Rachel Chinouriri on Owning Her Pop Moment, Supporting Olivia Rodrigo & Bringing ‘More Sparkles’ Into Her Life

Maybe it’s the self-assurance of a Scorpio who loves her craft deeply and fiercely, or the perspective that comes with being, at 27, something of a veteran in the U.K. music industry. Either way, Rachel Chinouriri moves with the confidence of someone who knows herself completely. “I’ve changed so much in the past few years, and that’s actually a really special thing,” she tells Billboard U.K. “I feel like a totally different person to who I was at 22. It is wild!”

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

It is a Monday afternoon in late September, and we are perched on the balcony of a London wine bar, where Chinouriri is wrapping up an intensive run of press commitments. The only trace left of a content shoot earlier in the day is a smidge of smokey eye makeup, while a pair of black, ankle-shattering Jimmy Choo stilettos have been replaced with khaki trainers. The alcohol-free margaritas are flowing; the sun is shining on Chinouriri and her eyes are bright.

Chinouriri’s attitude to the transformative few years that birthed her incandescent new LP, I Think I Spoke Too Soon (out Oct. 16 via Parlophone) is indicative of someone who has remained resolute throughout a career that has progressed in fits and starts. As she prepares for the release of her second album, which contains her most sophisticated and expansive music yet, she’s in prime position to juggernaut towards main pop girl status – though this time around, there’s a sense that the pieces are finally falling into place.

Take the British-Zimbabwean artist’s star turn at Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fieldss festival in Irvine, California, at the end of August. Performing in a metallic silver one-piece and channeling the sleek glamour of Kylie’s Fever era, she delivered a high-octane set that made clear why Rodrigo had singled her out for the event. Or there’s the fact that Gracie Abrams is the latest pop superstar to offer Chinouriri an arena tour support slot, following Sabrina Carpenter two years ago. More recently, she made her Saturday Night Live U.K. debut, while her marketing nous and command of Stan Twitter have cultivated a devoted, international online following, one that has translated into a streaming audience that skews heavily North American.

Sonically, I Think I Spoke Too Soon reflects that momentum. Where Chinouriri’s 2024 full-length debut What a Devastating Turn of Events was limned with spoken-word interludes and other traces of the intimate, lo-fi, indie-leaning EPs on which the singer made her name, her new album sounds and feels more propulsive, pulling from head-spinning pop, new age, rock and electronic sounds. There is a palpable shift in confidence, too, in how she approaches lyrical themes of mid-20s ennui and sobriety head-on. Anchored by an infernally catchy refrain, opener “One Song Away From Crying” hits the ground running, and picks up steam as it incorporates stardust synths and syncopated rhythm shifts. 

The winsome “Pretty Girls” and “I’m a Star”, a warm and fuzzy Elastica-style track, sit among the highlights; on “Broken Chair,” Chinouriri reckons with her relationship to alcohol and likens herself to discarded furniture left on the street to explore feelings of neglect. The album’s genre-busting spirit is part of what makes Chinouri’s early R&B categorisation among critics feel so limiting: as she has previously spoken about, being “mislabelled” because of her race left her feeling creatively out of pocket and insecure about her own musical inclinations.

“I don’t need to over-explain myself anymore,” she says today. “I’ve said my piece, and if for some reason this album comes out and everyone goes, ‘Ooh, she’s doing R&B and soul’, then I can’t do anything — but at least I know I’ve tried. I have my community who know who I am. Now it’s time to just have some fun and a lil’ boogie!”

Below, she speaks with Billboard about her new album, her sobriety and her still-growing stateside audience.

You’ve effectively grown up in the industry, and it’s interesting to chart your progression as a person through your music. What’s changed in your world since the last album?

I’ve had so many new life experiences, and I’ve travelled the world now in a way that I’d never done before. I’ve met so many people. At 22, I started drinking alcohol for the first time ever, and by 26, I was tee-total. There have been so many changes when it comes to discovering who as a woman, and who I’m attracted to. I just loved solidifying who I am as a person through making this album.

Was there a specific moment that really spurred that way of thinking?

The first track I wrote for this record was “The Good Fight,” and it plays out like this train of thought that follows me around [at an event], drunk. And then, from that moment on, is when I started doing my sobriety. I started to exercise more and got into a very healthy place in my relationship. I started unearthing the trauma I put myself through, and a lot of decisions I made through drinking: essentially, trying to be who I thought I was rather than who I actually was. There’s so many layers to these things! 

When you do this job, you don’t have many days to yourself. I realised I was missing days off and not giving myself time to rest, which then affects my mood and how I treat people. One time I broke my little toe when I was hungover; I tripped into a door and smacked my head and just thought to myself, “If I wasn’t hungover right now, this wouldn’t have happened.” I’m also rarely at home with my boyfriend, so I don’t always want to be tired. He doesn’t deserve that. 

Did becoming sober change the way you experienced or understood industry situations?

