WHERE STRONG ROSES GROW: Red Roses x Arlo Parks
Strength is something women are often taught to soften. To shrink. Not take up too much space. The Red Roses and Mercury Prize-winning songwriter and poet Arlo Parks are having none of that. Clare McEwen learns more about their unique collaboration.
At the Allianz Stadium, London on 19th March, the scene is not a training session but something more quietly creative.
Red Roses teammates Sarah Bern, Marlie Packer, Abi Burton, May Campbell, and Connie Powell sat down with Arlo Parks to shape a message about strength and individuality.
The conversation centres on identity and what it means to be fully yourself without apology. Self-reflection, self-expression, and honesty.
Over several hours, the players talk, write notes, take photos, and trade ideas – building the raw material Parks will turn into a spoken word piece about individuality, difference, and collective power.
A beautiful collaboration between the world’s best rugby team and the emotionally creative Arlo Parks. A demonstration of physical, emotional, and intellectual strength – encapsulating what it means to be a woman, regardless of what you do in life.
Out of those conversations, Parks creates a piece full of both power and grace:
My favourite line is, “We lean on one another, lean into our differences, lean into our path”. For me it captures how to be human, and how to do it authentically. Not all the same, not perfect, but trusting that difference is a strength, not a weakness.
It’s not always easy to throw off societal shackles and lean into being who we are. But Red Roses prop, Sarah Bern is clear about why it matters:
“It’s extremely important for us as Red Roses to show unapologetic strength and be our authentic selves. It’s time to start celebrating being unique and expressing our identities – that’s what helps change the world for the better.”
There’s also a film of Parks performing the piece to a backdrop of a Red Roses montage: strength, unity, self-expression.
As Parks says:
“The Red Roses are one of the most extraordinary teams in sport right now – and spending time with them, you understand why. This piece came out of a really honest conversation about what it means to be strong on your own terms. I hope people feel that when they watch it.”
Cross-genre collaborations have the power to engage and unite fans – they show us we’re stronger together. Red Roses x Arlo Parks doesn’t just talk about strength, it embodies it.
Arlo Parks’ new album, Ambiguous Desire, is released on 3rd April. O2 will be hosting an evening with Arlo Parks at The O2 arena, London on 10th April. The Red Roses begin their quest for a fifth consecutive Guinness Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam on 11th April as they take on Ireland at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Photo credits: RFU
