RAINNE BLENDS CLASSICAL TRAINING AND SOPHISTICATED PRODUCTION ON BROODING POP CREATIONS

Story / Catherine Santino

Photo / Abel Rodriguez

If someone were to blindly listen through RAINNE’s body of work, they might not know they were all from the same band. Their range is both impressive and intriguing, likely prompting the hypothetical listener in this analogy to continue pressing play on the next track; for curiosity’s sake, if nothing else. Singer-songwriter Annie Dingwall and saxophonist/engineer Justin Klunk come together to form RAINNE, a classically-trained pair who create sophisticated, brooding pop tracks.

Their newest release, “Sin”, explores desire and passion through an addictive melody and Dingwall’s stinging vocals. “Full of innuendo, ‘Sin’ explores your innermost desires by playfully dancing around your most passionate moments,” says Dingwall says of the song. The duo released “Sin” the night of their debut at the iconic Hollywood Bowl, where they opened for heavy-hitters like Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Taylor Swift.

Prior to “Sin”, RAINNE brought us “Hollow”, a warm, piano-driven track set against a constellation of stunning harmonies, as well as a string of equally gorgeous singles. Read on to discover more about this truly dynamic duo and their artistic process.

What was the process of writing “Hollow” like? Does it draw from personal experience? 

Annie Dingwall: I had the idea to write a song called “Hollow” for a while before actually sitting down to write it. It was a title that struck a chord and hit me differently than most ideas and I knew immediately that the melodies and music needed to reflect emptiness in as many ways as possible. Then one night, after mulling the idea around for a while, it just flowed out; melody and lyric at the same time. It had been a particularly taxing day and I think the combination of high emotions and past ideas for the song finally combined to create “Hollow”. It really sucks to lose someone from your life and I wanted every part of the song to reflect that. 

How did you two meet and begin working together?

Justin Klunk: Annie and I met several years ago at a music summer camp called Grammy Camp. Then we ended up attending USC together, lived in the same dorm, and were in the same music program, so we ended up forming a really strong friendship. We both loved what each other did musically and decided to start playing together right away. We had no idea how a singer-songwriter and saxophone were going to sound together, but it ended up working and we’ve been playing together ever since! After pursuing independent projects for a while (Annie as a songwriter and me as a touring saxophonist), we decided to officially become a band a couple years ago. 

What elements of your classical training do you bring to pop music? Have there been challenges in merging the two?

AD: Growing up, I’ve always considered classical training the foundation that all other music could be built on. Similar to ballet, you learn strong techniques that stay with you in any style you decide to pursue. Music theory was something both of us studied for years and utilize on a daily basis. From creating charts and leading a band, to part-writing crazy harmonies on “Hollow,” our classical foundations are very much a relevant and functional part of how we create music daily. 

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