Being on the road as an artist is an exciting existence, but it can also be a lonely and alienating time. RIIKI REID knows this very well, having recently completed a six-week trip overseas by herself for the first time.
She’s also about to hit the road again, travelling to Australia to show off her music at BIGSOUND and SXSW Sydney. If she experiences pangs of homesickness this time, however, she can seek solace in her heartfelt new single.
The introspective “Home With Me” was created after that first solo overseas journey, the Wellington artist reflecting on the pain of saying goodbye to her partner at the airport when she first ventured out.
Her new song, then, was initially penned about missing just a partner, but it quickly evolved into a more general encapsulation of missing home, whatever or wherever that may be.
“At the time, the song was about missing the person you love and thinking, ‘What if I never got to see that person again? Do they really know how much I care for them?'” REID explains.
“Home isn’t the location or the amazing house with your dream decor in your dream country – it’s where your people are. Today, when I think about the meaning of the song – it’s a happy song because it reminds me of my love for the people around me. It also helps me to remember to enjoy the moment, and soon enough I will be home again soon in the arms of my loved one.”
You can watch the Oscar Keys-directed music video below.
“Home With Me” Is REID”s first release since her 2022 EP, Crash & Collide, a record that was the ideal introduction to Raquel Abolins-Reid’s new artistic moniker (she previously released music as just “RIIKI”).
REID was chosen as the Opening Act in the March issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ, and she told us all about this exciting new chapter of her career.
One of the songs on Crash & Collide, “The City”, touched on similar themes of home and community as her new single, inspired by REID’s fond memories of going out with her friends in Wellington just after COVID-19 lockdown.
“There was this period of time when my friends and I were going to this Wellington club, 121, every weekend,” she told us earlier this year. “It’s all house and techno, it’s really dancey, and the club became a hub for us. It was right after COVID lockdown and it was just that little burst of time where we could go out together, dance a lot, and have fun.”
RIIKI REID’s “Home With Me” is out now.
