Album explores celebration and reflection

Rachel Chinouriri has released her second album, I think I spoke too soon, which focuses on themes of celebration and the complex questions that come with it. The British singer discusses her personal journey with addiction, parties, and her search for identity throughout the record.

Songwriting after a break

After a year without writing songs, Chinouriri composed "The good fight," which became a gateway to her creative ideas. This track led her to explore topics like sobriety, alcohol, and the role of parties in her life.

Humor as a survival tool

Chinouriri explained that her approach to serious subjects with lightness, humor, and distance comes from her family's experience with trauma. She noted that joking about difficult topics made it harder to address them later, but this method has helped her family engage with these themes through her music.

Parties and personal growth

The album highlights the contrast between the person Chinouriri is and the person she aspires to be, especially in social settings. She shared that she began drinking later in life and felt excluded when she didn't partake, but eventually realized she could still be fun and festive while sober.

A memorable and sobering party

Chinouriri recounted a memorable party at a museum in Los Angeles before the Grammy Awards, where Madonna unexpectedly joined in and danced. She also shared a negative experience involving excessive drinking, which led to a turning point in her life and a decision to calm down.

Genre evolution and artistic freedom

Chinouriri emphasized the importance of not being confined to a specific musical genre. While her first album was categorized as indie pop, she explored disco and electronic pop in her second work to avoid limiting her creativity.

Audience connection and performance experiences

She values her close relationship with her audience, which gives her freedom from pressure about her creative direction. She appreciates their honest feedback and mutual respect. Recently, she performed on Saturday Night Live in the UK and at Olivia Rodrigo's festival, handling the success by staying present and enjoying the moment without over-dramatizing it.