Rachel Chinouriri on Owning Her Pop Moment, Supporting Olivia Rodrigo & Bringing ‘More Sparkles’ Into Her Life

Maybe it’s the self-assurance of a Scorpio who loves her craft deeply and fiercely, or the perspective that comes with being, at 27, something of a veteran in the U.K. music industry.

Either way, Rachel Chinouriri moves with the confidence of someone who knows herself completely.

“I’ve changed so much in the past few years, and that’s actually a really special thing,” she tells Billboard U.K.

“I feel like a totally different person to who I was at 22.

It is wild!” It is a Monday afternoon in late September, and we are perched on the balcony of a London wine bar, where Chinouriri is wrapping up an intensive run of press commitments.

The only trace left of a content shoot earlier in the day is a smidge of smokey eye makeup, while a pair of black, ankle-shattering Jimmy Choo stilettos have been replaced with khaki trainers.

The alcohol-free margaritas are flowing; the sun is shining on Chinouriri and her eyes are bright.

Chinouriri’s attitude to the transformative few years that birthed her incandescent new LP, I Think I Spoke Too Soon (out Oct.

16 via Parlophone) is indicative of someone who has remained resolute throughout a career that has progressed in fits and starts.

As she prepares for the release of her second album, which contains her most sophisticated and expansive music yet, she’s in prime position to juggernaut towards main pop girl status – though this time around, there’s a sense that the pieces are finally falling into place.

Take the British-Zimbabwean artist’s star turn at Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fieldss festival in Irvine, California, at the end of August.

Performing in a metallic silver one-piece and channeling the sleek glamour of Kylie’s Fever era, she delivered a high-octane set that made clear why Rodrigo had singled her out for the event.

Or there’s the fact that Gracie Abrams is the latest pop superstar to offer Chinouriri an arena tour support slot, following Sabrina Carpenter two years ago.

More recently, she made her Saturday Night Live U.K. debut , while her marketing nous and command of Stan Twitter have cultivated a devoted, international online following, one that has translated into a streaming audience that skews heavily North American .