RINI always has something in the works. The artist ended 2024 with the sultry and emotion-packed album Lucky 7 and began 2025 with an Australian and North American tour. Three albums in, RINI has never backed down from making a name for himself. He’s been on the move for the past ten years, creating his world and perfecting his sound, and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. That’s one thing to know about him, but don’t worry — we’ve got seven more for you right here.
1. Where in the World is RINI?
Though RINI now lives in LA, his slight accent may tell you that wasn’t always the case. As a Philippines native, he often recalls experiences from his childhood, from calling down the bus by yelling “PARA!” to reminiscing on his favorite local convenience store snacks. Spending a good portion of his childhood in the Philippines led RINI to pull heavy influence from Filipino tunes, but when his father changed jobs, his home changed as well.
After moving to Melbourne at the age of 13, the change in stomping grounds influenced a big shift in his perspective and personality as well. Throughout his teen years, he yearned for a creative outlet, resulting in him busking on the streets of Australia. With a mic, a guitar, and a growing dream, he suddenly realized that maybe music could be more than a hobby. Recently, RINI returned to Australia for a quick tour around his old home, but he will be returning to his current home in LA very soon.
2. Written in the Stars
Though RINI may give off very chill and relaxed energy, he is an astrology aficionado behind the scenes — though even if he has knowledge and an opinion about every star sign, it doesn’t necessarily mean he fully believes in all of it. In an interview, he spilled all his thoughts about every sign, ranking them out of ten. His favorites? Virgos, Scorpios, Cancers, Aquarius, and Taurus. RINI himself is a Cancer.
His love for the stars doesn’t stop at astrology. The name of his sophomore album, Constellations, comes from the idea of connection. “Just like the stars in the skies, how when you connect the stars and form a pattern, then you have a constellation,” RINI mentioned in an interview. Though RINI may not be all in on astrology, he does believe that there is something bigger than all of us out there, whether that’s the connections we share or destiny.
3. Writing from Experience
Every songwriter has their own method for conjuring up the perfect tune. Some may put themselves in another’s shoes, while others create a beat and know exactly what lyrics they are going to pair with it. For RINI, his process stems from creating songs from experiences he has been through. RINI opened up about his songwriting and why he chooses to write from experience rather than telling a story that isn’t his.
“When I write music … I need to somehow relate it to my experience. I’m all about sharing my experiences, because I feel like people will be able to relate to that even more, in a deeper sense.” When writing “My Favorite Clothes,” RINI was truly going through heartbreak. “Now that song has over 70 million streams, and I feel like the reason behind that is because it was very true.” RINI still holds to this, saying that his favorite way of finding inspiration is to “live life a little bit.”
4. Collab King
Though RINI has incredibly smooth and silky vocals on his own, his voice is one that blends seamlessly with others, and this isn’t something he has shied away from. In 2024, fans were surprised to see a collaboration between Galdive and RINI for “Stay.” Before this, RINI collaborated with artists like EARTHGANG and notably Wale for “Red Lights,” which was later featured on his Constellations album as the opening song. Reflecting on the experience in an interview with Flaunt, RINI said, “Wale is one of the heroes that I was looking up to since I was in high school.”
The singer is also known for his tight friendship with Thuy. The duo has sung together on “trust,” interviewed each other, and were even seen together in Perth at Thuy’s show, where RINI performed a surprise special stage. Their collaboration for “trust” in 2022 set the friendship in stone.
5. RINI’s Favorite Clothes
RINI can be described as a singer, songwriter, and vintage enthusiast. His fashion has always been very individual to him. That’s because he rarely shops big brands and instead focuses on vintage pieces that he finds himself. Always on the lookout for his next outfit, RINI often finds himself in the thrift looking for anything ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s that calls his name.
RINI has made it known on social media that he is part of “The Gold Digger$” club, where he virtually took fans along on one of his thrift trips in the Melbourne store, Retropolis, to look for “gold.” But what comes in must go out, which means he is always making room for his next find. To do so, he holds pop-ups where vintage lovers and fans alike can look through all of the clothes he is selling and buy whatever they like, whether that is clothes that he’s worn on the daily or clothes worn during live shows. RINI has dubbed his pop-up store side quest as “My Favorite Clothes,” an ode to both his love of vintage and his most-streamed song.
6. Your Favorite Artist’s Favorite Artist
Though RINI has a distinct sound of his own, you may be able to pick up on the artists that greatly influence his music and creative process. His dream collab? Frank Ocean, the reason he chose to start writing music. RINI acknowledges Frank Ocean as one of his biggest inspirations and has always adored his sound and ability to have continuing narratives in his music. While honing in on his sophomore album, RINI took a try at weaving his own personal stories into his music, resulting in songs like “A Starry Night In Apollo Bay.”
Other inspirations include The Weeknd, Kehlani, Bryson Tiller, and, notably, Daniel Caesar. Long-time fans of RINI know that he first made a name for himself on a wide-scale by posting covers online. His cover of Caesar’s “Japanese Denim” now holds 8.9 million views on YouTube. Though his first covers may have been some of Frank Ocean’s, like “Self Control,” none of them have come close to his Caesar cover.
7. Road to RINI
There is a first for everything, and RINI’s concert firsts are just as exciting as you think they would be. RINI’s first time in front of a crowd was in a church band, but his first crowd of fans was made from busking. This soon led to a formal show, which sold out. So did the next and the next, leading RINI to know that this was for real.
RINI first toured America in 2021 as the opener for Alina Baraz on her Alone With You Tour, which created an opportunity to spread his music to her millions of R&B fans. After shaking off his nerves in the first couple of shows, everything came naturally to him, and the nerves were replaced with excitement. Soon after, he took the stage on his first headlining tour, Part the Naked Eye 2022. He traveled across the world, from the United States to Singapore to Brisbane.
With a bit of time in between, RINI was back on the road with 6lack in 2024, traveling around Australia and New Zealand before ending the year with an announcement of his tour. The Somewhere in Time Tour hit stages across Australia near the end of February, but the fun didn’t stop there. RINI announced on his socials that the tour will be on the road in North America from May to June 2025, giving old and new fans alike a chance to see the artist in cities near them.
Keep up with RINI on Instagram, X, and YouTube. You can listen to his music on Spotify and Apple Music.
Want more artists like RINI? Read about 10 Lover Boys For Your Playlist here!
