Interview: Trichia Grace-Ann

Photographer: Tanmaey Malhotra

Less than two years since releasing her debut single, 23 year old Mumbai/Goa native Trichia Grace-Ann has earned world-wide recognition off the back of her extraordinary musical prowess. A capable, classically trained multi-instrumentalist as well as a captivating vocalist and emcee, Trichia has an inspiring dedication for music which has propelled her renown. Capturing our attention with a string of UK collaborations, Trichia has gone from strength to strength with each project, whilst consistently releasing music on a near monthly basis. She agreed to this interview as to provide exclusive insight into her musical upbringing, details concerning her latest singles, her life outside of music and upcoming projects in store.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Trichia also lived between her native home in Goa whilst growing up. Raised in a musical household, her mother and father Maureen & Ashley Rebello are music teachers whereas her grandfather, Bismarck Rodrigues, was renowned as one of the most prolific guitar teachers in Mumbai and across the whole of India. Trichia was taught to play piano at the age of 4, practising mostly western classical compositions. Because of her family, Trichia was exposed to stage life from a young age, inspiring her to perform music live as young as 7. Completing her formal music education aged 14, Trichia delved into other genres like jazz, rap and hip-hop by the time she was 16. “Once I started branching out into different genres, I was kind of creating my own sound,” explained Trichia. “I was finding my own sound and I felt a lot more comfortable, playing not just one genre but educating myself on the different genres there are. And most importantly: creation, creating music.” Another important part of her musical upbringing was developing her ability to scat, influenced by a passion for Jazz music - vocally as well as instrumentally. Trichia was particularly thrilled by bebop, a genre of music defined as the first kind of modern jazz characterised by fast tempos and complex chord progressions. As a teenager, Trichia challenged herself by learning the scat, bebop style of music as it made her feel the most creative; she credits this as being the starting point of being able to make her own music whilst singing. “Like if she or he can do that, then maybe I can do it if I sit down and learn everything note by note,” explained Trichia, who had decided to perform Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ classic for her 8th grade rock school exam. “But I told Mom I could not for the life of me do the scatting bit,” continued Trichia. “My Mom was like, 'Well, you are going to sit down at the piano, you are not going to be lazy, you are going to figure it out.' Then I eventually did it and it felt really good, to be able to start scatting.”

As a teenager, Trichia recalled secretly listening to the likes of Diane Schuur, Nina Simone and Diana Krall besides doing the homework her strict music teacher gave her. “I learned with another teacher, because my mother knew I would never be able to learn under her,” laughed Trichia. “I would also listen to a bit of Beyonce on a down-low, I used to listen to a lot of Destiny's Child of course, I used to also listen to Michael Jackson and Prince and just go ape in secret.” Trichia began writing music around the age of 15, again in secret due mostly to fear of how people might react. She revealed how rap music helped her to find her voice, after being introduced to the genre by her friend in college aged 16. “It kind of blew my mind,” admitted Trichia. “I got introduced to rap and I was like 'Okay, this is like a different thing altogether.’” Embracing the change from classical music, Trichia began participating at rap events and cyphers by the ages of 17/18. During these performances Trichia learnt to become more authentically herself, as she was not only expected to perform but also entertain her audiences. “It definitely has become more comfortable for me,” nodded Trichia. “As a classical pianist, you are just expected to perform. You don't really have much to say, but when you are singing or during these rap cyphers, I kind of engage my crowd with conversation at the same time. So yeah, it was really good.”

