Rosa Linn Covers The Police & Brings Armenian Pride To 2023 ALTer EGO
By Rebekah Gonzalez
January 15, 2023
Rosa Linn brought her Eurovision-worthy songwriting to the iHeartRadio ALTer EGO presented by Capital One. On Saturday, January 14th, Linn joined an iconic lineup of some of the biggest names in Alternative Rock as they gathered for a night of music at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
Linn started her set by showing off her impressive vocal range with the song, "Hallelujah." For her next song, Linn sang "Choices" before introducing herself as "Rosa Linn from Armenia" and revealing to the crowd it was "such a dream to be here."
Sitting down at a keyboard, Linn showed off her piano skills and busted out her 2022 collaboration with Duncan Laurence called "WDIA (Would Do It Again)." The emotionally vulnerable song with hard-hitting lyrics like "If I could go back/ Chasing what we had/ Straight through the pitch black/ I would do it again," earned the duo 2 million streams shortly after it was first released.
The song seamlessly transitioned into a rendition of the Police's "Every Breath You Take" as Linn stepped away from the keyboard and showed off her impressive command of the stage. Her next song was "a sad one" called "Never Be Mine" and detailed the heartwrenching experience of unrequited love. "What hurts even more is/ I'll always be yours/ you'll never be mine," Linn sang on the emotional power ballad.
For her final song, Linn busted out the breakthrough single that landed her in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, representing Armenia, and kickstarted her career. Rosa Linn took the opportunity to take her stance against the ongoing blockade of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh by donning a jacket that read "Stop The Blockade" and holding the Armenian flag high up high as she belted her final notes.
In addition to Rosa Linn, the 2023 iHeartRadio ALTer EGO included stunning performances from the likes of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, Muse, Fall Out Boy, CHVRCHES, Beach Weather, and Phoenix, and it was all hosted by Woody of iHeartRadio ALT 98.7's nationally syndicated "The Woody Show."