Loveland has been on heavy rotation in our playlists since last November , and it ’ s been amazing to see your career take off . How did the Berkshires shape your artistic trajectory ? There were a lot of cultural elements that influenced me as a Black and white woman growing up in the Berkshires and seeing both sides . I went to Lenox Memorial High , but I lived in Pittsfield . I was able to travel to Europe as part of an art class there , and I ’ m grateful that I had such a great experience with my schooling . There was one program that came to my high school called Music In Common . They bring people together from different countries through music . The topic they focused on when they visited my school was the conflict in Israel and Palestine . They flew out some kids from Israel , Iraq , and Palestine to the Berkshires , and we all wrote a song together about what was going on there . It really humanized the situation for me , and the song had a beautiful message . That was my first experience writing on a serious note and collaborating musically with other people . Singing at Reigning Love Church in Pittsfield with my mom and being in school plays was also a catalyst for me to find out that I could sing . I got a lot of positive

feedback from that . My family and I used to watch American Idol religiously . I remember always listening to the advice they gave the contestants and taking it to heart . Simon Cowell said something like , “ If you want to make it in this industry , you can ’ t sound like anybody else .” That was when I realized I needed to make my own sound . I was mostly self-taught , although I did do one vocal lesson . I listened to a bunch of different artists and genres in high school — soft rock , ambient jazz , dubstep , Lana Del Rey , Adele , Death Cab for Cutie , Bon Iver — I dug into everything . I pulled the pieces of what I liked to shape my own voice .

Your musical career began through your social media posts and videos on Instagram and YouTube . Take me through your biggest artistic milestones . I wrote my first song when I was eight or nine . I ’ m pretty sure I still have it in a little box with other family memories back home . When Instagram came out , I started doing short clips of covers I sang or verses and hooks that I wrote . I was working for my mom at Essencials Day Spa in Pittsfield as a receptionist at the time . I listened to coffeehouse-type music when I worked there like Adele and

Norah Jones , which influenced the covers I did . After I moved to Boston in 2015 , I stayed with my sister for a few weeks before I met a producer , DJ KnockOut . He saw the videos I posted and was interested in my voice . At first , I was kind of standoffish , but he turned out to be a really good friend . He made a point of getting to know me and seeing if I wanted to take music seriously . After a year went by , we went to the Berklee College of Music studios together , which were down the street from where I was living . I met some people who were really cool . They immediately wanted

to sign me and work on music , and I signed a year-long contract with their label , Genre Defining Entertainment . After that , I moved to Rhode Island to work with them . When the contract ended , I came back home to Pittsfield for a few months . I didn ’ t know what I was going to do . I had been through a lot , and it took some time to decide what I really wanted for myself . One day , I got a call from DJ KnockOut telling me that Atlantic wanted to have a meeting with me . It was an emotional moment . I flew down to Atlanta , and I met Prince Charles Alexander and Craig

COURTESY OF RAICHE

8 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Spring 2024