We had the good fortune of connecting with Angélica Rahe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angélica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’m an independent artist, so having my own business allows me to maintain ownership and control over what I create and how it’s put out into the world. Everything from which photographers I work with to who mixes my album are things that I want to be involved in, and oftentimes artists give that up when they sign to a label. Having my own business is one way I can guide my own career and, by extension, own my creative expression and art.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In a lot of ways I think my music and my art has become my best form of identity in that it conveys where I’ve been, who I am and where I want to go more than someone asking me “where are you from?” or “what are your goals?” or something like that. My art is my self expression, particularly my femininity, which is at the core of my sound and my point of view. I moved around a lot growing up between Japan, Spain and the U.S., but now I’m firmly rooted in one place, which is my connection to myself and my art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Even though we still find ourselves in a pandemic, there are still a lot of great, safe things to do here in Austin. Food wise I’d suggest starting the day off with a coffee at Medici (West Austin) or Figure 8 (East Austin) or juice at Juiceland (multiple locations), lunch/day hang vibes at Better Half or Kinda Tropical, a nice dinner at Comedor or Uchiko, and at any hour of the day, a visit to Gemelli for a scoop of gelato always hits the spot. For some heavenly self-care, visit eleMint for a facial, a great new Black-female owned business that actually opened during the pandemic, which is super inspiring. I’m really into vintage clothing, so I would definitely recommend checking out some of my favorite local shops as well (whether in person or online) like Passport, Moss, Charm School, plus Austin-based online shops like La Ropa and Laced With Romance. And if you have a car and want to venture further out for something more outdoorsy, I love visiting Enchanted Rock for a hike or McKinney Falls for a swim. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Without a doubt, the person who has been both a huge source of inspiration for the music/art I create as well as my biggest rock and support system is my fiancé Joah. When we connected 3 years ago I was still living in LA, trapped in a bit of a cycle – constantly in “give” mode, in sessions writing songs and on tour musical directing for other artists – and he really was a catalyst in me choosing to re-center and for the first time focus on myself and my own voice and career. He started managing me in late 2018 and together we have done so many things I am incredibly proud of – we released an EP, then my debut album, REINA, which came out on Valentine’s Day 2020, we shot music videos and live performance videos, we put together a killer band, he booked my North America tour, etc. Most of all, he’s helped me create space for myself to create. And I think beyond what we’ve done, it’s how we’ve done them that means the most to me – because the focus truly has been on creating authentic, honest, heartfelt art, with and for people we love. He has been an integral part of my journey and truly helped me see that I don’t have to sacrifice my personal wellbeing and happiness in order to pursue my passion; that those two things can beautifully and powerfully coexist.

Website: angelicarahe.com
Instagram: @angelicarahe
Twitter: @angelicarahe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladyrahe
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AngélicaRahe
Other: I have a Limited Edition 12″ vinyl of my debut album REINA on sale now on my Bandcamp page: https://angelicarahe.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
All photos by Jana Cantua: http://instagram.com/janacantua

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