Riah

Just three years after releasing her debut single, the breakout star-in-the-making has already racked up nearly 50 million streams on Spotify, placed songs on hit television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, and performed for thousands at Coachella, all as a totally independent artist. Hailed by the New York Times for her “crisp songwriting” and praised by The Line of Best Fit as landing "somewhere between the Tove Lo, Broods, and Phoebe Ryan realm of atmospheric alternative pop,” Riah is a force to be reckoned with, the kind of mesmerizing vocalist whose sheer magnetism is matched only by her remarkable versatility. She writes with a piercing clarity and commands the stage as if she were born for the spotlight, but the truth is that it actually took a tremendous leap of faith to get the naturally introverted Riah near a microphone at all.
That confidence and passion served Riah well in the studio, too. Recorded and written with longtime collaborator Chad Copelin (Sufjan Stevens, Ben Rector), her forthcoming debut EP is as honest as it is adventurous, mixing raw vulnerability with effortless swagger and bold, unpredictable arrangements. Lead single “Heartbreak Magic” is a minimalist pop masterpiece, one that’s equal parts haunting and playful in its delivery, while “Growing Up” boasts spellbinding vocals on top of a hypnotic groove designed to pull you straight out onto the dance floor.