Words and Photos by Emmie Sweeting
Coming off of her leg opening for Sabrina Carpenter’s huge Short n’ Sweet Tour in Europe, Rachel Chinouriri played a sold out show at the Metro in Chicago, IL. Rachel is an English pop star that you may know from the song, “So My Darling,” which had a viral moment on TikTok. She’s been putting out music since 2018 and working hard ever since to emerge as a “black pop star” so those that look like her can have someone to look up to in the pop genre.
Rachel has built a tight knit fanbase she calls “The Darlings” and as someone who has grown up in various different fanbases, this one truly is special. Everyone is careful and sweet with one another, listening to both Rachel and the fans’ boundaries. While it largely falls on the fans’ behavior, Rachel has played a big part in making sure the fanbase stays like that amidst her newer fans. She makes it known on all her socials that she has boundaries that she expects people to keep. This includes being quiet during openers, taking care of yourselves when waiting in line and in the pit, and staying in the moment.
Rachel herself loves an early 2000s aesthetic, she encourages the use of digital cameras, camcorders, and bright colors and patterns. The fans have taken this to heart and have shown up in matching attire and tried to limit the use of cell phones at her shows, taking the time to be in the moment with her and the performance. One part of the show that stuck out in this atmosphere that Rachel has built, is during the song “My Blood,” she told everyone to put their phones away and shut their eyes. This was truly magical and a moment to really appreciate Rachel’s lyrics and vocals during a song deeply personal to her.
The whole show itself was electric, with two openers BIZZY and Alemeda, the show was long but trust me when I say, you never once felt tired. She played fan favorites like “Dumb Bitch Juice” and “The Hills.” A highlight was when she came down to the barricade during the last song, “Never Need Me” to scream the last upbeat chorus with everyone in the audience. This made both the fans and her feel especially close to one another in the last moments of the show.
All in all, recordings and photos do not even come close to capturing the absolute star that Rachel is. The way she moves, sings, and interacts with fans was an absolute pleasure to witness. Fans even lined up in the rain for hours outside the show just to get a closer look at her, which is a huge indication to me that now is the time to “hop on the bandwagon” and follow the icon that is Rachel Chinouriri.
Loudspeaker Collective 