Born in the Philippines, the young Justerini Sandoval would often tap into his love for music at church. When he and his family would go on to move to Australia, he’d find himself honing in on that growing passion further.
At 17, he would take his music to the streets of Melbourne with his guitar in tow, earning a bit of cash from busking for the passersby who happened to walk in his path. But Sandoval was determined to make his presence known. He eventually decided to post his first cover on YouTube in 2016 so more could hear his voice.
“I was inspired by other YouTubers for sure. I was watching covers of other people, and I was like, ‘You know what? I want to try doing that.’ I never really expected anything from it. I just wanted to do it for fun but people started saying ‘Hey, you have a good voice. You should start writing your own songs,’’’ he recounted.
Not long after, he’d follow through on that advice and begin to post his original songs on the net, unaware that that would signal the beginning of a successful music career — one where he’d become known to the world by the last two syllables of his name: RINI.
A pleasant surprise
RINI is as laidback as ever. As I spoke to him in person, he was always quick to admit that he didn’t know why people began to tune into his releases so much. All he knows is that he’s extremely grateful to have gotten to where he is now, even though he has no clue how it happened in the first place.
“I think God just had a plan, so I’m grateful. I’m super happy that people love the music and they feel something when they listen to it,” he shared.
RINI recalled that it was his first EP After the Sun that got people talking. It was being pushed onto people’s list of recommended videos on YouTube, and before he knew it, the EP’s tracks “Meet Me in Amsterdam” and “Aphrodite,” among others, already had several million views each.
Everything would flow consistently for RINI from there. Come 2019, a new track of his, “My Favorite Clothes,” would also strike a chord with listeners, and would go on to be his most popular song to date.
“‘My Favorite Clothes’ just went crazy. I don’t know why, honestly. It’s kind of my least favorite track that I’ve made. But I guess people connected to it really well,” he said.
RINI clearly has a knack for storytelling, and music is his medium of choice. It’s the one space he feels completely comfortable in, even referring to it as his “special happy place.”
It’s music that helps RINI make sense of his experiences. It’s where he gets the confidence to express his deepest thoughts with his whole chest, even if it means having “Why did I say that?” moments here and there when he looks back on some of his past drops.
“You have to express yourself as you grow. You might find some of the things you put out corny but that’s a part of who you were before. I try not to overthink it anymore. If I like the song and it resonates with me then I’ll put it out because it will probably do the same for other people,” he shared.
Mentality
Like all good things, however, RINI’s assured demeanor didn’t come overnight. It took years for him to get over the initial “cringe” he felt from expressing himself so openly.
“Honestly, my first ever YouTube cover was of ‘Payphone’ by Maroon 5. I deleted that because it was out for maybe three years, and when I started making music and started taking it more seriously, I watched it again and I was like, ‘Holy crap, that’s horrible,’” RINI shared, laughing.
While he’s since taken the video down, he made pretty valuable realizations from rewatching it after all these years: that if you want to try something, just do it.
“50 years down the line, you might think about it, and you’re like, ‘Damn, I wish I did music. I wish I did this, because now I’m not able to.’ That thought is always in my head. If I want to do something, and I think it’s a little cringey, as long as it’s a good level of cringe, I’m cool. I might as well do it because one day I’m going to be gone. Nobody’s going to care, so just freaking do it!” RINI mused.
He’s taken those realizations rather seriously, and it shows in his extensive discography, its latest addition being the album, Lucky 7.
While Lucky 7 sees RINI reflect on his friendships, relationships, and life in general, it’s also an ode to his work as an artist. Its concept comes from the Lucky Seven slot machines, where the risk of losing all your money or hitting the jackpot is yours to take.
“This music thing is kind of a risk for me but I’m just putting all my coins in it. Lucky 7 is the perfect name for this because it resembles my journey of taking risks in music and just also being a reminder to be grateful for what I’ve achieved,” he explained.
Lucky 7 takes on a rather different sound compared to his past releases. Having grown up in the Philippines where his affinity for rock music solidified with the help of his dad, it only seemed natural for this album to bear that influence, infused with his usual R&B soundscapes. The fusion of these two genres, RINI says, is most apparent in the record’s instrumentals.
Here to stay
In less than a decade of making his own music, RINI has put out an impressive amount of EPs, singles, and albums. Sheer quantity aside, though, they’ve all got heart in them, and it’s all simply because it’s what RINI loves to do most.
“I’ve been doing [music] since I was little and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. I love the feeling of writing, creating, producing, performing on stage, all that stuff. I live for it. And sharing the journey with my friends, I think that’s what keeps me going,” RINI reflected, adding that his family members have been his number one supporters all this time.
The music industry is cutthroat. But RINI’s weathered through it all and kept his spirits high with a great support system and an unwavering love for the game, and it’s something he wouldn’t trade for the world. – Rappler.com
Content shared from www.rappler.com.