Reinel

Hey Reinel, who are you and what do you do in life?
Reinel: I’m a 23 year old multidisciplinary artist. I sing and write my own songs, I write poems, I dance and I also love to style and direct. Overall, I’m just exploring life while trying to spread a message of love and unity.

You were a dancer before you became a singer and songwriter. Can you tell us a bit about your journey as a dancer?
Reinel: I started dancing when I was eight years old, and I knew I had found my passion – moving, performing, and mastering dance skills. At the age of 16 I moved from my hometown in Belgium to Brussels, and the change was eye opening. Before I was surrounded mostly by white people, and had no sense of belonging. Moving to Brussels exposed me to different cultures and a diverse diaspora of people. I could finally be with people who I could relate to more.

I started dreaming big, and was determined to join the Alvin Ailey School, in New York. To audition, I travelled at 18 to Boston by myself. Although I didn’t feel stable mentally and the pressure was getting too much, I kept telling myself I needed to succeed. During the audition, I tried connecting to my core essence, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t see or hear anything. It was a mess. I went back home to Belgium, knowing I didn’t make it in.

Slowly, I started making peace with the thought of not succeeding. I understood that failure is okay and that it’s part of the process. I started seeing this as a quality that I’m really grateful for. My ability to bounce back and to be resilient is very strong, and I cherish that.

How did you continue your career? Did this downfall set you up to sing?
Reinel: Actually, in a way it did. Soon after my failed audition, I auditioned for another school in Amsterdam, which is called the Amsterdam University of Arts, to focus on theatre and contemporary dance. I got in and I loved it! During my time in Amsterdam, I was also introduced to singing. I realised that I was always so focused on dancing I didn’t allow myself to do anything else. This was the first time I embraced that part of myself.

Seeing other courses, programs and classes made me want to expand my artist pathway. I spoke to the director and to my surprise they put me in the second year directly. The classes were very intense, and they were also in Dutch which made it even harder. During those two years, I learned how to create a piece, to collaborate with other choreographers, and be more structured and critical in my way of creating. The next few months, I kept auditioning and receiving answers that were very vague such as being put onto a waiting list. It kept me feeling very lost and unsure, as I was so close to achieving, but in the end always got rejected.

How do you view the dance industry after your draining experiences?
Reinel: I realised more and more how abusive some institutions are. I suffered immensely mentally, and with my self-confidence. It really pushed me to the limit of my abilities.
I questioned if the rejections were related to my blackness, to my body, or to something else. I didn’t understand how to hit 100%, and they seemed like they didn’t know what they were searching for either.

I met you when you lived in London. In what way did London enrich your artist life?
Reinel: I wasn’t in a good place socially and mentally, so moving to London was a very risky decision. It was in March 2020 when the pandemic hit. My family was not with me, neither was my best friend. However, I had music and London was the place for music. My ‘EP A Gal on the Moon’ really saved me. This EP was a celebration in which I shared my relationship with the moon, and how I consider the moon a support and an angel. The moon feels like someone I can speak to and just gives me light and calmness. The whole EP is a confession of some truths, my dreams, and hopes.

I refined the EP and perfected it. I started performing it before its release, in Brussels, Rotterdam, and Berlin. My proudest moment must have been my performance in Ancienne Belgique, where I performed on a double bill with the French singer ICHON. It felt like the universe was finally on my side and everything started flowing in the right way. The performance was a success because I worked so hard for it with my team.

How do you juggle making music and dance?
Reinel: My performances are usually very artistic and I try to integrate as many disciplines as possible; such as dance, music, creative direction, and styling. It all harmonises and works together when I’m on stage.

After hearing your incredible journey so far, do you think everything happens for a reason?
Reinel: I believe in destiny and the concept of timing. However, looking back some restrictions might have slowed me down, which helped me develop and reflect. I do feel like every challenge I have faced and all the people I have encountered on my journey so far have made me grow. It helped me develop my skills as an artist and my trajectory. I think everything happened at the right time. Patience has brought me to so many different places such as Brussels, Amsterdam, and London. Now I can breathe and feel comfortable and I have people that support me.

What do the different cities represent to you retrospectively?
Reinel: Brussels is home for me now, because my family and my closest friends are here.
Brussels really gave me this humility and being open and spontaneous. Amsterdam helped me discover music and theatre, as well as the ability to look beyond dance. It also assisted me to become less judgmental and rigid. London is just great in itself. I feel like London helped me accept myself. The people in London are also very generous, and you’ll always be surrounded with art, love, laughter, good vibes. I was really inspired by that. I think the combination of these three cities made me who I am now. I feel very blessed.

What are you working on at the moment and what are your plans for the future?
Reinel: Being born in Belgium alienated me from my Congolese roots. Previously, I always tried to fit in and tried to do everything I could in order to belong. Throughout the years, I’ve detached from that desire and instead have just tried to figure out who I really am. I needed to listen to my parents, and I needed to travel back to Congo, my country in order to absorb my roots and my culture. I really wanted to respect my culture.

I released an EP ‘Closer to Truth’, along with a 13-minute short film to embellish it. I’m very proud of the film which testifies to the process of discovering my roots. It’s music is a manifestation of my deep and slow burn reflections on the conscious mind by exploring Freudian theory, as well as the ancestral rites of my original Congolese tribe, the Bashi. Still on that energy, I’m flying to Congo to meet and create directly with local artists. So new music is also certainly coming up next year. I’m very excited to undertake this journey [to Congo] to create it.

You are a very inspiring person. What last message would you like to share with YEOJA?
Reinel: I think what’s most important is to allow yourself to be you, and to be honest with your feelings. It’s important to embrace vulnerability and allow yourself to show it in multiple forms. Do things intentionally and consciously. Share your art because art is made to be shared. Inspire others and be inspired.

_
Photography: Fiona Quadri
Outfit: Lili Schriber
Hair: Hilary Bakole
Makeup: Reinel Bakole
Production: Lindel Bakole

To follow Reinel on Instagram click here. For more interviews, click here.