Whether you believe life unfolds by design, by fate, or through the unexpected turns that ultimately lead us where we’re meant to be, Rakiyah’s journey is a testament to how one path can breathe life into another.
The New Jersey-born Alternative R&B and Rock artist has transformed her unconventional background into a sonic universe entirely her own, crafting a world where imagination, emotion, and storytelling collide.
Diving into her transition into music, Rakiyah shares: “During my college career I was balancing studying with writing to youtube beats and releasing music through SoundCloud.”
She continues, “But while I was studying abroad in South Korea, something opened my eyes about what life could be and what I am capable of. Through that experience I gained so much confidence that when I came back to America I released Into the Cosmos while I was interning as an aeronautical engineer. The response that I received from that EP was so affirming that I decided to quit engineering and pursue music full time.”
While aerospace engineering and music may seem like two very different worlds, Rakiyah has found a way to seamlessly blend those experiences, allowing each to influence and inform the other.
In asking Rakiyah if her engineering background has shaped the way she approaches songwriting, storytelling, or building her Cosmic Queen universe, Rakiyah responded, saying “Absolutely! I have always been in love with science, science fiction, and fantasy. My STEM background and my creativity (the left and right side of my brain) feed each other to push the limits of my self-expression. You see the experimental scientist in the execution of my art. My storytelling, my aesthetic, my music is all the reflection of an engineering savant using creativity as my tools.”
Each project Rakiyah has released has served as a new chapter in the mythology she has crafted around her alter ego, the Cosmic Queen, Rakiyah further breaks down the mythology behind the Cosmic Queen and what she hopes to achieve with each project, sharing: “Into the Cosmos laid the foundation for a new world and the identity of my alter ego, but that universe started fully materializing in the Cosmic Queen. I realized in that second project there was an evolution happening. The character was developing confidence and became a personification of the divine feminine.”
Rakiyah goes on to say, “After fully exploring that iteration of the Cosmic Queen and going through my own life experiences I realized I would be doing a disservice to myself, the listeners, and the universe I’m building if I don’t go deeper, peel back layers, and tell the stories that truly transform someone – stories about love lost, betrayal, pain, vengeance, and then healing.”
Growing up in the early nineties was such a transformative era for fantasy and sci-fi storytelling, and it's clear that Rakiyah draws inspiration from it.
She shares, “Fantasy and Sci-fi films were probably the biggest influence: Twilight, Blade, Underworld, and Lord of the Rings. Being exposed to sci-fi and fantasy so early cultivated my taste then influenced my self-expression. I also grew up loving combat fighting video games like Mortal Kombat, anime like Naruto, and comic series like X-Men (really anything Marvel or DC) which I believe influenced my own ability to develop characters.”
When asked which fantasy character best reflects her artistry, Rakiyah's answer is immediate: “Storm! She has such a complex lore. Her power, her character development, the universes she exists in. She has solar and cosmic control. Her energy is intergalactic. I see myself and the cosmic queen as that type of omega level mutant.”
Rakiyah's genre-blending artistry is heavily influenced by R&B legends like Missy Elliott, Janet Jackson, and Aaliyah while also incorporating Korean language, science fiction, and fantasy, bringing all of her passions together into one immersive universe.
Reflecting on the importance of embracing every facet of her identity, she explains, “It has been so important to me because at this stage of my life I only know how to exist authentically. I am so thankful for the opportunity to explore who I am during this existence. Those legends and those experiences combined with the confidence and creativity I have empowered me to express myself as a multi-faceted multi-dimensional multi-hyphenate artist."
Blending alternative and ambient R&B with sci-fi, fantasy, and cinematic storytelling, Rakiyah has built an expansive sonic world that continues to evolve. She shares, “The world of Rakiyah is vast because my mind is limitless. I am ever-changing, ever-evolving and my experiences cause my world to expand at an exponential rate sometimes past my own ability to execute. There’s aspects of new universes my mind is already creating and I don’t feel like I’ve even scratched the surface of my full potential. But some things will remain constant and that’s the experience I hope my listeners have while they visit my world. My celestial environment will probably always evoke a smoothness and a sexiness that is an all-encompassing ethereal escape."
Rakiyah refuses to see limits or boundaries when it comes to her art.
When asked whether, as a Black artist creating music that blends such a wide range of influences, she has ever felt expectations placed upon what her artistry should sound or look like, she responded, “Absolutely! I feel like I am constantly being perceived by people who have a hard time opening their minds up to what music from a black woman can sound like. I feel the music industry has a hard time receiving or accepting talented creators who don’t fit cleanly into a specific, predictable box. My talent, my aesthetic, my sound, and my visuals are all alternative or left of center. I have experienced harassment from singing in Korean, from making rock, and just being a black woman who exists outside of the stereotypical limitations people place on us. Despite these experiences, I continue to fall deeper and deeper in love with my authentic self. I create for myself, and it is truly my honor for those who appreciate that authenticity to continue to find and support me. So many other black girls and women share that they are inspired by me to express their authentic selves as well.”
Having entered her boldest chapter yet with My Collection of Boy Tears, the culmination of her Cosmic Love Odyssey trilogy, Rakiyah reflects on the emotional journey behind the album and the growth it represents. She shares, “Through this album acknowledge and process my unhealthy coping mechanisms, the toxic love cycles, and the pursuit of instant gratification whether in desire or vengeance. I could’ve stayed stuck there, but I’m ready for the next steps of my life, in love and in my career and that requires growth. This album is a release. An affirmation that after a painful season of trauma, shedding, and pruning there is healing and blessings and a rebirth on the other side. I hope the Cosmic Queen’s journey of experiencing such pain, sharing her flaws as she sought comfort, and then ultimately being able to process, accept, and heal serve as a revelation to me and everyone who hears this project that we have the ability to reclaim our power in all aspects of our lives.”
Her work invites listeners not only to hear her music, but to step inside it, feeling every emotion, embracing every evolution, and discovering that life's greatest hardships can become the catalyst for something extraordinary.
When asked whether there was a particular song that was especially challenging to create or holds a special place in her heart, Rakiyah pointed to "Waiting So Long."
She said, “‘Waiting So Long’ holds a very special place in my heart. It’s a song I co-wrote with my friends about watching my life like a movie on screen. In this POV, I watch and reflect on everything that’s happened to me: trauma, heartache, sadness, and discomfort not just from love but also in the pursuit of my music career. This song encompasses the full range of my emotions about the pursuit of my two greatest desires – healthy love and a successful music career. In these lyrics I share my stress and my doubts about whether I’m chasing something that isn’t for me, but I realize that having patience and using this time to nurture myself made me fall back in love with the journey. I know now that my time is coming (in love and in music), “and I’ll stay open ‘cause I waited so long.”
On the overarching message of the album, Rakiyah hopes listeners walk away understanding that “The Cosmic Queen used those tears of the boys she collected to strengthen her powers. I hope my listeners learn the strength behind sadness and know that their own tears can be used to water their personal gardens. Beneath the heartbreak, the pain, and the vengeance there is a path to healing, redemption and restoration.”
Photo Credit: Noe Cove