Photographer: Tanmaey Malhotra

After performing a freestyle verse at her first cypher event, Trichia began writing more rap songs thereafter and officially started putting out her own verses around the ages of 19/20. Of course, she was also under academic stress due to her efforts to finish college and achieve her degree. It was only last year that Trichia released her first rap verse on a single alongside Xtacy called VIBE, which can be found on Spotify. Since unleashing VIBE, Trichia has exhibited a determined workrate in which she aims to set the bar higher with each project she releases. “Every time I reveal a project to the world, then I am onto the next one because that is how I work,” revealed Trichia. “It is never stopping, I love doing what I am doing and right now I am at a very young age so I am going to make the most of it.” An extraordinarily versatile artist, Trichia refuses to categorise herself by defining her style of artistry. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist with an incredible vocal range and lyrical finesse, Trichia claims she has at least 25-30 songs lined up which are each different genres. “Like I said, I want to be able to experiment and right now, I am,” stated Trichia. “So just as I was writing lyrics or making music for rap and hip-hop, I also love to do R&B and jazz - I am also trying to include my classical background into it, because recently I have found my passion for playing classical music again because of the technical aspect and how I find the relativity between jazz and classical - which is kind of crazy I know, but it's there.”

Although based between Mumbai and Goa, Trichia has pricked ears worldwide due to her international collaborations, arranged mostly through messaging via Instagram. One such collaboration was with an Exeter artist called Pixie B, who initially reached out to Trichia with a demo for her debut single, Dreaming Out Loud. They connected through a mutual friend, as Trichia has family that live in Stratford, England and was planning to move there herself last year. However due to the Covid-19 pandemic, moving became an impossibility. Nonetheless, one of Trichia’s relatives linked her up with a collaboration for a single called Inside Looking Out which Pixie B apparently noticed. “I remember we started talking and I liked her story of something like that,” recalled Trichia. “The song, Dreaming Out Loud, was actually quite spontaneous; she sent me a demo and said if I wanted, we could do this.”  This opportunity intrigued Trichia, as within the India rap scene most artists attempt to be either edgy or loud to stand out. However on this track, Trichia could lay down conscious rhymes and speak openly about what was on her mind and in her heart. “I myself am very introverted and that has always been the case with me,” confided Trichia. “So when she sent me the demo, I was like, 'I would love to do something like this.' So we collaborated over it and I loved the end result, it is definitely amongst my favourites.”

Another collaboration that caught the UK’s attention was with an English artist called Kevall, who sent Trichia a demo for his rap song, Nah F**k That. After explaining to Trichia that the song was about two people in a toxic relationship, she was immediately down to write something for it. “I was like, 'Yeah I could relate,'” laughed Trichia. “So he said to write something down, I found the vibe of the song was very upbeat and I didn't want to give the song a sad vibe to it - I wanted to make it really cheeky, so I wrote the verse in like a day or something and sent him the demo.” Upon its release, the single received a lot of appreciation which surprised Trichia. “Usually with English rap over here, it is not very well known,” said Trichia. “But now it is kind of getting to that point where people are vibing to English rap as well, and I'm talking about English rap from your underground artists - not your mainstream artists.” 

However Trichia doesn’t only collaborate with international artists, arguably her most successful single to date was her recent release with two Goans called Skeletron & BMD, Hocus Pocus. This happened after Trichia was initially visiting Goa with the intention of staying 7 days, however because of the lockdown she remained there for 3 months. The silver lining was that in her Goa apartment, Trichia had a home studio at her disposal which she used to learn different music softwares whilst she wasn’t creating new music. During this time, Skeletron hit up Trichia over Instagram and asked if she wanted to hop on a track, explaining that he was a producer/DJ also in Goa. “The idea behind the track was that BMD started rapping a hook and it ended up 'hocus pocus,'” explained Trichia. “Then I was like, 'hocus pocus, now I'm in your focus' - it was just rhyming for fun, you know? I just decided to use the track to try and shout out Goa, to put it on the map when it comes to hip-hop because not a lot of people think that Goa is a main place for hip-hop, whereas it is actually growing.”

