In this conversation I caught up with LA-based singer-songwriter Rivita to discuss her upcoming single 'Riverside' and her experience of the GRAMMY Next Program. Rivita also shares her plans for the rest of 2022 and advice for those thinking about pursuing a career in the music industry.
Hi Rivita, how are you?
Hi Keiko, I’m doing well, thank you!
Please could you introduce yourself to our readers!
Hey everyone, I am Rivita, I am a singer-songwriter-producer based here in LA.
How would you describe your music?
I think my music is a true transcription of how my brain works. It’s a mix of all the stories I’ve
picked up through life experiences, by reading books and watching TV shows. When I work on my songs, I see a lot of colors and pictures in my mind, and I hope that everybody who listens to it sees them too.
Could you tell us a bit about how you became interested in pursuing a career in music?
I was always into music, and I joined the school choir at a very early age and around the age of 12 I started writing songs in my diary. I got lyrical and melodic ideas together and would wonder how to transform these ideas into records. It made sense for me to study music at university because I’d written so many songs that I wanted to record and release. I think solving the puzzle of all the song ideas I had led me on this path.
You self-produce and create your own music, did you learn music production or was it something you’ve always been passionate and interested in?
Both - it was something I’ve always been passionate and interested in, so I did study it and learn it. I listened to cassettes and CDs of albums I loved to listen to for hours as a kid and I started playing with a DAW and recording myself when I was quite young but heavily got into producing when I went to university and first laid my eyes on Logic X!
You were also invited to be a member of the GRAMMY Next Program, which is organized by the Recording Academy, could you tell us a bit about the program and how you got involved?
I am a Voting member of The Recording Academy; I received an email from them inviting me to apply for the GRAMMY Next program and I went ahead and filled out the application. A few weeks later, I received an email informing me that I had been selected to be in the Songwriting and Composition part of the program. It’s been a wonderful program, I was introduced to many of my peers, and it’s been amazing to be a part of a community of likeminded people.
You are releasing your new single ‘Riverside’, what can you tell us about the song and the inspiration behind it?
Riverside is a song about building a new home. I wrote the song shortly after I’d moved to LA and 5 months later the lockdown happened. It was a surreal time to be new in a place and to be facing an unpredictable global pandemic. Writing this song grounded me and as I continued to work on it, seasons changed and so did the meaning of this song.
Where do you find the inspiration for writing music, is it something that you practice or is it more of an intuitive process?
It is mostly intuitive but going to new places and experiencing new things almost always gives me new inspiration.
"It’s been a wonderful program, I was introduced to many of my peers, and it’s been amazing to be a part of a community of likeminded people."
What do you hope your listeners take away from your music?
Whenever I’ve felt a big emotion whether joy, sadness, relief or grief I’ve found a song that has spoken to me and there have been many moments in my life when I’ve listened to a song and thought - “I’m not the only one who feels this way”. My hope is that my music would do the same for anyone who listens to it.
What are your plans for the rest of 2022?
I have been very focused on my health these past couple of months, my goal is to average on 10,000 steps every day for the rest of 2022, to work towards finishing more new music and to make a plan for 2023 before it begins.
What advice would you give to someone who may be thinking about pursuing a
career in music?
It is good to have role models and to set goals for yourself based on that role model. Nothing is impossible or out of reach, all you have to do is know where you are going and keep going.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
There is a lyric in Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler’s song “this is how you fall in love” and it
goes “What’s easy is right, my mother’s advice” and honestly, that’s a pretty neat piece of
advice :)
And finally, do you have a message for your fans and listeners?
Thank you so much for being here
Rivita's new single 'Riverside' will be released on the 22nd November!
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