Rachel Chinouriri Addresses Racism in Music
Rachel Chinouriri spoke out to confront racism in music, stating that “it would just make it twice as difficult to be a black indie pop star.”
Struggles and Inspiration
The musician, who released her debut album “What a Destructive Turn of Events” last year, responded to a post on X, originally written in Portuguese, that featured a video of her performance. The post included the comment: “I’m afraid she couldn’t do it like Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo, or Chappell because she won’t be able to do it as God protects my girl.”
In retaliation, Chinouriri remarked: “Well … a disgusting translation and I feel quite sad, but it just reminds me … You can open for the biggest pop star in the world, and the Internet will still remind you every day that being a black pop star makes it twice as difficult.”
She further stated: “I have talked about this openly since the very beginning of my career, but I want to remind you all of this: I will not allow being a black woman to prevent me from trying. Regardless of how my career turns out, I at least know that I tried my best.”
“Many black girls aspiring to be in indie pop music are experiencing this fear … I know it all too well … And I hope that my struggle to change this narrative, both behind the scenes and publicly, inspires future generations of young black girls. Remember, you deserve to be who you want to be, not what the world wants you to be.”
Read the full post below.
Well … to translate and feel quite sad, but it just reminds me of …
You can open for the largest pop in the world, and the Internet will still remind you daily, that just Black will make it twice as difficult to be an indie pop star 💔
I deserve to feel that I have … https://t.co/bq3047qk00
– Rachel Chinouriri (@rachelchinourir) March 23, 2025
In January 2024, Chinouriri was featured as one of NME’s cover stars, where she discussed her experience at a British school, her debut album “What a Destructive Turn of Events,” her Zimbabwean heritage, and her inspirations, including Alex Chung, Oasis, and Libertines.
Speaking about actress Sophie Turner, sharing her track “Everything I When I Asked” in “Stories on Instagram,” Chinouriri said: “This song was created when you put everything into it and feel that someone lifted you up. Obviously, she is going through something rather traumatic, which is difficult. The fact that she managed to embrace this alignment through the endurance of a song—along with my song—is completely crazy.”
Earlier this month, Chinouriri shared her new single “Can We Talk About Isaac?” and announced an EP, Little House, set to be released on April 4 through 10k Projects / Parlophone Records / Atlas Artists.
To celebrate the first anniversary of her debut album “What a Destructive Turn of Events,” Chinouriri will also release an exclusive vinyl version of the LP on May 2. Here
In a four-star review of her debut album, NME stated: “What a Destructive Turn of Events”—despite its somewhat dreary title—is invariably charming, providing a broad range of sound and scale that hints at Chinouriri’s future ambitions. She has worked hard to make it sound so effortless.”
She also recently announced an 18-day tour scheduled in North America starting May 10. Check out the full dates and purchase remaining tickets here.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/rachel-chinouriri-on-racism-in-music-simply-being-black-will-make-it-twice-as-hard-to-be-an-indie-pop-star-3848853?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rachel-chinouriri-on-racism-in-music-simply-being-black-will-make-it-twice-as-hard-to-be-an-indie-pop-star
