Bay Area singer-songwriter RIKA is formally introducing her artistic side to the world with her debut EP, TOXIC. Back in 2020, RIKA went viral for her K-Pop audition video, wowing the world wide web with her rapping skills and unique charm. Since then, the trilingual Korean-American artist has been preparing to share her stories through song, and as an independent artist.
Today, RIKA gives you an inside look at the makings of TOXIC, her journey as an artist so far, and the importance of remaining authentic!
Let’s start out with an intro! Approximately how old were you when your interest in music began?
I think I started liking music since I was born. Seriously! My mom would listen to a lot of music while she was pregnant with me and after I was born I think I’ve listened to music almost every day. I remember when I was really little I loved singing, albeit I wasn’t the best at it, and I would do little mini concerts for my dog haha. When I was in elementary school I started doing dance and talent shows, then by high school I started making and releasing music. Now here we are!
Who were some of your biggest role models when you were growing up?
The first person that comes to mind is actually my mom. I’m sure anyone with immigrant parents would agree that our parents have been through a lot all just to give us a better life. I think some other that I could think of are probably fictional characters now that I’m thinking about it. I really looked up to Hermione, Katara, and Alex Russo haha.
In 2020, you participated in BELIFT LAB’s global audition. Can you share some of your most important takeaways from the experience?
I think the only real takeaway I got from the audition is that you never know what’s going to happen. I really posted the video without much thought and I had no idea it would go viral. I think another thing is, funnily enough, that another thing was that I had underestimated myself quite a bit. I never considered myself a rapper and I didn’t think I was much good at it if I’m being honest. I wrote the rap I did in the video as an excuse to practice to get better as well as just for fun. I think the fact that so many people liked it and even streamed the video repeatedly, just goes to show that I’ve been underestimating myself and I should try to experiment and take risks every now and then. Who knows? Maybe something will come of it.
Building up an online presence is a crucial, yet often intimidating process for many young artists. Can you offer any advice for other artists trying to have their voices heard across the digital landscape?
Honestly I’m not too sure if I’m the most qualified person to be answering this haha. I still have a long way to go myself. I think the most important thing is being genuine. You can be as charming as you want, and yes that will get you followers, but if you’re not genuine at the same time, what’s the point? If you are able to make genuine connections w the people that follow you and you see them as people instead of numbers, they’ll feel a lot more inclined to support you.
Let’s talk about your debut EP Toxic. What are some of the main messages you want to convey to listeners with this project?
I, like many of us, have been in one too many toxic relationships in my lifetime and I’ve come to learn that they’re never simple. They’re always complicated and nothing is ever black or white. I feel like a lot of the time growing up we see examples of toxic relationships and toxic people as “the bad guy” and as long as you’re not “the bad guy” you must be “the good guy”. I think that’s terrible advice haha. I’ve come to understand that everyone involved tends to be a shade of gray, and there’s always hurt on both sides. Through this EP I tell stories that look at a toxic relationship through a lot of different perspectives. It’s conflicting at times, and as hard as it is to accept sometimes we are the problem. I think a lot of us instinctually put ourselves in a victim mentality whenever things happen, and to some degree we are. But I think too often than not we only look at things from our point of view. In Korean, there’s a phrase that says “you can’t see the mountain if you’re on it” and I think that’s the kind of thing I wanted people to be able to recognize and apply to their own way of seeing the world. Sorry if that got a little too deep haha.
Can you share the story behind the title track “Motels & Cheap Wine” and how it came together?
I think there’s a lot of ways I could answer this question. In terms of the concept behind the song, I kind of came up with it through a combination of listening to the beat as well as reflecting on my own life experiences. I come from a background of writing poetry and when I write poems I usually just spitball a concept and then it snowballs into a lot more. When I first heard the beat, I think the first thing I thought about was heartache and loneliness, but also kind of sexy? It sounds crazy now haha but I think from there it slowly became rendezvous with a toxic lover, which then became a motel, which then tied to dubious coping mechanisms became “Motels & Cheap Wine”. The collaboration with DAVIIN however is a whole different story. I had worked with him before on his debut EP as well and I was really well versed in his style and sound which tends to be some pretty explicit lyrics and f-boy behavior to say the least haha. When I had the idea of having a feature on this song, I immediately thought of him first and I expected his verse to be the way his other work had been but I was very wrong. I think this is actually the most PG verse I’ve ever heard from him now that I think about it haha. When I proposed the concept of the song to him, I had no idea that he would write his verse as a completely different take on the situation described in my lyrics. It was really an eye opening moment if anything because it showed me that two people could interpret the same situation in two completely different ways. I think that’s actually what became the seed to this whole EP.
Are there any specific artists you hope to work with in the future?
I have a lot! First and foremost I’d love to work more with my friends. Of course I want to work with both shoose and DAVIIN again haha. But I have a lot of friends that make music and I’m a big fan of all of them if I’m being honest. (Just don’t tell any of them haha). I would love to get the chance to work with them since I haven’t had the opportunity thus far. I think however if I was going to dream REALLY big, I would love to work with BIBI or Lolo Zouai. I am a huge fan of both of them and I really look up to them as artists and as people. I think if I ever got the chance, I’d confidently be able to say that I could die happy haha.
Check out RIKA’s EP TOXIC below, and be sure to say hi on Insta, TikTok, and Twitter @narikande!
