Rachel Chinouriri, a rising British indie pop artist, is sharing the challenges of being a Black woman in the music industry and reaffirming her determination to succeed.
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter has already had a significant year, with two BRIT Award nominations, the upcoming release of her new EP, and a European tour with Sabrina Carpenter. Despite these accomplishments, Chinouriri expressed frustration after reading a fan’s comment suggesting she wouldn’t reach the same level of success as artists like Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo, and Chappell Roan due to her race.
On March 23, she posted on X, saying, “Well… pressed translate and feel pretty sad tbh but this just reminds me… You can open for the biggest popstar in the world and the internet will still remind you daily that simply being Black will make it twice as hard to be an indie pop star.” She added, “I deserve to feel like I have a chance at a successful music career because I love storytelling and hope people like me because of my music and not just because of my race.”
Chinouriri, who has been vocal about her race from the start of her career, said that while the comment saddened her, she is determined to not let it hold her back. She shared her belief that her efforts would inspire young Black girls in the music industry.
“I won’t let being a Black woman stop me from trying, and no matter how my career pans out, at least I know I tried my best,” she wrote. “Lots of Black girls aspiring to be in indie/pop music have this fear… I know it all too well… and I hope my fight to change this narrative behind the scenes and publicly contributes to inspire the future generations of young Black girls to keep going and remember you are allowed to just be whoever you want to be and not what the world wants to shape you into.”
She ended the post with, “I trust the universe will protect me and guide me exactly to where I dream being.”
Chinouriri’s journey in the music industry has not been without challenges. Last year, she spoke to PEOPLE about the obstacles she faced, including having her indie pop songs placed on R&B playlists simply because of her race. One pivotal moment that led her to speak out publicly came when a playlisting executive introduced her as “the next R&B soul princess” to a popular rapper, despite her music being indie pop. This experience pushed her to post a viral Instagram message in 2022.
“That was the same night I made the post and it went really viral. It was quite mental. It really opened a lot of doors for me, so I’m quite happy that I said something,” she recalled. After the post, her music was removed from R&B playlists and placed in the correct genre, which helped her reach a wider audience. “With that, I hit 1 million monthly listeners simply because my music was put in the right playlist,” she explained.
Chinouriri noted the awkwardness of confronting the mislabeling of her music, especially when some people reacted defensively. “Having to go through the awkward conversations of, ‘You’re mis-genreing me because I’m Black’… That’s a really awkward conversation to have with someone who is trying to help you,” she said. But ultimately, she was glad that speaking up gave her the chance to be properly recognized.
Chinouriri’s debut album What a Devastating Turn of Events was released last May, and her new EP Little House is set for release in April. The first single from the EP, “Can We Talk About Isaac?”, is available now.
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