Getting into character(s)

The PLAYERS behind PLAYRIKKI, and how they're coming alive

In April 2024, I did a 2-day photoshoot to capture all of the photography I’d go on to use for the next few batches of music I was beginning to work on. Maybe it’s out of order to do a shoot before the work is done. In retrospect, it helped me get into character and have a reference point for each song, or even each verse, as they came to be. I had a shorthand for the mood or emotion I wanted to evoke based on each character. (eg. This is a “Rikki Jane” song. This is a very “Baby” bridge; This chorus needs to come from “Uncle Rik”…)

I thought for a while about whether these were internal or external characters. Do I share their names and personalities with you? Or do I keep them to myself and try not to confuse you? In the spirit of YOLO I’m going to share more and not be afraid of being misunderstood. After all, if you’re confused you know me personally, so you can just give me a call (and that’s how I like it).

Here are the PLAYERS that make up the PLAYRIKKI universe:

My first character is/was/always will be RIKKI JANE

Jewish Americana

Rikki Jane is my given name and my artist name, with Rickie Lee Jones as my namesake. A Jersey girl, Not A Country Girl, singing with real instruments, writing songs as poems first, and scaring the shit out of myself by performing for the most intimate of audiences: my friends and family (the most critical and most supportive audience, and therefore the most challenging). Future Forecast and Making You Well are her most recent releases. And for those of you who have been-here-been-here, Final Song is a Rikki Jane song. Folk-inspired by Joni, John, and James. Her vices: Using too many words, being sophomoric, existentialism.

Rikki Jane in 90s Sade denim / Julia Roberts brown lip vibe.

Then came BABY

Orange tootsie pop, surprisingly delicious

Baby is my inner child. A zeesa punim (Yiddish for: sweet face). Cute, not hot. She reminds me to never forget to play. There is time. Grow up, not old. Skin tan, nails done, matcha, maple syrup, vodka lemon, hyper green, hot pink. Her vices: Being too innocent (read: naive, stunted) and having a sweet tooth (golosa)—addicted to sugar & attention. Sunset Baby is her debut, although she definitely showed up on my first album, Soakt. Past Loves is a Baby song.

Next up: ROTZY

References was Missy from Bring It On

She’s a vibe girl. A loiferke (Yiddish for: Runaround a.k.a, a lil’ hoe) Knows what she wants, until she gets it… and then she wants something else instead. Not a stripper, she’s a tease. Rotzy chases thrills that disturb her peace. Her vices: gambling, martinis, bitch sticks, hooking up, saying “Let’s go out.” She holds 5 queens in her hand. Aesthetically, she’s Ashlee Simpson meets Joni Mitchell with a dash of Janet Jackson. She’s an Unknown Superstar.

Let’s not forget UNCLE RIK

Peep the custom Manichewitz patch, old logo <3

He’s an empathic perv. A schmuck (Yiddish for: Shithead) Life, liberty, and the pursuit of horniness. Uncle Rik does masculine slutwork; he’s grabby and he believes in freedom and weed. At summer camp, he led the kiss count and the shit tally. A ski bum/bunny, but brunette and Jewish. Lil Dicky meets Nicole Richie in The Simple Life. His vices: Being loose, shamelessly hitting on everyone, Coronas, American Spirits, and never not doing biz. He shows up on Wing Surfing, for sure.

And then there’s KIKI

Shhhh… there’s absolutely nothing on this clipboard.

She’s a corporate cunt. A balabusta (Yiddish for: Competent woman with her shit very together). Classy in her vulgarity. Athletic but not Olympic. A Jewish American Princess from New Jersey with shoulder pads, a blowout, and heirloom jewelry. Poetry in copy, 80s but millennial, Barbra Streisand meets Aly Raisman. Her vices: workaholism, forgetting she has a family, friends, and feelings, & vaulting ambition. I think Ghosts, Girlfriends, and Too Young To Notice come from Kiki; I wrote those songs while working a corporate job - but she quit that life and she’s her own boss now, so you’ll see her having more fun soon.

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I had no idea what would come from these characters when we shot them, or if it would make sense to me, or anyone, in the end. Turns out, they all have songs/features on my forthcoming EP and have been instrumental in helping me make my music. Maybe these characters will cease to exist after this EP cycle, or maybe they’ll inspire more projects. For now, I’m just trying to keep myself interested and let the prism of my personality do whatever it wants. None of these characters are that far-fetched, they all look and sound like me. They wear clothes from my closet and say things I’d say. But naming them and distinguishing them from each other helps me write and perform with more intention. Plus, it’s fun to make believe.

If I were a professional music marketer, or if this were my full-time job, perhaps I would have been able to articulate all of this more clearly from the beginning. Excuses aside, I’m trying to learn the skills to promote myself better, and have even enlisted the help of some very talented folks to help me out. I’ll keep doing what I can, as my focus is always on the music first—the rest is extra.

Thanks for being along for the ride!

Don’t forget to play!

Here’s to trying new things!

I LOVE YOU!

PLAYRIKKI, the EP, out May 13th. Pre-save here.