An Inspired Chat with Rachel Kozinski of South City – VoyageSTL Magazine

Tito

January 5, 2026

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Thanks to VoyageSTL for the opportunity to interview with them! This is the article copied from their website. Go check them out for more content!

An Inspired Chat with Rachel Kozinski of South City – VoyageSTL Magazine | Inspiring Stories from St. Louis

We recently had the chance to connect with Rachel Kozinski and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Rachel, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Meditation is a lifeline for me. It’s a way of protecting my peace. Weather it’s connecting in with myself or the beauty of the moment, I need to be in a good headspace to create, and daily meditation is my medicine.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Rachel Kozinski. I’m the singer, songwriter, guitarist and band leader of the magical indie rock project, Rachel is Kozi. What started as a simple desire to share my songs as a solo project in 2022 grew into a full-fledged band, and we’ve been touring the country for a year and a half now. I started with a collection of eight songs, each one written from a deep life lesson and corresponding with a season or midpoint through a season of the year. That became our first record “Lifecycles” that we released in 2024. I hope to alchemize my life down to a base point that anyone can relate to. I’m not afraid to be raw or vulnerable, and I believe love is the golden thread that holds our universe together. So even in my hardest lessons, even in the heaviest songs, I believe that golden thread shines.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
In July 2023, my mom passed away in the wilderness of Alaska while we were on a vacation together. She was the star of my heart, and when she died, the foundations of my world fell apart. It’s like I’m living in a completely different world now, because my mom’s death was not only tragic, it pulled all the skeletons from their closets in ways only death can. I’d give anything to have my mom back, but I don’t want things to go back to the way they used to be. I’ve deconstructed my whole old life and have started building a beautiful new one. This journey has been dark, but the light on the other side has been so much brighter that it was to start with. It’s been shaping a new collection of songs I hope to release on our sophomore album.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
We’ve started playing many of these new songs live. At first I was scared because it brought up a lot of trauma for me. But I’m really proud of my strength and all the ways I’ve persisted through this barren wilderness of grief and loss. I’ve learned to build my own foundation for my life. I’m grateful to show this version of myself to the world and to help other people process the challenges of their own lives and turn them into power!

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes absolutely. I’m grateful for the way my music helps me to be more and more myself everyday.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Now I’m doing what I was born to do. Music is my dharma. Dharma is the yogic term for life path or destiny. It’s what you bring to this world that only you can. As I continue down the path, I grow, and the music grows. It’s intrinsically linked for me. To get here, I had to let a lot of old beliefs and life structures burn, and that took courage. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what other people want of your life. You’re the one who has to live with yourself. Not them. So build your beautiful life your way.

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