Story & Lesson Highlights with Ra7ael of Hollywood

Ra7ael shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Ra7ael, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m really proud of doing almost everything in my career artistically speaking. I’ve been getting more in charge of doing my promotion, art cover and all the material that I would need to hire someone to do. It would be really annoying to pay hundreds to people and not get what I expect while being called complicated and cheap. I paid a lot of money to this dude to create my 3rd single art cover and a kindergarten student could have done a better job — also this stylist who charged me almost a thousand to show up with terrible choices and not listen to my requirements. This might not be too much for some people, but for an independent artist, every cent counts.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Ra7ael, a singer-songwriter created and raised in Brazil, but located in Los Angeles at the moment. I just got back to releasing singles and the most recent one is called “Handbag” — which talks about my reality growing up in a scenario where being queer was so dangerous that you get convinced you need protection in case anything happens. However, I started to carry a switchblade inside my handbag when I noticed that everything was changing for the worse. Also, I got inspired by the stories of trans women who would use a blade to defend themselves from aggressors and/or cops and they would usually hide it in the back of their teeth.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I felt that people were actually expecting me to behave the way they perceived me and sometimes I feel like I’m actually following their agenda. Sometimes I feel like acting less feminine and being masculine whenever I’m not feeling like it and I think this is beautiful. Many people are not embracing or opening themselves up to something new, and that’s why they’re causing so much suffering and chaos out there.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
There’s no point in giving up. There were many times when I found myself screaming at my phone, asking why the algorithm or people in general were not engaging enough. That happens with so many artists, even with the ones who are already consolidated in the market. It’s a nightmare that you need to follow trends and give up on your originality so the viewers can be interested in your posts. However, there can be no one supporting you on the internet or thousands of people telling you to give up, but in reality, you’re going to find many different opinions about your work. At the same time that I get comments telling me to quit, I have many others in real life telling me to go out and work harder on my music because there’s something there.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, but at the same time, I try to filter myself too often because I try to keep it more professional than personal. The first ten minutes of any conversation I have with someone can turn into a bar conversation in any situation or place. Some people get intimidated when you start to live with no filter, but I’m always keeping myself in check so I won’t get to the point of sounding ridiculous. Also, as an artist, you have to understand that you’re representing yourself all the time since you’re the product on display, so it’s important to understand that your image depends on the way you behave in public.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What false labels are you still carrying?
I’ve been feeling uncomfortable lately wearing stuff that I would never have been bothered with before. Handbag is a song that shows the importance of letting your opposite side flourish. It’s ok to not feel prepared or ready to explore new things, but don’t mess with whoever is living a different reality than yours. It also comes from past traumas and blockages that we build in our minds unconsciously, and the labels that I used to deal with were not that easy to get over — and now it feels like they’re coming back. I don’t know if it’s the political or social scenario at this moment, but it just feels like people are no longer open to something outside the box.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ra7ae1/
• Twitter: https://x.com/ra7aeu
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmhRxCQm8PTgBVot9LVetbQ
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ra7aelconcetto

Image Credits
David Moreno
@dimpfv