Whether you believe life unfolds by design, by fate, or through the unexpected turns that lead us where we’re meant to be, Rakiyah’s journey is a testament to how one path can breathe life into another. The New Jersey-born Alternative R&B and Alternative Rock artist has transformed her unconventional background into a sonic universe entirely her own, crafting a world where imagination, emotion, and storytelling collide.
Reflecting on her transition into music, Rakiyah recalls balancing college studies with writing to YouTube beats and releasing tracks on SoundCloud. However, it was a transformative study abroad experience in South Korea that shifted her perspective. Upon returning to America, she released Into the Cosmos while interning as an aeronautical engineer. The overwhelming affirmation she received for that EP gave her the confidence to leave engineering behind and pursue music full-time.
While aerospace engineering and music might seem like disparate worlds, Rakiyah seamlessly blends them. She notes that her STEM background and creativity feed each other, allowing her to push the limits of self-expression. “You see the experimental scientist in the execution of my art,” she explains. “My storytelling, my aesthetic, my music is all the reflection of an engineering savant using creativity as my tools.”
Building the Cosmic Queen Mythology
Each of Rakiyah’s projects serves as a chapter in the mythology of her alter ego, the Cosmic Queen. She describes the evolution of this character as a personification of the divine feminine, noting that her latest work aims to go deeper, peeling back layers to explore themes of love lost, betrayal, pain, and eventual healing.
Her artistic vision is heavily influenced by the sci-fi and fantasy storytelling of the nineties, citing films like Twilight, Blade, and Lord of the Rings, alongside combat video games and comic series like X-Men. When asked which character best reflects her artistry, she points to Storm. “She has such a complex lore. Her power, her character development, the universes she exists in. I see myself and the Cosmic Queen as that type of omega-level mutant.”
Authenticity and the ‘My Collection of Boy Tears’ Era
Rakiyah draws inspiration from legends like Missy Elliott, Janet Jackson, and Aaliyah, blending these influences with her own multi-dimensional identity. She acknowledges the challenges of being a Black woman in the industry who refuses to fit into a predictable box, stating, “I feel like I am constantly being perceived by people who have a hard time opening their minds up to what music from a black woman can sound like.”
With her latest album, My Collection of Boy Tears, she marks the culmination of her Cosmic Love Odyssey trilogy. The project serves as a release and an affirmation of growth. “I hope the Cosmic Queen’s journey of experiencing such pain, sharing her flaws as she sought comfort, and then ultimately being able to process, accept, and heal serve as a revelation to me and everyone who hears this project that we have the ability to reclaim our power in all aspects of our lives,” she says.
Ultimately, Rakiyah hopes listeners understand that their own tears can be used to water their personal gardens. Beneath the heartbreak and the pain, she insists, there is always a path to restoration.