by Blossom Maduafokwa
“I'm very big on faith and destiny, and I always know that everything will have its time,” RIMON says to me during our interview, and I have no choice but to agree.
The singer's path towards stardom has been secure from birth, and she has always known it. From a young age, the artist found herself pulled towards the stage, her eyes glued to the likes of Alicia Keys and Beyonce as she watched them on the big screen, all while she concocted makeshift songs on GarageBand.
Since her 2018 emergence, the 26-year-old songstress has performed on world-class platforms, released three EPs, collaborated with Denzel Curry and EARTHGANG, and supported R&B star Giveon on his latest international tour. With her debut album coming up towards the end of this year, it’s certainly fitting to say that everything has its time: and RIMON’s time is now.
Following the release of her latest single, “I Choose You,” starring Filipino-Australian artist RINI, we sat with the singer to discuss her artistic journey and what she has in store for her upcoming tour and project.
Did you always know music was going to be in your future?
I’m not sure where or when it started, but it was just always a very big part of my younger years. One childhood friend once told me, “I've always known you were gonna do this,” and I wondered why. When I was younger, I would go to her house because her sister had a MacBook (which was so rare because nobody in my area had a MacBook) with this program called GarageBand and I'd record myself singing every time I was there.
Who were your biggest influences back then?
The people who had my attention were powerful women like Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Missy Elliot. Jessie J as well. I remember her debut, "Do It Like a Dude". I was like, What the fuck?. Here was this girl being so badass in the video and being kind of rough in the song. I also loved P!nk because she was just brutally honest. I remember seeing her perform "Dear Mr President," which was a criticism directed at President Bush. That's the type of stuff that inspired me.
Despite your love for music, your debut didn’t come until years after. What changed?
I dropped out of school when I was 17, but I didn't know that I'd do music then. I left because I just hated it. I disliked everything about that specific school. It was just going against who I was at the time. I didn't like rules because I was quite a rebellious kid and I left without a plan. The only thing that I knew was that I was going to Ethiopia because my dad lives there and I was going to meet him for the first time and gain some peace.
When I was there, I had a book called The Alchemist which changed my whole perspective on life. It was after reading that book that I said to myself, “What’s my wildest dream?” And the answer was: “Becoming a singer.”
You debuted with your song "Grace" a few years later. What was the inspiration behind it?
With "Grace", the lyrics were about blossoming. Subconsciously, that was what was happening. Instead of hiding what I’d been doing or being shy about it, the song was a manifestation of me blooming into the person that I wanted to be. It was about embracing myself, stepping out, and no longer being a wallflower. As a debut, it made so much sense to me.
What was your experience as an R&B act trying to break out in Amsterdam?
It was tough because when I debuted, there was no one in my country that I could look to as a blueprint for myself, even in the R&B or hip-hop space. I was figuring it all out in a place that has a non-existent industry outside electronic music. Everyone that would make music focused on it being Dutch, and I knew from the jump that I didn't want to make Dutch music. Many people still don't know I'm Dutch, which is funny. I've just always focused on going beyond my own borders.
Did you feel excluded?
Maybe within the country. It's not inclusive at all, but I didn't care. Even with certain award shows that are big there, the representation is always shit [laughs]. I've never really cared for it because, for me, I truly don't care for an award. I don’t care for an award in general, but if I have to go up for an award, it has to be a Grammy, respectfully!
Even with all this, you made your first EP the same year of your debut, BBYGIRL FOCU$. What was it about?
BBYGIRL FOCU$ was really about empowerment and honesty. It was like a diary of all things I'd been through. I fell in love and had my first real heartbreak. I got so caught up in those feelings till I had a moment of realisation like, “Oh my God, I'm spending all this time sobbing about a guy when really I need to focus on myself.” I had big dreams and things that I wanted to do but to do them, I had to focus on myself instead of looking for validation from guys. The overall message was just, "Baby girl, focus."
You released “I Choose You” with RINI earlier. How did you two find each other?
We met in London. I was based there at the time and my friend Dean instantly introduced me to RINI during his birthday party at this place called, Laylow. Dean said, ‘’y’all should work together one day’’. When I was thinking of ideas for features, I wanted to step away from rappers since all my features thus far were rappers. This time, I wanted smooth buttery vocals so I reached out to RINI.
Speaking of collaborations, you were recently on tour with Giveon for the second time. How does that feel for you?
It felt so good. After an extensive leg of the tour, we constantly changed our set and improved our show to get to a point where we were satisfied. To have them [Giveon's team] want us on the tour again, was a confirmation that we did a good job out there. I was excited to be reunited with my tour family and create new memories.
Of course, we should talk about the new album coming out at the end of the year. Why is now the perfect time for you to finally make your debut?
I could write a book about this, but to keep it short, I see my past five years in the industry as almost a case study where there was minimal guidance, an enormous vision and sometimes a lack of knowledge whilst growing and dealing with trials and tribulations of being a young adult. I’ve learnt so much in the past years both musically and business-wise but, most importantly, as a person and so did my team. I’ve gathered all that information now which will overflow in the birth of this first album.