The video shoot lasted 15 hours, recorded on the first floor of Trichia’s home in Goa - because of the lockdown, they couldn't find a place to shoot the video out in the open. “So their guys came over and they filmed it on the first floor, which is practically empty,” laughed Trichia. “It was really fun, we shot for like, 15 hours. It was directed by Leon Pereira, the choreography was by Stefney Dias and the rest of the team including Maverick Dcosta, Aamir, Dezlin Miranda and Candido Aaron as well he worked with us on the video and it was brilliant, it was amazing.” Since releasing the Hocus Pocus single, Trichia has become renowned as the first female rapper to represent Goa’s hip-hop scene in India; a phenomenal achievement. Off the back of her musical successes, Trichia earnt coverage in a feature for India Vogue for ‘8 emerging Indian women in hip-hop on our radar’ which meant a lot to her. “I was like, 'Thank you so much, but what made you choose me as one of the 8 females in India?'” recalled Trichia, reminiscing when she messaged the editor of the article to thank him personally. “He was just like, 'It is just your vibe, it is the music you put out and your voice, it is absolutely distinct.' So it was really positive, I absolutely loved it and I wasn't expecting it so I was thankful.”

Aside from more upcoming collaborations which Trichia has in store, she is also preparing to release her first solo music video - not to be confused with her first single, Goldlust which dropped in February. Still currently in the production process, Trichia hopes to have the video for her upcoming single released within the following month or two. She won’t rush it though, as Trichia is still taking things slowly and putting her utmost effort into each project. “I have set the bar high and I have got to live up to that,” reminded Trichia, with a smile. “So this will be my first video, with just me. I cannot give out the name yet, but it will be really catchy on the ears, something you can vibe to and have fun with. It is just a party song, something you can vibe to basically. Even the models have been sorted out - my friends are going to be in the video as well which makes it really special for me.” As well as the upcoming solo video, Trichia is also preparing a brand new EP with a producer and fellow hip-hop artist called Xtacy, who have released two singles together to date: Trichia’s debut rap verse was with him on a track called Vibe, afterwards they released a single called ‘Show Stopper.’ “He is the one who I feel really works well on my vocals,” revealed Trichia. “So we are planning on releasing a 4-5 song EP - he is producing it only, with me writing and performing.”

Photographer: Akshay Rajgor

When she is not recording new music or working on fresh projects, Trichia also teaches singing in her spare time. Her mothers apprentice since she was 14, age was never a factor for Trichia when it came to learning and today, Trichia teaches children from the ages of 7 and also adults in their 30’s. “It has been great you know, music is like, the universal language,” beamed Trichia. “I usually group my classes either into one day, or if I have recordings or shoots to be at, I kind of place them all through the week. Right now I am really taking about 50% capacity of students because of the fact that I am also working on my own career as a performing artist.” With such incredible devotion to music, Trichia was asked if she had any other hobbies which weren’t music orientated, which made her laugh aloud. “I am a foodie, if that is a hobby,” replied Trichia. “But I do love cooking, not obviously everyday because of the fact that I am busy with my career, but I love adventures and sightseeing. The very fact that I love going to Goa is because I love to trek, I love to explore different places and try different things.”

With the interview reaching its duration, Trichia was asked if there were any artists that were impressing or inspiring her particularly at the moment she would like to shout out. Again she mentioned BMD, because as a vocal teacher Trichia recognises that he possesses a distinctive vocal texture which inspires her. “We actually agreed to collaborate on something but he was busy,” added Trichia, “But then the collaboration (Hocus Pocus) did take place after all. I love his style of writing. He is funny, he rhymes really well, the rhymes are not corny - that's for sure, he is very sharp with his work.” Another artist Trichia shouted out was Xenon Phoenix, a rapper from Siliguri more towards Northern India. “He has been featured on BBC1 Radio,” continued Trichia. “I really love him, love him in the sense that his style is impeccable - he is really good.” However one person Trichia made sure to mention was Xstacy, who she describes as her ‘main sensei.’ “He allowed me to debut on his track VIBE and has helped me immensely with a lot more of my work that I had put out, as well as knowing the way around the music business,” added Trichia. “Mad props to him because he is someone I’ll always be grateful to, no matter what stage in my career.” Our final question for Trichia was were there any UK artists, rappers or producers who she enjoyed listening to and may like to work with them? “It is funny you should say that, I do love Stefflon Don,” replied Trichia. “I love Miss Banks, Lil Simz, Bryn and even Stylo G. Also, Steel Banglez. There are a few more, but these are the ones at the top of my head right now.”


Trichia Grace-Ann, thank you for your time.

Words by Evo