Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I come from a coastal city (Kota Kinabalu) in East Malaysia, where karaoke is pretty much a collective, average pastime, so I guess you can say I grew up to the music of power divas in the 80s and 90s (Whitney, Mariah, Celine) and boy/girl pop groups like Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls. My parents were also big fans of the Eagles and The Carpenters. Although I was pretty much exposed to a lot of different genres, I never found the music that spoke to my soul until I listened to Joni Mitchell’s Blue and Carole King’s Tapestry. At the time I was eleven and pretty shy and insecure, so when I heard their music, something in me shifted. I began writing my own songs after that, totally inspired by the rawness of emotion in these albums. That’s how I slowly came out of my shell.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Belly Rachel”?
A: I think I’m at that point in my career that I’m more focused on releasing music that’s authentic to me, and growing my fan base is more of a bonus than it is a necessity. For sure, I’d love to have more people discovering my music, but I’m not going to shoot for 1M followers – sacrificing my mental health and self-worth in the process (because I can be really hard on myself). So I’m going to do what I do best: get out and perform, and let the internet work its magic. That being said, if I do get new followers, I just hope they’re able to connect with my songs and the stories behind them.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: My biggest inspiration right now is Holly Humberstone. I just love her whole aesthetic and how honest her songwriting is. It’s beautiful. I get my inspiration from everything, really. Other music, movies, art. Just recently I wrote a song called ‘Road Rage’ based on the Netflix series, BEEF.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Cynical.”?
A: I wrote this song after an unfortunate encounter with a pervert while I was out walking my dog. Went home shaken as hell, more out of rage than fear, at the fact that I’m about to turn thirty and shit like this still happens to me to this day. At 11, I was groped in a shopping mall while I was out shopping for school uniforms with my mother, flashed by a stranger at a bus stop at 17, received dick pics by a weirdo who got my socials when I was busking during my twenties. I’m starting to think it will never end. And the most depressing thing is, I guarantee I’m not the only woman out there who’s had these experiences. So I wrote this song, just because I needed a way to express my disgust and fury.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Raw.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Cynical”?
A: I think the only challenge I faced was ensuring the full breadth of my frustration was reflected in the track. I needed to strike the right balance between getting listeners to feel my rage through heavy distortions on the guitar and the vocals, but also at the same time make sure it doesn’t come off too brash that it’s unpalatable and hard to enjoy. Most of the credit goes to my mixing engineer, Lisa Murphy, who totally understood what I was trying to achieve and made it what it is today.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Through my music, I want to show that emotions can be ugly and dark, but funny and light at the same time, and that it’s alright to be vulnerable enough to show them to the world – because we’re all human; we’re all a little messed up on the inside. The goal is to cement this message and hopefully get more people to speak their truth in their own lives as well.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Joni Mithell and Alanis Morissette.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Work on your craft, and don’t be afraid to share it with others. Open mics and song clubs are amazing places where you can connect with other musicians and hone your skills. No man is an island, and I truly believe that we need to find our ‘people’, considering how cutthroat the music industry is.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: It’s all going to be just fine. That, and wear sunscreen.
