Interview: Roslyn Kind is Leading With Her Heart in 'The Look of Love / The Island'

Roslyn Kind's talents as a musical artist have have been showcased across recordings, concert stages, Broadway and more. From multiple albums, to television appearances, to touring across the US and internationally with her sister, Barbra Streisand, Roslyn continues to shine in every element of her performing career. 

Roslyn recently recorded a medley of 'The Look of Love' and 'The Island', which celebrates and spreads a message of love. As a companion piece to the song, Roslyn released a six-minute short film music video, which she produced and stars in.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Roslyn about the creation of the music video, her life philosphy on leading with love, and much more! 
 

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How did the idea to do a medley of these two songs 'The Look of Love' and 'The Island' first come to you?

Well, it was a long time ago. 'The Look of Love' I've done since I was a kid, the first time I went out on the road that was in my repertoire. It was the days I when I was just starting, and people would say, “What does she know about love?” And I would say, “I know a lot about love!” Number one, I love romantic movies, I’m a romantic inside. I love family, I love my friends. I relate to the meaning of love. And 'The Island' I put in my show on its own, years later. And then there was another time, much later in the 2000s that I was going on the road again, I was babbling about putting a show together with my music director, and I said, “You know, these are two of my favorite songs, I wonder what these two would sound like together as a story.” So, we played around with it, and I loved how it came out.

So, I started working it out on the road with a piano, or a trio. Then, I wanted to record it. I wanted it fully orchestrated, which got accomplished with my record producer in the studio, Stefan Oberhoff- brilliant- he’s done all my other recent things as well. We orchestrated it, then Covid came, and now was the time when I was able to say, “You know what? Let’s do it.” Since Covid I’ve been off the road, I have not sung in several years out in the world, and I thought this would be a great reentrance into the arena!

What about these two songs that spoke to you and made you think that they would blend together and tell a story?

They were always two of my favorites. I really get into the meat of a lyric when I perform. This was a love affair that needed to be expressed, by putting the two songs together! And it meant a lot to me. Everything I do for the most part is about love. From a 1984 past life regression- when my life was going in several different directions- I went to a lifetime where I found out the my purpose for being here was to heal. And it came together with love, and peace, and unity, and universality, harmony, these were the word associations that came out of that regression. 

And so, that’s the day I found out what my purpose for being here was. Because I was soul searching. I was reading a lot when I was on the road about new age and psychic phenomena. I was meditating very heavily at that time. I had a few out of body experiences. And this regression meant a lot to me, I found out during it that this was why I was here. At the time I was my career was going up and down and sideways, and I was just in the middle of getting a divorce from a marriage that didn't last that long, which was breaking me up. So, I really delved into this reason that God was giving me an answer for where I'm supposed to be right now, what I'm supposed to be doing, the purpose in my life.

From that point on my path took a different direction. And I love singing message songs. I've sung message songs for a long time, because this happened in 1984. Songs about love and songs about bringing people together. Songs about kindness and compassion. I've just been drawn to the fact that this is what the Lord meant for me. This was the message I was given. And so, that's what I've been doing. I love songs with the lyrics to heal. I love bringing people together. I felt that God, you know, gave me a gift and if you’re using it, it should be for the right reasons, which is for universal love. Universal togetherness. 

That’s pretty amazing to feel as if you know what your purpose here is.

Oh my God, everybody needs to know their purpose. It gives you a reason for being, and doing, and getting involved. And the world is in so much need of help. I'm very spiritual. I know there's science and everything, but I believe that God created this earth with love. He put Adam and Eve up on here with love. She came here, they had love, they had children, it grew. Everything started with loving, God gave man dominion over this planet to take care of it, not to destroy it. That's love also.

Leading with love makes for a more beautiful human experience for everybody.

Oh, without question. We are in more need of this message today than ever before. I strive to be out there with my little voice, because after all, I'm just a little piece of sand on a beach. With all the problems in the world and the other universes out there, we're all just, you know, specks. Lead with your heart, not your fear. Open your heart. Because we all cultivate each other. We all let each other grow by us knowing each other. It's so advantageous not to be narrow in your thinking. And the heart is where that comes from. We need compassion and we need equality. Everybody deserves a chance in life. 

