Rachel Chinouriri returns with new single, "The Hills"

"The Hills" unpacks feelings around identity and searching for the comfort of home, as Chinouriri explains: "I wrote The Hills about the feeling of not belonging and being out of place. I was in LA having a pretty terrible time. I didn’t feel like I connected with many people musically or in general, and I was stressed out about lots of things in my personal life. I also love being at home, and felt very out of place."

"After a month in LA, I was having my last session and it was going very bad… I was texting Aaron Shadrow in the session… one of the few people I really connected with creatively, we made a plan to leave and he took me to his house and I just told him how I felt," she continued. "He just started playing the guitar and drums and I started writing about how I felt and in that moment I realised the UK truly is my home."

"Despite how alienated I’ve felt at times because of my race, battles and experiences, in that moment I realised where I enjoyed being was around my friends and loved ones in London. I was writing this in the hills and I felt like no matter how beautiful of a home I was in, in the LA hills, I stuck out like a sore thumb and that was the beginning of the end of this album… a project I started with a song about how I wanted to find my home.”

The cinematic music video was directed by Jake Erland, and draws inspiration from the music videos Rachel Chinouriri grew up watching. She adds, “I always grew up wondering if I’d ever see black girls making music videos like Lily Allen, or Kate Nash, or seeing black women in bands who made music like Coldplay, so in a way this video pays homage to videos like “Lily Allen - LDN” and “Coldplay - scientist”. My nostalgia of seeing people walking around LDN / England made me want to do it. I’ve made it back home and I guess it’s a celebration, maybe bittersweet but at least I’m back where I belong…”

Rachel has also announced that she will play a headline show at London’s KOKO on 6 March 2024. Artist and venue pre-sale tickets for her biggest London headline show to date will be on sale from 16 October, with general sale commencing 18 October. Rachel will also be supporting Louis Tomlinson on his Faith In The Future arena tour on select UK dates this November.