We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel AO. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think to be successful some of the first steps are visualizing where you want to be in your career as time progresses, what success looks like to you personally, and setting goals for yourself to accomplish and grow in your craft. I believe that being true to yourself and your vision are also important elements to success. If you know who you are, are confident in the work that you’re creating and releasing, and stay true to yourself not allowing the opinions of others to dilute your artistic vision, that is a solid mentality to carry with you as you navigate your way to being successful.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I am a vocalist, songwriter, pianist, performer, and recording artist originally from Michigan. I’ve been writing poetry and songs, and performing since I was a child. I moved to Los Angeles July of 2021. I recently released my very first single entitled “Perfect” on February 4th, 2022. I wrote the song during lockdown when I was quarantining alone back in Michigan. I had a lot of time to reflect and write music during that time. I had been hanging onto the song, and finally had it recorded upon my relocation to Los Angeles. Releasing it was a huge weight off of my heart, as I often write music for personal healing and therapy. I’m really proud of how it all come together and was deeply moved by the positive response the track received from my listeners. I’m looking forward to releasing my debut EP entitled “Closure”. It is a collection of love songs, some heartbreaking and some hopeful. Stay tuned!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Having the opportunity to go through the creative process of making music is definitely a rewarding experience from start to finish. Starting with an idea, then expanding the idea into lyrics and melody, sitting at the piano and adding chords, then collaborating with producers and other musicians to create a completed song work to share with the world, leaves me with so much pride and a feeling of accomplishment. What I also find rewarding is when a song resonates with a listener. It is a great feeling when your music has the ability to affect someone else in a positive way. It’s even more rewarding when I’m performing my music live and I have the opportunity to connect in person with people who enjoyed my music.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that it’s better to be your authentic self then to try to fit into the mold of what society wants you to be or expects you to be. Much of my adolescence I was bullied for being the only person of color in my school and community. Children would call me dirty or say that they didn’t want to play with me because I was brown. I began to resent the skin I was born in, using a washcloth in first grade to attempt to scrub away my blackness. I was an over-weight child as well, so I was body shamed and called ugly for a large portion of my youth. I took these superficial insults personally, attributing them to my character, thus shattering my self-esteem. As I got older, I found myself shaping more and more into what I thought society wanted. I straightened my naturally curly hair with heat and chemicals to achieve pin straight strains to look more like my peers, and I would eat less which spiraled into an eating disorder causing me to lose vast amounts of weight, leaving me in a thin and unhealthy frame. As time passed, I realized that I was doing more harm in trying to be who I wasn’t just for the validation and acceptance of others. I had to begin to unlearn what I was told about myself and start embracing and loving who I am and was created to be. I rebuilt my confidence and reclaimed my identity.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rachelao.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/rachelaomusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rachel-AO-111871271272006/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/_rachelaomusic
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/Rachierachable
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5U2Jmc2xtomCWD7m9VbxfQ Apple Music: music.apple.com/us/album/perfect-single/1605240165 Soundcloud: soundcloud.app.goo.gl/wrZQoqjSAt8JYcPs9

Image Credits
Anthony Nunez (personal photo) Kate Kotlyar (performance photos) Lorenzo Scott (studio/street photos)