B U L L E V A R D B orn in Norway to Somali parents, and raised in Finland and Sweden on a diet of Bollywood and American R&B, Sherihan ‘Cherrie’ Hersi’s cultural frame of reference is unsurprisingly broad. Nowhere is this more evident than on her second album, 2018’s Araweelo, on which she transforms R&B’s contemporary sound aesthetics into inspiring anthems sung in Swedish for third-culture kids (meaning those raised in a culture different from their parents’) like herself. <strong>The</strong> album gained the 27-year-old a nomination at this year’s Swedish Grammy awards, and having already worked with Stormzy – the grime superstar contributed English lyrics to her 2016 song Aldrig igen [må sådär] – Cherrie’s global profile was raised further thanks to props from the likes of Rihanna, SZA and Ariana Grande. the red bulletin: Your viral hit 163 För Evigt (‘163 Forever’) is an ode to your home suburb of Rinkeby, dubbed by conservative media as a no-go area… cherrie: As a kid, if someone asked, “Hey, what part of Stockholm do you live in?” you’d lie and name an area that’s pretty close to Rinkeby, otherwise people would see you as someone from the ghetto. But I wouldn’t say it’s a no-go area at all. How would you describe it? It’s a melting pot. I always thought it was such a special place, and that we’re the coolest people. Growing up with so many different influences and cultures makes you smart at understanding the world and how you fit in. To stay independent, you’ve turned down several offers from record labels. Why is that so important to you? It’s not an obvious thing for artists to have ownership. Cherrie “SOMALI MUMS ARE SUPERHEROES” <strong>The</strong> Swedish-Somalian R&B singer lets loose on the supposed ghetto she grew up in, her kick-ass mum, and the importance of being an independent artist Most of these huge artists we see, they don’t own their music; they create art that someone else takes from them and makes money from. So, for me to be independent means a lot, because I create security for myself and my family. And it shows other people who come from nothing that you don’t need to sign [a label contract]; that you can just buy a computer and learn how to make music and then record yourself. “WE RINKEBY PEOPLE ARE THE COOLEST” So the desire to inspire your peers forms part of your creative drive? Owning houses or becoming CEOs… those are not things that people [who live in Rinkeby] dare to dream about. For them, to see someone like me – a black, Muslim woman – release my own music, tour around the world or work with Vogue [magazine] instils some hope in them. And really and truly, hope is the only thing that is going to push us all forward as a society. Do you think your Somali heritage has an impact on your music? Somalia is called the ‘land of a thousand poets’, so for me making music has never been a weird thing, because music is something that helps Somali people cope during the worst times. Also, Somali mums are the strongest people I’ve ever met. <strong>The</strong>y are superheroes. For me to come from a place where women are so dominant, it affirms my whole essence – like me having my own label, Araweelo. What does Araweelo mean? Araweelo was an ancient queen who ruled over Somalia and was super badass. [In Somalia], even if there is a dad in the family, women are the man in the house. And having that female energy has given me the drive. Is your mother a fan of your music? She has been to a couple of my concerts. She’s the sweetest. She knows Swedish, but she doesn’t understand a lot of my lyrics, so she makes my little brother play my music for her and explain every single word. Fashion brand AlphaTauri visited Cherrie in Rinkeby to talk about music and how growing up there has shaped her career. Watch the video at win.gs/AlphaTauriCherrie; alphatauri.com; twitter.com/Chxrrie CYPRIEN CLÉMENT-DELMAS FLORIAN OBKIRCHER 24 THE RED BULLETIN
HIGH PERFORMANCE MERINO APPAREL TECHNICOLOUR CONOR MACFARLANE MERINO AIR-CON LIGHTER, STRONGER, DRIER DESIGNED IN WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND | MONSROYALE.COM
Change language