Raquel Abolins-Reid (born in 1999),[1] known professionally as RIIKI REID (formerly Riiki), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter, producer and dance choreographer. Several of Reid's songs have charted highly in the NZ Hot Singles Charts, including Good times which reached number 1.[2][3]
Reid released several singles from 2019 to 2021 independently, continuing her work with Warner Music New Zealand in subsequent years. In 2022 she released two EPs with the label, Newer Oxygen and Crash & Collide.[4][5] She followed up with Skin, her third EP, in 2024.[6]
Reid is of Samoan, Latvian, Scottish and Māori (Ngāti Porou) descent.[11][12] She recorded her first original composition in te reo Māori with "Kārewa" in 2023, and "Te Tāone", a re-imagining of the 2022 single "The City."[13][14]
She grew up in Churton Park, Wellington. Prior to her musical career, Reid worked as a dance teacher at Pump Dance Studios.[7][15]
Reid was a student at Onslow College.[15] She reached the finals in Smokefreerockquest with her highschool band Retrospect.[1] Reid went on to study commercial music at Massey University in 2015, and graduated with a Bachelor of Commercial Music in 2022.[1][15]
Reid describes herself as "primarily a vocalist" with an interest in piano and guitar.[16] She claims a love of "edgy 90s rock" and cites Radiohead and Björk as inspirations.[17]
