Inspired #0058 - RAHH
We chatted to London deep-pop artist Rahh about all the things that inspire her and her new track ‘Home’.
Who are you top three musical inspirations?
Aretha Franklin was my first major voice inspiration. Still is to this day. Unbelievable raw emotion packaged in insane natural technical ability. She is the queen for me and watching people she influenced in turn is exciting too. I watched Jasmin Sullivan cover ‘I Never Loved A Man’ in tribute to her and that was a different kind of inspiring all over again. It made me wanna sing all night long.
Michael Jackson. Watching his videos and listening to his music was such a major part of my life when I was beginning to think about writing and performing, that it is impossible to think of my journey without him in it. He was an all round creative inspiration from his visuals, lyrics, dance, performance and work ethic.
James Blake. His ‘Overgrown’ album blew me away. I hadn't heard a fusion of such stunning gospel like chords with pure vocals, intricate melodies and hard dub and synth. It really inspired my writing and ideas.
Stevie Wonder would have been the 4th for his melodies and musicality, and James Collier would be the newest - I just binged watched his Youtube videos - he’s insane!
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
I love film. Picking one is almost impossible so I'm gonna shout out the most recent film that inspired me and that is BLACKKLANSMAN by Spike Lee. I was speechless after that film. The way he brought very real and current issues into every packed cinema, and made it enjoyable and funny so everyone was onside, and then smacked the audience with reality at the end was such genius, I applauded when it ended along with everyone else.
That inspired me huge amounts as it highlights that Spike Lee isn't just making films, he is spreading a notion, a message in such a clever way - and that motivates me to do better than what is expected, to do more and to think outside the box. I'm grateful there are creatives on a high platform that are paving the way like this.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
I travel all over the world with my career but the answer is still London, especially in the summer. I adore it. The alleyways, the different subcultures, the expression, the freedom, the mess, the posh bits, the noise, the markets. It's my new home as I'm from Manchester, but I'm not leaving anytime soon.
Who is the most inspiring person to you?
My Dad. He has had the most fascinating life. He’s worked in the mines, he’s worked as an officer’s boy on a ship, he’s was schoolboy boxing champion, he was in the territorial army, he created and ran one of the first UK black boybands of the Sixties - The Chants, (who used to sing with and we’re accompanied by The Beatles), he lectured in universities, and now he is a phenomenal artist (painting/drawing) and exhibits and sells his work. Furthermore, he’s lived through racism when its been at its height, he’s consistently made people who firstly were prejudice, later accept him and change their views for life. But most of all, it is his strength that is so inspiring, as I’ve seen him come through some of the most testing times with his health and family loss, and still come out stronger than any of us could have imagined.
What were your inspirations when writing the track?
The inspiration came from my everyday life and those around me. I started with the line “Give me a drug, I need to feel amazing” and that line inspired the others. The ‘drug’ meaning alcohol, coffee, prescription, sleeping pills, tobacco, weed, cocaine, the list goes on - and at least one of those applies to almost everyone I know. Then I just asked some questions. Why do we need it? What’s missing and what else are we craving? Attention? Approval? Is that why we’re we driven by vanity? Are we scared to take risks because of our idea of failure? I realised these questions we’re fit for everyone.
I also looked at our daily soundtrack - the news and media. Inflation making normal things difficult and everyone skint, Brexit causing racial tensions and social unrest. Sometimes the best inspirations are literally right in front of you.
How would you like to inspire people?
I had someone come backstage after my last gig to thank me as they said their daughter was so inspired watching me that she now felt like she could do anything! That is the best feeling and exactly how I’d like to inspire people. Especially those who feel less able due to circumstance or ethnicity. I'm proud to be representing as a woman of colour and dual heritage, and hope to inspire girls to be happy in their own skin. That would be a dream.