Rachel Chinouriri

Rachel Chinouriri

Rachel Chinouriri is a singer-songwriter from Kingston upon Thames in the United Kingdom. Her work is generally described within alternative pop, indie pop and pop rock, and she is also associated with pop and R&B.

Early life and influences

Chinouriri is born in 1998 and grows up in Croydon from the age of three after her family moves there. Her family has moved to the UK from Zimbabwe shortly before her birth, and she describes her upbringing as a traditional African one. As a teenager, she becomes interested in British culture, particularly its music, and is influenced by the music of Daughter and Lily Allen.

Beginnings as a recording artist

She starts writing songs at 17 and records them on a £20 microphone, uploading them to SoundCloud through her mother’s laptop. After posting a number of songs on SoundCloud, she begins releasing music on major streaming platforms in 2018. Her early release So My Darling, written when she is 17, becomes her first release for Parlophone and receives radio play as a special play on BBC Radio 1.

EP releases and wider attention

Chinouriri releases her debut EP, Mama's Boy, in 2019 and it receives critical acclaim. A track from the EP, So My Darling, later gains wider attention on TikTok as a popular audio clip. She follows the EP with the singles Adrenaline and Where Do I Go?, the latter being written about her thoughts on the afterlife.

Parlophone period

After signing to Parlophone, she releases the single Beautiful Disaster featuring Sam Dotia in 2020. The song is described as a portrayal of isolation and stillness in the midnight hours, with Chinouriri noted for her falsetto vocals. She also releases the singles Give Me a Reason, Darker Place and Through the Eye, with the last of these serving as the lead single for her second EP.

Later releases and performances

Four° In Winter, her second EP, is released in 2021, followed later that year by a deluxe edition with three additional songs. In 2022, she releases an acoustic version of So My Darling after the song rises in popularity on TikTok. She also releases All I Ever Asked, which is chosen as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record in the World for that week. Chinouriri is announced for Field Day festival in 2019 and plays a headline show in London in June 2019. She later announces a third EP featuring All I Ever Asked and a UK tour.