RACHEL CHINOURIRI ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM
WHAT A DEVASTATING TURN OF EVENTS
OUT 3RD MAY VIA PARLOPHONE / ATLAS ARTISTS
SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘NEVER NEED ME’
WITH VIDEO STARRING FLORENCE PUGH
Praise for Rachel Chinouriri
“If you’ve ever had a secret crush, obsessed or felt utter despair over someone, Chinouriri’s direct way of discussing love and loss will resonate with you” – The Observer
“A glorious throwback of a track, the London singer’s new song is a break-up beauty awash in the sonic tics and tricks of mid-Eighties new wave and soft-pop” – The Times
“…this plea for respect in a relationship, one that glows ever brighter as the Croydon singer-songwriter’s harmonies stack higher and higher” – The Guardian
“One of the most promising indie… voices in the UK” – Rolling Stone UK
“one of indie’s greatest hopes and current sparkling gems… Heartbreakingly raw but brilliantly delivered. Rachel Chinouriri is a star” – Dork
“All I Ever Asked’ is a saccharine slice of introspection atop bright keys and meandering guitar work, its bittersweet lyrics recount break-up heartache and not being given the love you know you deserve.” – gal-dem
Alternative indie pop artist Rachel Chinouriri today announces details of her long-awaited debut album What A Devastating Turn Of Events, due Friday 3rd May 2024 via Parlophone/Atlas Artists.
What A Devastating Turn Of Events is a culmination of the experiences, challenges and joys of Chinouriri’s life so far, explored through the prism of musical stylings honed through years of experimentation and creation. Ever-eclectic and brutally honest, the album traverses life’s light and shade, the writing and sharing a healing process for Rachel, and she hopes, her listeners.
Rachel says, “It’s finally here. The moment most musicians dream of when they’re a child. I can’t believe it’s real in a way, but I’m proud of it. What A Devastating Turn Of Events should feel like discovering a personal journey of all the hardship and struggles that have ultimately made me the person I am today. I was lost when I first made this album, when I felt so lost within myself but also in London. I was on a search to find myself and I can say I’ve managed to do that by the end of this process and have found a love for myself that I never thought was possible. I feel fortunate enough to be able to document that process and have it in physical form and sound. Hopefully it’ll help other people realise that it takes tough times, self accountability, betrayal and uncomfortable moments to finally get to a point of true self love. I’m more than ready for the next chapter”.
Following lead single ‘The Hills’, Rachel today shares the soaring indie pop anthem ‘Never Need Me’, a bittersweet and empowering ode to putting yourself first despite caring deeply about another person. She shares: “I made this song with a sense of heartbreak but empowerment. It’s about taking your power back the moment you realise that helping someone is actually hurting you because they aren’t willing to change. Sometimes you end up enabling someone instead of actually helping them and carrying their load is tough. Never Need Me is the moment you wish them well but you can’t continue to harm yourself by helping them. It’s always a tough decision to make but once you make it, it’s a weight lifted off your shoulders for sure.”
‘Never Need Me’ comes complete with a music video directed by Jacob Erland and starring Academy Award nominated actress Florence Pugh who features as Rachel’s supportive bestie. Of coming together to work with Rachel on the ‘Never Need Me’ video, Pugh shares: “Recently I was in LA and I was listening to a few of her songs and I thought, you know what, I’m actually going to reach out to this amazing artist and I just said ‘Thank you for making my day today’ and then she replied and was also a fan and then this idea came that I was in her music video!”
Rachel will play her biggest sold out headline show to date at London’s KOKO on 6th March 2024. In celebration of the announcement of her debut album, Rachel also announces two US headline dates in New York and LA in March, plus a run of intimate in-store shows across the UK next month – see below for full list of dates.
Pre-order / Pre-save What A Devastating Turn Of Events
What A Devastating Turn Of Events tracklisting
Garden Of Eden
The Hills
Never Need Me
My Everything
All I Ever Asked
It Is What It Is
Dumb Bitch Juice
What A Devastating Turn Of Events
My Blood
Robbed
Cold Call
I Hate Myself
So My Darling
On What A Devastating Turn of Events, Rachel Chinouriri is unflinching and mesmerising as she invites us into her world and the experiences that have shaped her to become the person she is today. Despite facing up to the darkest parts of herself and her life – relationships, loneliness, regret, abuse, unconditional freedom, self-harm, alcohol abuse and ultimately, death – Rachel asks us to consider the beauty amongst it all too.
The record examines the thoughts that had been swirling around her head: there are more long-standing themes of love, self-deprecation, unworthy exes and finding her boundaries in the album’s first half, but then in the second half, things get heavier.
“It’s a turning point,” she says, “Each song represents how you deal with trauma, but on the second half it’s when you get bad news and your world turns upside down.” This is an album which deals with grief, heartache, hurt, and what she calls the “worst-case scenarios” when these things are left unspoken for too long.
“I’m a lot better now,” she smiles, “And all of these topics don’t hurt me anymore, to a degree, but they shaped me and made me the person I am. When these things happen, you will never be the person you were before then, you adapt; and I think this album reflects that. It’s a healing tool, and I’m hoping people listening to it might feel less alone.”
In the process of learning to collaborate with other writers and producers in the creation of her debut album, Rachel was able to create the sonic world that she’d long been searching for. From soft acoustics to shiny indie pop to roaring scuzz, there’s her mellifluous vocal, the sumptuous harmonies, and even occasional bouts of cheeky, chatty speak-singing à la Kate Nash and Lily Allen, through which she builds upon her penchant for candid, lyrical songwriting.
What A Devastating Turn Of Events’ expansive palette was fleshed out with executive producer Rich Turvey (Blossoms, The Courteeners, The Coral), and co-credits include hip-hop behemoth Kenny Beats, and writers like Aaron “Apob” Paul O’Brien, Glen Roberts, Mary Weitz, and her long-term collaborator Daniel Hylton-Nuamah.
