featured image by Crystal Chen
“I was really stressed about it, but then I learned how to change the stress into excitement about it, you know?”
Annika Rani responds when asked about the attention she’s garnered for her latest single, “Blush.” While she got micro-internet famous for her visuals alongside “Blush,” Rani has a strong circle of what she does. A breath of fresh air sonics, striking visuals, and a memorable face, Rani is a one stop shop if you enjoy a fusion of the 80’s with a touch of South Asian sound. Her latest single, “I Want You To Know” sounds like it was made for a couple of decades old commercial in the best way possible.
death of the rabbit was blessed to talk to Annika Rani about her latest single, “I Want You To Know” and how it is on the other side of the world. “I Want You to Know” is out know on streaming platforms.
DEATH OF A RABBIT: I feel like one of the things that sets your new era, other than sonically, is your bob! I wanted to hear the story of your bob, which I understand is not just an artistic choice.
ANNIKA RANI: When I was conceptualizing the album and who I wanted to be in 2025, I would make all these drawings of this girl with a bob. It was a character that I really wanted to step into and it feels so powerful when I style the bob. [I’m] kind of stepping into that character for this album, which I think is really fun!
DOAR: How distinctive is your character in this album? Or rather, how distinctively is it you versus a character?
ANNIKA: It’s musically me, the lyrics and the album itself are very much me. But with the visuals, I really like to step into a caricature of me and something that just draws you in and is compelling and strong.
DOAR: One thing that definitely represents that well is your song, “Blush,” and the music video for it. The use of color in your work, but especially in this video, is very apparent and intentional. For example, the use of makeup with the blue eyeshadow and pink blush, which is possibly 80’s inspired.
ANNIKA: The blue and blush was really inspired by the “Life on Mars” video from David Bowie. So, yes, it’s very referential, but at the same time, trying to make something new!
DOAR: Absolutely. I feel like the presentation and art of the music seems just as important as the music itself to you. What does it mean to have these conceptual things lie within your art?
ANNIKA: It’s very important to me because I feel an importance to do as much as I can visually because I know I can do it and you don’t have to do as much visually when the music really speaks for itself. But I feel like right now in my career, I’m at a point where I need to be able to draw people in and really get their attention. Everything is very fast paced; you see one thing and then it’s gone tomorrow. So I really feel like I need to do whatever I can when it comes to harnessing that strength of mine, because I think I do create good visual ideas. There might be a point where I don’t really feel like doing that as much, but right now, I’m really loving it!
DOAR: You direct and have creative direction for all the music videos and then you have Crystal Chen, who does the video and photos. How is it working with Crystal?
ANNIKA: It’s so good. She’s one of my best friends, so it’s really fun. She’s really talented and its so good because I feel like she just understands the vision and fills in the gaps of what I didn’t know needed to be filled.
DOAR: Sonically, you still sound in the 80’s like your last EP, but in a different area. Maybe more like 80’s pop? You also still have Prince as an inspiration, so maybe you have a different era this time of Prince.
ANNIKA: I think with this album, or the next song I’m releasing, I was really inspired by Parade. I love that album and have been listening to it for three months straight. I still listen to it and it still sounds new to me, which is crazy. I love his collaborators, Wendy and Lisa, who are amazing musicians as well. Wendy actually plays guitar in Purple Rain, which is really cool. She helped write and I think not enough people know that. They really inspire me as well.
DOAR: How was the reception with “Blush?” Was it surprising? Were you taken aback?
ANNIKA: For sure, it was crazy! I don’t know, because you always want to think the best when you put it out there, and then it kind of starts to happen. It’s actually insane. But it’s really given me a lot of motivation to just go hard.
DOAR: Is it scary at all? Now that you’ve got these eyes on you?
ANNIKA: I think at first, I was really stressed about it, but then I learned how to change the stress into excitement about it, you know?
DOAR: death of a rabbit likes to focus on lyricism and poetry — I was wondering, what’s a lyric that you’ve listened to lately that you really enjoyed, or what’s a lyric that you wish you’d written?
ANNIKA:
Love will make you fit it all in the car
Cameron Winter, “Love Takes Miles”
Listen to the new single below!
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