Elena Rose: Unfiltered, navigating love, family, and her boldest moves yet

So far it's gone by so fast. Really, really fast. I'm enjoying every step I take with so much intention. I've realized that time is the most valuable thing in my life right now, so I'm making the most of every day, every conversation, every photo shoot, every studio session, every moment with my family. I'm embracing every part of this journey and recognizing the gift behind it, because I'm sharing it with people I love and with the people who listen to my music. I don't even like calling them fans. I prefer to think of them as people who enjoy my music, and I've had the chance to meet them all over the world.

The other day my mom said something to me so honestly. She told me, "I really like your life." Coming from a woman who's as sensitive and profound as my mother, it moved me deeply because I know she wasn't talking about what people see on the outside. She was talking about the way I'm pouring my whole soul into this life and hoping to leave something beautiful behind.

More than anything, what matters to me is the legacy of love I can leave in this world. That's what I'm always thinking about: love. At the same time, that's not something I can necessarily see through a song because only the people listening know what my music may have meant in their lives. My job is simply to keep doing it, one person at a time.

I don't know if that makes sense to you, but every person I meet genuinely matters to me. I believe that if we look each other in the eyes, we'll never forget one another. When I think about the icons I admire and the people I believe have done beautiful things in this world, they all share that quality. They value people, you know? So I still don't see myself as any of those things, but I do hope that years from now I'll look back at this interview and be able to say, "Okay, Elena, you stayed true to who you are, you protected your message, and you led with love."

Interestingly enough, my grandmother and my mom. I've been so fortunate to grow up surrounded by women who inspired me, and I had the privilege of seeing them up close. That's what really helped me understand what lies behind the life of someone who's successful, someone who's created something meaningful, someone who's reinvented themselves over and over again.

I can admire an artist from afar, but unless I'm close to that person, I don't know what their everyday life is really like. Being so close to my mom and my grandmother taught me to be a woman who gives love no matter what, who never refuses someone a glass of water, so to speak.

Of course, I also have artists I deeply admire. Juan Luis Guerra has always been someone I identify with because I love the way he brings God into his work without making it feel like he's imposing his beliefs. I really admire that. I'd also say Celia Cruz. She was an incredible woman, so strong and deeply spiritual in her own way. I appreciate that so much. I think music and spirituality are closely connected, and women like them opened so many doors for the rest of us.

Rosa. That's why I chose the name Rose.

My grandmother is incredibly strong and loving. Whenever she tells me something from the heart, I recognize the effort it takes for her to express it, and just talking about her moves me so much.

She's been able to come to several shows on tour and see everything we're doing, including our work in the fashion world, which she absolutely loves. She was actually the one who introduced me to fashion. I learned how to do my makeup by watching my grandmother and my mom. 

I learned how to put outfits together because my grandmother would always tell me, "You can buy this and wear it with a white shirt, and it'll go with everything." She still lives in Venezuela, and she's so happy about everything I've accomplished.

I honestly don't know. To me, she's frozen in time, and that's something very powerful. Both she and my mom are frozen in time in my heart. Then I see that life moves on and things change, and I'm just grateful I've had the chance to enjoy the people I love so much.

I always tell people at my shows to pick up the phone, tell someone you love them, forgive each other, and move on. Enjoy your family.

It's an honor. I learn so much from them, from almost all of them. Everyone is doing their own thing. Some are on tour, some are in the studio, others are building businesses, going back to school, or raising children while working at the same time. I truly admire them.

I've always considered myself a student of life, but also a student of my friends and my family. At the same time, it's beautiful to continue creating things that reflect how extraordinary women are. When I talk about an empowered woman, I don't mean someone who simply says, "I'm empowered," because that word has been used in so many different ways. The same thing has happened with the word feminism, where the original idea has often been distorted.

I'm talking about a woman who recognizes the source of power she carries within herself, the source of love, transformation, and that deeply maternal instinct we have, which can bring so much to whatever we choose to do.

There are many. And by the way, just like brothers and sisters, friends argue sometimes. I've met women in this industry who have been more than just friends or mentors. They've also become an important part of my personal life.

At the top of that list is probably Julieta, Cazzu. Life brought us together at a moment when we both needed someone to look at us and say, "I know what you're going through. I'm here for you. I don't judge you. It doesn't matter what people say. Just remember who you are."

When I'm with Cazzu, it's like yin and yang, you know? We're two women who have lived through a lot, who haven't sold our souls, who continue to love even after we've been hurt. That's something incredibly powerful, and I value her so much.

I think it was when everything was happening with her daughter's father. That's something I don't really talk about because it's deeply personal, and I've always tried to be very respectful of her privacy.

She's a woman surrounded by an incredible support system, full of love, and she just keeps moving forward. Around that same time, I was also going through a very toxic relationship. Simply having someone I could call, no matter the hour, meant so much.

And it's beautiful because months have passed, almost years now, and seeing how much everything has changed has been incredible. No one can stand in our way anymore.

My dream is to become a mother.

Yes. Just like I love being a daughter, I know I'm going to love being a mother. I think both roles are incredibly meaningful to me. Being a daughter has taught me how important it is to give motherhood everything you have. I've always had big dreams, but when I think about becoming a mom, I say, "My God, I want to be able to give my children 100 percent of myself."

And I'm not talking about time, or waiting for the perfect moment in my career, because I believe children come when they're meant to come. That's not something you can plan.

I don't know. I've spent years working on becoming the best version of myself, not just for my music, not just for my family, not just for the people who listen to my music, but also because of the children I don't have yet.

I don't know if that makes sense, but there comes a point in your life when, if you want to be a mother, every time you're dating someone, you think, "This could potentially be the father of my children." And I've ended relationships because they weren't.

I think I am.

What's missing is God's timing. And of course, if I could plan it, I'd love for it to happen with someone who's truly my partner, someone with whom we can build a strong foundation for this baby's life.

Maybe. But visiting children who are going through unimaginable situations, because we've seen everything, and then seeing their mothers always by their side, is incredibly powerful.

I learn so much from that kind of unconditional love. That's what keeps me grounded. That's what gives meaning to everything. Fame doesn't matter to me. Numbers don't matter to me. A hit song doesn't matter to me.

Thank God I've been able to make a living through music, and I've always made a living through music, even before people knew who I was. I was just as happy singing in a bar with three tables as I am today performing anywhere in the world.

For me, the way you get dressed and walk out the door has a big impact on how you're going to feel that day. That starts with the fact that I love being naked. Physically naked, emotionally naked. I've always been a very transparent person, and from a very young age I was taught to love my body exactly as it is, to love myself for who I am, and to love whoever is standing in front of me.

As much as I love fashion, the first thing I notice about someone isn't what they're wearing. With that said, I do understand that when I wear something I love, I feel different. I've also learned to appreciate the artistry behind fashion because every design begins as an idea that lived in someone's heart and mind. I've come to really appreciate the art behind a designer's work.

To me, white represents a blank canvas. It actually happened by accident. Over time, a lot of my younger followers, because so many children follow me, started drawing me dressed in white or giving me angel wings. I thought that was so interesting. I remember thinking, "Well, if that's how they see me, maybe I should keep wearing white."

It represents me because, even though it's a blank canvas, I let life paint it in so many different ways. Love paints me. Sadness paints me. Someone I've loved paints me. My family paints me. You know what I mean?

That's also why I have tattoos. I've always seen myself as a canvas where I tattoo my ideas, my words, and the phrases that have shaped me. It all happened naturally, and we just kept going with it. But I do feel like that chapter is coming to an end. I've worn just about every wedding dress on planet Earth.