader and I still miss her every day,” admits Rosie.
“When she was passing, I said to her, ‘Can you promise me you’ll come back and sit with me when I sing?’ She replied, ‘I’ll be singing with you.’ Sometimes, we’ll hear harmonies in our music, get off stage and say to each other, ‘Did you hear that? She’s here.’”
Focusing on what matters
Between tears, Rosie explains her mum was her number-one fan. Shooting Star, a ballad that captures the heartbreak of losing a loved one, is Rosie’s tribute to her mum and dad. The future’s bright for the pair as they’re due to play a 400-capacity show in Te Awamutu. They’re also being considered for a Grammy nomination and will create an album in 2026. And while music’s a challenging industry to be in, the couple chooses to stay positive.
“We don’t mull over the things that don’t happen – we always just focus on the things that do happen,” tells Blair. “Showing the kids hard work, persistence, doing something that you believe in and backing yourself – that’s first and foremost for us.”
Rowdy’s Rose play the Te Awamutu Intermediate Hall on Saturday 6 December.
For more info, visit rowdysrose.com.
