Five Things You Didn’t Know About Rachel Chinouriri

Penning songs with the emotional forthrightness of indie and the sumptuous vocal tones of soul, Rachel Chinouriri is the 22-year-old singer-songwriter who’s set to be one of the biggest musical discoveries of 20201. Having already found a fan in the one and only Michaela Coel, who included her song “The River Bend” with Subculture on the soundtrack for I May Destroy You, Rachel’s mercurial sound won’t stay underground for long. 

Today she releases “Darker Place”, an emotionally complex single accompanied by a video by Milo Blake. Speaking of the track, she says: “Darker place is about the battle between light and darkness. I don’t fear darkness and believe that in the right circumstances, every human being has the potential to do anything.” Continuing, Rachel explains; “I wrote this about a person who follows someone around, but is conflicted on whether to act on impulse or hold their urges – that battle that this person has in their head.” 

To celebrate the “Darker Place” video, which premieres today on hungertv, we called Rachel up to chat guilty pleasures,  Ladysmith Black Mambazo and calling out shady behaviour. 

1) She’s a South London girl.

“I’m from Croydon but I’m originally Zimbabwean and the first in my family to be born in the UK.”

2) Daughter, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Cher are among her creative influences.

“One of my biggest musical inspirations is definitely Daughter, and I love Ladysmith Black Mambazo. When it comes to fashion, I recently watched the Alexander McQueen documentary and fell in love with him and his story. Grace Jones, Eve and Cher are also some fashion icons I’ve always idolised.”

3) A trip to Notting Hill Carnival nearly derailed her career… 

“I got meningitis after I went to Notting Hill Carnival and was bedridden for months. I had to cancel shows, postpone projects, all sorts.”

4) If you say something problematic, she’s going to call you out.

“I’m passionate about fighting discrimination. All discrimination but particularly race, sexuality and class. I will call you out.”

5) Like us, she’s a big Raye fan.

“Raye is my pop guilty pleasure but she isn’t really a guilty pleasure, she a queen and I can happily say I listen to her. I also really like Astrid S.”

Check out the video for Rachel’s new single “Darker Place”, premiering below.