EXCLUSIVE: KRNB Singer RIKA Talks About Her Debut, Inspirations, DAVIIN, & More

RIKA is a Korean-American trilingual singer-songwriter from the Bay Area, California. After going viral in 2020 after her audition for BE:LIFT, she was inspired to chase after the dream of becoming an independent music artist. RIKA has elaborately shared her feelings about her debut RP “TOXIC,” the learning process, initial dreams, hobbies, and more!

“Hello! I’m RIKA and I’m an independent KRNB artist. You might remember seeing my viral BE:LIFT rap audition video back in 2020. Despite popular belief, I’m originally a singer and not a rapper and I recently just came out with my debut EP, “TOXIC” which is available on all platforms now! If you want to support me, like KRNB, or want just some new music to listen to, please go check it out!”

RIKA is new to the industry and has a lot of feelings about her debut as a soloist. She talked about how she was still processing the new change in her life, as she is starting to see people listening to her music and interviewing her. “In my head, I’m still just a random person in my room that makes music. I don’t think I really have a full sense of this being a debut because I don’t really have a sense that other people can perceive me in the first place haha. But when I am reminded of how many people enjoy my music or how many opportunities this has unlocked, it’s exciting!”

On July 29, she made her official debut with TOXIC, an EP that is entirely dedicated to vulnerable emotions seen in romantic relationships, specifically unhealthy ones, like nostalgia, complexities, and regret. The artist’s past relationships inspired her to create an album, she shared, “I kind of treat songwriting and my music as a form of therapy. I think I use it to vent, process emotions and experiences to just get it all out so I don’t hold too much in. Unfortunately, I’ve been in too many toxic relationships in the past and because of that, it’s kind of seeped into my music. It’s something I’m familiar with and it’s something I’m sure other people can connect to as well. I want to be an artist that’s genuine with their music and has a strong connection to each song, so I thought it would be only fitting for my debut EP to be about one of the things I’ve written songs about the most.”

She very openly and comfortably shared how her music can seem “a little dark because of the fact I use it as therapy.” When we asked her about the learning process that came with the creation of her first EP and what she wished to do differently, she said, “I think I want some happier music too haha. I think it would be fun to write something more lighthearted sometime. I also think in the future I want to release a full-length album at some point. Although I’m very proud of all four songs on my EP, I do think it’s a little short. I mean, I guess that just means you can anticipate my future work even more haha.”

We were curious to know which track from her EP was her favourite. RIKA seems to love all her tracks so much that choosing one was just not possible! The artist shared her thoughts on every song and what went into it while making them.

• Genie

“I love it because it’s really catchy, sensual, and has very confident lyrics where the girl is in charge for once. It also holds a special place in my heart because I remember how excited I was with how the song was turning out as I was writing and recording it.”

• Motels & Cheap Wine

“This is a story. Although all of my songs kind of connect into what my friend calls the “RIKA cinematic universe,” I think this is one song where you don’t have to really look deeper to recognize that it tells a story. I also really love DAVIIN’s verse haha.”

• Addicted

“Holds a special place in my heart. I mean I wrote it with Shoose who actually happens to be one of my close friends. We’ve both had our fair share of toxic relationships and we’ve also both had what we call “villain eras” which we shared with each other many times. We wrote this song as kind of a quasi-physical representation of our complicated healing processes and how at some point in time, both of us have had our moments of being the toxic ones as well.”

• Goodbye

“Ouch, that’s a good one. I remember I was really going through a tough time and when I was trying to write the song, the only thing on my mind was this terrible situation I was in. I wrote the song as a representation of the worst outcome that could have come out of it and because of it, I ended up sort of making peace with the feelings I had. It’s so hard to choose!”

Motels & Cheap Wine is the title track for TOXIC and features artist DAVIIN. The track’s plotline is based on a complicated relationship where one person was greatly hurt and deals with it in a dubious way, after being stood up at a rendezvous point. Despite the guy is bad for her she ended up falling in love with him.  We asked her about the synergy between herself and DAVIIN during the arrangement of the track, and she shared, “I expected him to write his verse kind of playing into this “bad guy” perspective but I was really pleasantly surprised he went in a completely different direction. Instead, he wrote his verse about the same relationship, but from a completely different point of view. In his eyes, he’s the one that’s been hurt by the other’s actions but he still says he needs her anyways. That’s actually one of his lyrics haha. He also says like “on the same night, I heard you were with a guy until the late night” which explains why his “character” stood her up at the motel. If you can’t already tell, I love telling stories in my music and I think this one is really narrative-heavy. What I like so much about our verses is that they compliment each other in the sense that it shows how we tend to villanize the other person more often than recognize our own faults. It also shows how messy and complicated a toxic relationship can be. Most people think of toxic relationships and think there’s a good guy and a bad guy but it’s never that simple.”

