Rene

Rene is the stage name used by Russian singer and pianist Renata Baykova, born in Ufa in 1987. She works in English and Russian and is described as a 1990s-00s new age singer. Her music is also tagged with R&B and pop, and she is identified as a female vocalist and singer-songwriter.

Background

Baykova begins performing while studying romance-Germanic philology in Oxford, where teachers call her Rene. She first draws attention at 16 after winning a school title for English performance, which also includes acting, singing and dancing. Her second major stage appearance, at her prom, further increases interest in a singing career.

Musical development

She starts taking her singing seriously after these early performances and later seeks guidance from a music teacher, who recognises her strong, soulful voice. Before that, she records covers of Alicia Keys and Toni Braxton songs and presents them in Moscow, where they receive a positive response from musicians. She also performs songs in English at music shows while still a student.

Influences and repertoire

Her stated influences include Sade, Alicia Keys, Brian McKnight and Stevie Wonder. She writes and performs material in both English and Russian, and her work includes an album called Once in a lifetime, for which a debut music video is also made.