This story originally appeared in i-D’s The Homegrown Issue, no. 355, Spring 2019.
“Performing is even better than I imagined it would be,” 22-year-old Rimon says. “Being able to stand there and show your emotions to people through your music, to see them relating to it and singing along… it’s the craziest feeling ever. So much adrenaline, so much love.” Rimon moved to the Netherlands as a child, having fled Eritrea with her mother and navigating several Dutch refugee camps before settling in a quiet village 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam, the city the singer-songwriter now calls home. Rimon slid into our DMs a year ago with a link to her beautiful Soul Train-inspired music video for Grace. She was still at school, waitressing, dreaming of making music full time. And then it all kicked off. Quitting everything, she began independently releasing song after song, video after video — and the industry took note.
A few months back, Rimon put out BBYGIRL FOCU$, a debut EP full of R&B gold that doubles up as a mantra for her and her friends. “The title is to remind you that, whatever situation you’re in, you shouldn’t forget to look after yourself,” she says. “You should never put all of your energy into other people.” Taking the message public, Rimon is currently working on a zine and community-focused event series under the same name, with the aim of cultivating the young female talent she sees around her. Through building a community of role models and collaborators, Rimon hopes that BBYGIRL FOCU$ will encourage the next generation to explore their creativity. “Fear and insecurity shouldn’t be something that holds you back. I just want there to be this whole wave of female singers, producers, photographers, artists rising up out of Amsterdam.”
Credits
Photography Yavez S. E. Anthonio