RIKA’s audition video for BE:LIFT blew up and that was what motivated her to start a career as an independent artist. Though it was only now that she properly knew what she wanted, she told us that she did want to be an idol, actress, or fashion designer as a kid and it seemed unrealistic. But the responses received for her audition video changed the way she looked at things, “Through the audition video, I realized how it might not be so impossible after all. I mean I never could have imagined that so many people would have watched the video, and nonetheless support me. I think I’ve always been a little insecure about my music because I don’t have any actual musical training. Everything I do is just a product of how much time and practice I’ve put into my music. When the video went viral, I wrote it kind of just as a fun little project or a way for me to practice writing even more and I thought maybe I’d get like a handful of people giving me feedback. Boy, was I wrong?! The video blew up and literal thousands of people supported me and gave me a lot of good feedback. I think that kind of validated my musical abilities in a way haha. I got a lot of confidence in my music because of it so I’m really thankful for any and everyone that was a part.”

We wanted to know more about RIKA and hence, we had more questions for her!

NH: Where do you get your artistic inspiration from? What does music mean to you?

RIKA: My inspiration comes from my life I suppose. Everything I’ve ever written about is either rooted in something I’ve been through or felt before. Sometimes some of these stories are a little extreme but at the end of the day, they’re representations of my own emotions. I think music to me is expression. It’s also a form of therapy as I mentioned before, and it’s also one of the best things that have ever happened to me. Through music I’ve met so many amazing people, had so many amazing opportunities, and it genuinely makes me happy because I love it, and I always have.

NH: What are your hobbies and interests outside of music?

RIKA: Oh, I have a lot of hobbies. I think first and foremost I just like making things. Whether it be music, clothes, drawings, paintings, baking, cooking, fixing things, etc. In Korean, there’s a term called “sonjaeju” which pretty much means being able to make anything well with your hands and I can confidently say that’s something I have. I also love watching shows and movies! I’m a really big sucker, especially for kids’ movies and shows like Miraculous Ladybug, Monster High, Gravity Falls, and Wizards of Waverly Place. I also love basically any old Barbie movie as well as any Disney/Pixar film in existence. I love gaming too! I think in another life or if I didn’t do music I’d definitely be a Minecraft streamer haha. Above all else though, I love spending time with my friends, family, and pets.

NH: What kind of concepts would you like to try in the future?

RIKA: I think I want to continue my “RIKA Cinematic Universe” but maybe from another perspective. Maybe I’ll write something that’s along the lines of apologizing for my “villain era,” or maybe I’ll just play into the “villain era” even more. Maybe I’ll actually write another love song. I think I’ve only written two love songs in all the time I’ve been making music haha. One of them isn’t even out! I think writing sweeter songs like that would be really cool.

NH: Where do you see yourself five years from now? What changes do you picture for yourself, career-wise?

RIKA: Honestly, I have no idea. If there’s anything I’ve learned, especially over the past 2 years, is that you can never know what the future has in store. Things I thought were impossible then are possible now, and maybe things I think are impossible right now will be possible then. I just hope I’m still making music and making people happy. In terms of career, as long as I’m happy and not completely broke I think I’ll be happy haha.

NH: What kind of impression do you wish to leave on your fans as an artist and what do you expect them to take away from your songs?

RIKA: I want people to really connect with me and my music. I’ve been on a journey of becoming more genuine with myself and how I express myself and it would be really cool for other people to go on that journey with me. I want people to see themselves in my music. I also want people to pay attention to the stories I tell. I put a lot of effort into my lyrics and it would be really cool for people to look at them and figure out all the details of each story.

Congratulations to RIKA on her debut! We thank the artist for taking time to answer our questions and wish her the very best for a bright future in her career!

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