Rachel Chinouriri is overwhelmed with love.
Mid-way through her one-night-only London show at Camden’s KOKO her fans start holding up landscape sheets of A4 paper. They read, “Remember I’ll always love you”, a line from her single 'So My Darling' off the project of the same name released in 2018.
The pages of affirmation have even ended up in the hands of her parents, who she earlier informed her social media community had flown over from Zimbabwe to see their daughter perform.
And so after composing herself and sharing the story of how the song came to be, Rachel performs 'So My Darling'.
Supported by an intimate band and with set design reflecting her highly anticipated album, What Devastating Turn of Events, Rachel twirls and dances in front of a staged bedroom. In some songs she enters the bedroom and performs from the bed, effortless and intimate.
Rachel’s vocals are strong, as she belts out her hits from over the last few years; 'I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Trying)', 'All I Ever Asked' and 'Ribs' to name a few.
She also performs heavy hitting singles from her upcoming album, 'The Hills', 'Never Need Me' of course, album title, 'What A Devastating Turn of Events'.
Her joy for storytelling and the music is infectious, the alt blend of soft rock/pop fits her voice (and outfit, Rachel wears a sparkle filled top/skirt combo) perfectly as she crescendos on 'Never Need Me', a song about being better off without someone you thought you wanted in your life.
"I love seeing you all sparkle," she exclaims at one point. Many of her fans adopting her signature style of multiple oversized clips in their hair. Rachel herself wears six clips, three either side of her head, mismatched yet, coordinated.
As her set drew to a close, fans were desperate for more and she delivered with a toned down encore, unreleased song, 'Pockets'.
Between her parents dancing along on the balcony (iPad in hand) and the grounding moment where Rachel almost forgets what's next up on her setlist, this Alternative Pop Princess is set to shake up the scene when her debut album drops later this year.