Words / Bri Ng Schwartz
Photos / Valerie Terranova
Brit-pop starlet Rachel Chinouriri is ditching her Y2K alt-pop influences and chunky hair clips for a new dance-forward sound with a dressed-up, sleek glam for her sophomore album, i think i spoke too soon. The success of her debut, What A Devastating Turn Of Events, has carried her through the peaks and valleys of pursuing pop stardom in the 2020s: juggling artistry and vunerability, the rising costs of international touring, and using one’s platform to uplift social and political causes.
I learned of Rachel during an infamous gay music video night, where her first lead single, The Hills, transported me back to my childhood, watching videos from artists like Avril Lavigne, Vanessa Carlton, and Lily Allen on MTV. She joins a movement of contemporary black female artists like hemlocke springs, Alemeda, and Ravyn Lenae in turning the homogeneous world of alternative pop on its head.
Before the release of her first album, I saw her US headlining debut at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right, where she test-drove songs from the first album before they were released. Fast forward to this summer, when I was front and center for Rachel’s early afternoon set at the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Festival, where she brought even more heat to the record temperatures in Irvine, California. As a long-time fan, it was heartwarming to see her pull such a large crowd, most of whom were singing along for the entirety of the set. She teased the upcoming album with high-energy performances of “One Song Away From Crying” and “AAAHHH!!!”
“Best day of my life” exclaims Rachel a few weeks following the festival. “To see [Olivia Rodrigo] with all the privilege that she’s built herself, she still thinks of her fan base first. This all just makes me just remember what we do this for, and remembering that there is so much help that is needed. Even if it’s not financial, just speaking about it can change someone’s life.”
The festival’s themes around advocacy and social justice speak to Rachel’s own values. She has never been one to shy away from speaking up for what she believes in throughout her career, even if it isn’t the easy road. During our conversation, we reflected back on that first performance at Baby’s All Right. That celebratory evening of front-facing joy was also marked with uncertainty and stress, with that time aligning with her decision to pull out of that year’s SXSW to protest festival partnerships with the US Army and their involvement in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“I had not canceled anything ever for those sorts of reasons before, so I was actually really sad.” she continues “I have to think as a business owner. I was definitely not even close to breaking even, but morally with parents who were in war and I was like ‘is this really who they raised me to be? To just take something because it’s easier? This doesn’t feel right. And I know my fan base would think the same thing.” SXSW would not be the only difficult business decision Rachel would make that year, having to drop out as the opening act on Remi Wolf’s North American Tour due to touring expenses.
The two back to back events would teach Rachel some honest lessons about being a rising artist in this day and age. When asked what advice she would give to rising artists grappling with the realities of the industry, she preaches forgiveness of oneself when making hard business decisions. “I did not judge a single act who still continued to do that festival because I know how much it costs.” Rachel explains “I am so lucky I’m with a major label who backed me ten toes down. For people who are self-funding, they’re just trying to do what’s right. It’s not fair that they’re kind of flung into those sorts of situations. You don’t have the resources to make the change you want.”
Despite these minor setbacks, Rachel wasted no time in planning her next move. They feel like a small blip compared to the major feats she has had since: opening for Sabrina Carpenter on her Short & Sweet Tour in the UK and Florence & The Machine in North America. She has taken festival stages by storm and released an EP following What A Devastating Turn Events titled Little House.
The EP offers a look into her life with her partner Isaac, featuring songs like “Can We Talk About Isaac” and “What A Life.” I witnessed Rachel bring Isaac out at New York’s All Things Go Festival last year, marking his first visit to the United States. Between the direct naming of her partner, and the vulnerable storytelling about her family history on her debut album, Rachel has mastered the art of personal storytelling through songwriting.
“My family is very good at laughing at trauma.” Rachel reveals about her family in light of having those personal stories out in the world with her record. “I think it made them understand me a bit more and they’re really proud that I’ve been able to process my emotions by making an album instead of becoming a super traumatized human being.” When it comes to Isaac, Rachel reveals the healthiness of Isaac not having much of an online presence.
“I think he’s gone two months without going on his Instagram. He just doesn’t use his phone. So to him, when he goes to shows and people are like, ‘Isaac!’ he’s like, ‘What is going on?” Rachel shares. “He’s just really proud of me, and he’s an artist himself.” She reveals that they’ve collaborated on her visuals, and will continue that work with i think i spoke too soon.
She describes the process of rolling the new album out as “organized chaos.” She credits the organization part of that to lessons learned when releasing her debut, and promises that while there is a dramatic sonic shift, the lyrics and harmonies will remain true to the sound she has spent the last several years building. The record features a song called “broken chair” which was co-written by songwriting royalty Lucy Dacus.
“I went to her house party and she said ‘I really want to write some pop songs.” Rachel reveals her initial interaction with Dacus about joining forces. “I had the concept, song title, and I had the instrumental, but I didn’t know what the song was, and then she came in and she just broke the world open. I’ve been speaking to her a lot about my alcohol and sobriety, and she was so supportive. It was really special to be able to have her on that song because I spoke so much about what I was struggling with.”
Upon the album’s release, Rachel is looking forward to engaging more with her fanbase, the “darlings.” “I’m already starting to get fans coming in silver sparkly tops and then blue mascaras. I’m excited for the fan base to tune into the new aesthetic and see what I can do to hang out with them more. That’s my number one priority.” The rollout has already included some interactive fan moments, including a scavenger hunt to find her missing favorite Marc Jacobs purse. Upon its finding, the purse was revealed to be a replica of her beloved bag and included the track list for i think i spoke too soon and some of her on-the-go go-tos.
In the weeks following our time together, an incident involving promotional posters would thrust Rachel to the forefront of a conversation around toxic fandom behaviors and the overlooking of Black artists. In a TikTok, a young woman posted a video proudly exclaiming she ripped Rachel’s poster off of a wall in order to get to an Adéla poster under it. Rachel would reply to the video via her X account, stating “It’s tough enough for black artists in pop to get exposure but ripping down a poster I paid a lot of money and put 10 years of hard work convincing people I’m good enough for this marketing… is just quite mean.”
I’m reminded of her 2024 collaboration with Cat Burns on their moody power ballad “Even” where the two grapple with the challenges and double standards that come along with being a Black woman in the music industry. Toward the end of our conversation, I ask Rachel about her relationship with speaking to her racial identity in her work, when it is not a conversation that white artists have to engage in.
“It comes up in anything you do.” Rachel admits “But I like to see it in a more beautiful way because then I get the chance to speak about so many Black alternative pop indie artists. The fact that there’s so many now even five years later makes me feel quite proud to be able to have the conversation.” Wrapping up her statements on postegate, Rachel took the opportunity of having eyes on her account to lift her peers, proving her to be the ultimate girl’s girl even under less than ideal circumstances.
At just 27 years old, Rachel has a personable, reflective, and nuanced view on both womanhood and her industry at large that others spend their entire career trying to find. The evolved sonic world she has built on i think i spoke too soon is a testament to her lessons learned as an artist and citizen of the world. We look forward to dancing under a disco ball in our best outfit to her latest record and patiently wait for what is next in Rachel Chinouriri’s story.
