You might recognise her voice from Sam Feldt’s huge hit “Post Malone”, which definetely was a great boost for Rani’s carreer. However, the 21-year-old Dutch singer is ready for conquering the music world as solo artist. Since then, she released her debut EP 3 in 2020, followed by her EP 9. From her latest EP, Rani performed her song “Knock You Down” exclusively for TITLE.
Todays Sit In Session sends you off into the weekend with some empowering and postive vibes. Enjoy!
Hey Rani, please tell us a little bit about yourself and what you are currently working on?
I’m from the Netherlands, 21 years old and I’ve been singing since I was 6 years old. Around the age of 16 I also started writing songs with a friend of mine, Olaf Blackwood. He lives in LA and I met him on Instagram. I loved his voice and complimented him on that. After meeting him here in Holland, when he had a show here, he invited me to come to his studio in LA and so I went there with my dad (since I was super young). We sat in the studio 10 days straight and I fell in love with the process of writing music. After that I started doing more sessions here in the Netherlands and wrote/sang a lot of songs in the EDM/dance/house genres. ‘’Post Malone’’ with Sam Feldt was my first session here in the Netherlands. I loved doing sessions and meeting new musicians. I also started doing sessions with three amazingly talented guys Will Knox, Matthijs and Lodewijk, with whom I wrote the upcoming album with. With them I started developing my own sound which are inspired by R&B, pop influences and writing my personal stories. Besides working on music, I also study here in Amsterdam. I study public administration and organizational sciences and I find it super interesting. I’ll finish my Bachelors this year (hopefully).
Which effects did the pandemic have on your work and your creativity? What did change for you?
Besides really missing my social life, this whole pandamic gave me a lot of time to work on the upcomming album and finish it. So this was a positive thing for me. I haven’t written any new songs for a whole year and after a couple months I started to really miss that, but we started writing again and it feels like the same old. I was so ready to go back in to the studio again and write about stuff that happened the last year. The sad thing is that we can’t play live, so I really hope that in December when I have my tour here in the Netherlands planned we can actually do it.
How do you stay positive and motivated? Do you have any tips?
Giving myself time basically and not pressure myself so much. The whole pandemic has a huge effect on your mental health. I try to take good care of my body and doing some selfcare. I try to eat healthy and workout regularly because that makes me feel good and energized. I know that basically everyone kind of struggles right now and I have so much hope and faith that everything will be fine again.
What influences did your upbringing with two cultures have on your music?
My dad is Dutch and my mom is Surinamese/Hindustani. At home we always listened to a super wide range of genres. Dutch artists, Bollywood music and also a lot of Motown soul music. There aren’t really musicians in my family but music always played a big part in family parties and visits. Both of my parents are super supportive as well when it comes to me choosing music and I’m so grateful for that.
At TITLE Magazine we focus on being true to yourself. Would you say you have found your True Identity yet? If so, how would you describe it?
I feel like in the last couple of years I’ve come to realize that finding your true identity or yourself is really a process. I feel like in the end it is all about being comfortable in your own body and mind and loving yourself for who you are and what you look like. How I would describe it is a very messy process with a lot of ups and downs. I know and feel that I’ve already come a long way in accepting myself and loving myself for who I am but some days are just harder than others. I feel like social media also plays a big role in this process. You see so many perfect pictures online and sometimes it is so hard to see that some things aren’t just always pretty. It is such an important realization for me and I think even though I’m not there 100%, I will eventually.
You like to address complex topics like growth and healing in your songs. What message would you like your listeners to take with them?
The most important thing I really hope my listeners will take out of my music is that every feeling and emotion you have is okay. It’s okay to feel confused, sad or whatever feeling you may have. All your feelings are valid and you should feel like it’s okay to express and be yourself. I feel like the people around you, also have a huge impact on the way you express and feel about yourself. Selflove comes from within, but make sure you surround yourself with people that see and remind you of your uniqueness and beauty, because everyone is beautiful in their own way.
What has been the greatest achievement of your career so far?
The greatest achievement for me is the fact that I found my own type of music. The songs are really my story and it’s so personal. I’m so grateful and proud of the upcoming album. I feel blessed with all the people I work with, because without my team I wouldn’t be where I was right now. Also my collab with Sam Feldt, ‘’Post Malone’’, is a great achievement for me. I never expected the song to blow up like, but it is amazing it did.
How do you like to get inspired when writing songs?
I get my inspiration from things I experience, go through or think about. I think about stuff a lot so sometimes when certain thoughts pop up in my mind I write them down in my notes. A lot of my sessions also start with the question ‘’So, where do you want to write about today Shannon?’’. Kind of became a ritual haha. Then I bring up a topic and the four of us start talking about the topic and start writing a song about it. I also get really inspired by listening to other artists. The stories they tell or just the sound of the song itself. I listen a lot to artists like H.E.R., Lucky Daye, Ella Mai, Rihanna.
What are you looking forward to in the future?
I can’t wait to be on stage again. I’m really looking forward to touring and playing my songs with the band. To really feel people’s energy while being on stage. To reach more and more people with my music. I really hope I can do shows abroad too, that is one of my dreams to tour around the world. I also can’t wait to release more music and write more songs. I also hope that I could do a feature with some artists I really look up to, like H.E.R.