What did the process of creating the concept for the video look like? Did you have the vision for it right away? 

No, because I didn't think about it until we were going to make it. I just live in the moment when I sing, and I create the story when I sing. Singing is acting. It's a three act play in music. This was a long process, because I first discussed it with my director when a mutual friend said at a dinner table, "Rozzie wants to do a video." And my director, Monique Impagliazzo, we discussed it, but she was doing another video. And when she was coming towards the end of it, we first started discussing the song and what I wanted to do with it. She played it over and over, and she said to me, “Roz, what story do you see in this?” It’s a six minute-mini movie, it's a short! She said, “Can we make it shorter?” because most music videos are shorter. I said, “No, the music interludes give you the chance to change the scene. I'm not going to cut those out.”

And little by little, I just said to her, "It's a love story. I see myself in a French-type bistro. And I kind of get the glance of the gentleman on the other side of the patio and recognize, ‘I think this is somebody that I knew.’ And then we go back in time to the young ones and see where they were 40 years before." She said, “Well, what separated them?” I said, “I don't want miserable separation. I want to see that circumstances separated it. They had a beautiful love affair when they were very young, but circumstances, moving away, going to school, whatever... they separated and they had their own lives, and now 40 years later they recognize each other." They probably have both been married, maybe one is still married, you don't know that, right? The tradition of the past time that they shared brings them together.

And the bottom line is, what I wanted to make in my statement was that you can find love at any age. A lot of my women friends were telling me that they feel like they can't. You hit 65/70, there's nothing out there. So, I wanted to open their minds to don't say never, don't close the door. It can happen at any age.

I was also having a message of love is love is love. And there are other messages in there that are just subtle that other people are picking up from their own lives relating to the video, which I love.

That’s why art is beautiful and why music is beautiful, because people can take from it what they need to hear at that moment in time, or what they need to feel. And you might have an intention for it, but what's special is that it touches everybody differently.

Exactly. And that's what you also want to leave an opening for. I don't want to dictate it. I want people to put themselves in the situation and relate to it, because we all can. But everybody's life is different, so they relate in a different way, and they see different things. And I wanted to leave it open to their minds.

The video features a younger version of yourself, as well as a younger version of your love interest. What was the process like casting that?

Well, I didn't do the bulk of it. We had Monique Impagliazzo as my director, Malek Hanna producing with me, and our DP, Justin Knodel, whose cinematography was so brilliant, it was very captivating and lush. And the casting process, they went out and they did the big search, and brought me the finalists. And I picked. Everybody is saying, “Jules [Juliana Ungaro] looks just like a young Rozzie!” And Hunter too! He was the last gentleman we saw. He was it. He looked enough like Buzz [Leer]. And Buzz, he had these gorgeous blue eyes that I knew I could get lost in, so we would have something on screen. On top of it, he was so easygoing and genteel, and he's a grandfather, and you know, we're the same age. He was a family man, which I loved. And we just hit it off. It was so comfortable.

It was so joyous. And we were so sorry to say goodbye because everybody came from their heart. Everybody was thrilled to be a part of this process. They loved it. They got involved themselves, and we had a glorious time. No narcissism, nobody bullied anybody. Everybody was there from their heart. They all are people of light, which is all I want to work with anymore. Love, and people that are filled with it.

This was your first time serving as a producer for a short film. What was that experience like?

 My previous videos, which I also produced, were all stock footage. And the last one, the Jerry Herman medley, ‘It Only Takes a Moment’ and ‘Kiss Her Now’ I put a couple of stills of myself in just because everybody says, "Why aren't you in your own video?” I was kind of nervous about putting myself in my video. And so, this time I took the leap. 

Has this made you want to do another music video?

Oh my Lord, yes! Definitely. I loved it. There’s still so much more to learn about producing, and I would love to do my next video too.