I actually feel more comfortable at [industry events] now, because when I used to walk into those rooms, I think I would drink in order to help me deal with all the small talk, and the stress of being in a space like that. I almost had to tell myself to get a grip; like, “You’re walking into a room of industry people who want to tell you, ‘Hey, your music is awesome’ and vice versa – it’s OK!” I’ve started to see the world in a very different way and realized that, in these situations, I am actually someone who is very interested in other people and hearing what they’re up to.

There are more intentional ties between your visual aesthetic and the music now compared to your previous output. Why has world-building become so important to you?

I love the fact that I can chuck on my wig and feel like the character of ‘Rachel the pop star’, or take it off to run to my local cafe in the morning. I’m at a place where I want more sparkles, colourful things, silly songs, fun concerts, high heels and fan activations in my life. All of that makes the world feel a little better when it can feel like a very tough place.

What gave you the confidence to embrace this new, more “colourful” side of yourself? 

I think it was APOB [Aaron O’Brien], my producer. But then shortly after we’d come up with these blue, disco-style visuals, Harry Styles announced his new album [Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally]. The day after he posted the artwork for it, I thought to myself, “I’m going to be in trouble on the internet!” But then I decided to embrace it, because I think the universe puts out ideas and people grab them. Soon after, Madonna came back with Confessions II and I watched the Kylie [Netflix] documentary and I just thought, “Oh my God, this is meant to be!”

It’s a beautiful thing, really. Also, what was I even worried about? Harry Styles is gonna outsell the entire planet with whatever he does. I have my tiny little disco ball and he has his big stadium shows. But Harry, if you need someone else to join you on tour, I’m ready!

You toured U.S. arenas for the first time in 2024, opening for Sabrina Carpenter. How did that experience inform the new album?

I think being part of one of the biggest tours of the year was absolutely mad. It was like Sabrina World everywhere we went and I f–king loved it. You get to the hotel, they’re playing “Espresso.” As soon as you walk out of the lobby and into a taxi, they’re playing “Espresso.” You felt her presence across an entire city. It’s so f–king cool that she’s been able to accomplish that after all these years. She works so hard and it was a beautiful experience to watch her perform.

Sabrina spent nearly a decade figuring out her sound before having a hit album. Do you see any parallels between your careers, in that you’ve both put out a number of projects before honing your vision as an artist?

We’ve both been doing this for 10 years, and she’s on album seven – I’m just about to do number two! But it’s seeing how much she’s evolved and grown is phenomenal. I think there’s this “10-year plan” thing some artists have, where maybe five years ago I thought I would have been bigger. But what I’ve realized now, in my 10th year as an artist, is that my fan base is all that I need, and I’ve made an album where I haven’t had to make any compromises with my label. Exactly. They trust me with the sound, and the artwork is exactly what I wanted. I’ve got so many albums left to do and so many things to see, I’m not in a rush at all.

Streaming stats show that your music reaches an especially big audience in the U.S. What does performing there give you, both as an artist and personally?

I think they connect with the community aspect of what I represent. I’m a Black woman in pop, unapologetically, and I’m grateful I’ve been able to build my career this way. I hope it helps people to feel they can do anything. I don’t know what it is about New York in particular, but when I’m walking down the street, people are like, “Oh my God, babe, we love you!” It makes me feel at home. I feel like I have a real community there. 

We spoke to MNEK recently, who said that as a Black British artist, he finds that same community and freedom in Los Angeles. Could you envision yourself moving stateside?

I could do a year somewhere, but I’m also someone who can move to a country for two months and be like, “That’s enough for me.” Maybe it’s because I’ve toured so much and my space. I know I’d have potential in L.A. or New York, because of the amount of work I could get done. But I’m like, “Do I want to uproot my life for the sake of work?” Those are fun places to be, but I come home to London and feel grounded when I am around my friends.

Olivia Rodrigo is also a big fan of yours, isn’t she? We saw she commented on your Instagram post for the album announce and seems super supportive…

I texted her yesterday about some new music and she was so sweet. When we first met, we had coffee and sat outside together for ages, just yapping away. I was like, “This is insane. I love this girl.” I actually need to send her a playlist of new U.K. artists, as she just loves absorbing music and culture. When I hear a random song that I think she’ll like, I’ll message her about it! She is super, super sweet.

When we first got in touch via Instagram, I was like, “Girl, how the f–k do you know who I am?” She’d heard my song “All I Ever Asked” and really enjoyed it. She is just a music lover, through and through, and you can tell. She is so headstrong when it comes to defining her artistry and I think she really solidified that with making Daisy Chain Fields happen; it was such a special day, I cried so much and had such a beautiful response from the crowd. Olivia should be so proud.

How do you hope your journey will evolve from here?

I’d love to double what I achieved touring-wise last year, that’s the goal. But I know my fanbase is rooting for me really hard, and whatever they want me to achieve, I hope we’re able to achieve. I’ve come to realise that once you actually remove the pressure you’re putting on yourself, you’re actually just like, “Oh my God, this [job] is amazing.” You don’t have to play gigs and think, “Was that my best performance? Did it go wrong?” You don’t need to hit every target; everything can start to feel really fun when you let the pressure roll off your back.