RINI Is Risking It All—And He’s Ready to Win Big
The Filipino R&B singer walks into a room like a song you forgot you loved, his voice steady, his words careful, as if aware that the right ones could change everything
The sound of RINI
When I met RINI for the first time, just outside a garden, he was smooth, unhurried, like he was carrying the weight of something tender. If you know his music, you know the feeling.
The Filipino-born, Melbourne-raised, and now LA-based R&B artist has spent years crafting the kind of slow-burning and late-night soundscapes that feel like they should be played over city lights or through a pair of headphones on an overcast morning.
His voice—both in music and in conversation—is warm, reflective, and intentional.
For someone whose music has been streamed by millions, RINI speaks with the careful sincerity of a guy who still reads his YouTube comments.
He smiles when he talks about fans interpreting his lyrics in ways he never expected.
“There’s actually this one fan on YouTube that always comments on my videos. She writes all these interpretations that I never would have thought of. It’s so cool how people receive it differently,” he says. He still responds when he can.
The influence on Filipino heritage
There’s something about his approach to music that feels deeply personal, and not just because his breakout hit, My Favorite Clothes, was pulled straight from heartbreak.
His songs don’t just tell stories—they unravel them, slowly, the way emotions do when you’re up too late thinking about someone you lost or never quite had.
It’s no surprise that his Filipino heritage plays a role in that.
“Filipinos love ballads. They love heartbreak songs. And I’m all about that—expressing your raw emotion through the lyrics and the songs.”
RINI’s musical identity is a balancing act. The influences of his Filipino upbringing, his teenage years in Melbourne, and his current life in LA all pull him in different directions.
“I’ve sort of found a way to get inspiration from my upbringing and put it in the modern music world,” he says. But it’s not just about sound—it’s about values, too.
“I have my morals when it comes to the stuff I want to talk about in the songs. The words I speak. That’s heavily influenced by my Filipino upbringing.”
Taking risks
He’s quick to acknowledge the risks that come with pursuing music, especially in an industry as fast-paced as LA.
Moving there was a gamble, and he’s named his upcoming project Casino in honor of that feeling.
“For the past four years of me trying to pursue music, moving to the States, it’s been a big risk. Most of the time, I’m like, damn, I don’t know if I’m going to make it,” he admits.
But he’s learned to embrace the uncertainty. “That’s kind of how it’s supposed to be. You gotta take a leap, you gotta take a risk, and put a bet on yourself.”
If his last project, Lucky 7, was about finding his sound, Casino is about what comes next—the realization that life, like music, is unpredictable.
“Life is like a metaphor… I mean, a casino is like a metaphor for life. You go in there, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But you never know when you’re going to hit the jackpot.”
That mix of hope and vulnerability is what makes RINI’s music resonate. He’s not one to force a song just for the sake of writing.
“I’ve tried to write songs just to write them, but they were never the ones I really gravitated towards. The ones that speak to people—those are the songs that came from something real.”
RINI’s songwriting process is deliberate. In an industry that often prioritizes speed over substance, he chooses depth.
“Some artists like the fast-paced way. I like to take my time.”
Fashion, like music, is another way he expresses himself. He’s moved from 90s-inspired baggy fits to rugged, Americana-style workwear, with a love for thrifting that keeps his style unique.
“The thing I love about thrifting is that you don’t see other people wearing what you’re wearing,” he says.
“Fashion is another outlet for artists. I love when a musician looks like their music.”
A full-circle moment
This past March, RINI performed at the PLUS63 Music Festival in the Philippines, a moment that brought him full circle.
The Filipino fans who have supported him from the start finally got to hear him live. “To all the Filipino fans, thank you so much for supporting the music, supporting me as an artist. I love you guys so much.”
And the best part? He’s working on organizing a tour in the Philippines and across Asia before the year ends.
For now, RINI is still writing, still searching for the song that will define this next chapter.
He has one in mind—one he wrote about proposing to his girlfriend.
“When I was writing that song, I literally cried. Like, tears of joy. I couldn’t have imagined ever writing a song that would make me feel like that.”
Years from now, if one song of his had to be remembered, he knows My Favorite Clothes would be the safe answer.
But he’s hoping something from Casino will surpass it.
Maybe the proposal song. Maybe something else he hasn’t even written yet.
Whatever it is, one thing is certain—RINI is still betting on himself, and he’s all in.
Festival photos courtesy John David Dela Peri and PLUS63 Festival
Special thanks Secret Signals
