Rachel Chinouriri on How Sobriety and Self-Actualization Inspired Her Sophomore Album ‘I Think I Spoke Too Soon’: ‘It Was Like Doing an Autopsy on Myself’
Rachel Chinouriri says sobriety and close self-examination shaped her second album, *I Think I Spoke Too Soon*. The British singer-songwriter built it around the uncertainty of becoming who she wants to be, drawing on her experiences with drinking and loneliness.
The album, released today, frames those themes as a blurred night out and shifts from the guitar-heavy sound of her debut towards synth-led pop. Chinouriri says writing “The Good Fight” helped her recognise that she needed to stop drinking; songs including “Broken Chair” revisit how she felt between the ages of 22 and 26. Influenced by artists such as Madonna and Donna Summer, the music pairs danceable sounds with difficult personal memories and reflects her family’s use of laughter and music to cope with hardship.
- Chinouriri’s second album draws on her decision to get sober.
- Its synth-pop sound contrasts with candid accounts of loneliness.
- She describes writing it as examining herself while still changing.