Riada

Expect for me to bring a whole vibe lol to the place. Last night I played at the Big Lagrowlski with other musicians I had never even met. When I showed up with that pink guitar people LIT UP. We had seven minutes to just vibe. I ended up mingling about four songs into the session including lyrics from Imagine Dragons (Radioactive), Eminem (Lose Yourself), Ylvis (The Fox) and my own “Lotus”.
( Later they called me up to perform with the very last set of the night, and at the end I was just about to go into a freestyle song singing “I’ve been talking to the man upstairs” when the clock stopped and they had to turn it off… People were like wait I wanna hear that 😆 I did too - So imma go back tonight I believe! )
Expect me to have a lot of passion (sometimes soft and smooth and other times with everything I got!) and expect me to praise God because I have been thru so MUCH and He has gotten me thru and made me stronger 😭 Whew Hallelujah! and all glory goes to Him. Expect a Miracle!

Ever since I can remember I have been obsessed with singing, poetry and writing lyrics.

My fam used to have a cassette player with a microphone and I would record for hours.

My first live performance was when I was about three years old. My mom's best friend asked me to sing at her wedding of over 200 people a song I still remember. I put everything into it.

Next At age 7 or 8 we had this huge dirt pile in our yard..more like a mountain, and it grew grass... My neighbor and I decided we should write some songs to sing and invite the whole neighborhood. We set up chairs and used the little hill as our stage. 😊

From grades 3rd-5th I had the same music teacher...and he made me feel like my voice stood out in the crowd. There was one other kid in the class who he also singled out for solos. I thought his voice was amazing. But I never thought mine was that good, I simply loved to sing.
   A talent show came along in 5th and I signed up to sing the song at the end credits of the animated film the Land Before Time. It's called “If We Hold on Together”. I loved that song.  Interestingly the words to that song means more to me NOW than ever since it’s about holding on to God and to your DREAMS.  The teacher had told me I was going to sing last, and it didn't mean much to me other than that I’d have to be very patient...lol because there were over an hour of performances before me. One of them was this outstanding pianist and I was thinking "how can I follow this?" And i was following the classmate that was way better than me...i was envious of his voice AND blown away by his performance. When the music teacher introduced me, he said " We saved the best for last" and that took me completely by surprise...it was a lot of pressure! But I did it! Now I realize the words were really powerful, especially for a school talent show, and because of the message it was really the perfect way to end a talent show, encouraging everyone to HOLD on, support one another and see your dreams come true!
   Piano was my favorite musical instrument.  I spent hours at our Casio keyboard, playing songs I liked by ear. Eventually I got some lessons...but I thought it was boring...hot cross buns and other simple tunes... I didn't stick with it. But I kept playing on my own.  Later as a teen I begged for lessons... And my mom said when they could get a real piano. They'd get me lessons meanwhile I was writing songs, so I decided to get a guitar. I bought a Yamaha from Costco for $100 when I was 14. I loved being able to express myself that way, and played covers and originals at bonfires, gatherings and coffee shops.

I always got mixed reviews... But I wanna say I tuned into the negative too much. Mostly those comments that I was too quiet and others that I could benefit from voice lessons..didn't do much for my confidence. I got positive feedback but the negative really got to me.  But I kept writing and sharing anyways.  One time I started playing and singing for a newer group of friends and everyone got quiet.   I thought that meant I sucked so bad it was awkward.  Later I told one of the people I didn't want to play/sing anymore because of that awkward silence. No one said they liked it!  She said "It's actually that you're so good it's awkward, no one knows how to react. " Lol. I still don’t believe that 😆.
I wanted to play piano so I could get better. I didn't think my voice ever got better. At the age of 18 my mom brought home an upright piano...and I cried because I knew it meant lessons were coming! And they did...16 years later I'm still refining my craft, but I LOVE to perform with all my heart! I LOVE to write! One thing I notice is my songs get stuck in people’s heads… Now I am writing and performing very meaningful songs that have been birthed they some very painful and challenging circumstances. My goal is to record all the best ones professionally as soon as possible!

I can rent extra equipment as far as lighting/ stage/ atmosphere and amplifiers goes if you really wanna blow people away! I know Portland musicians I can also hire to play with. This, of course , will be a bigger cost 💲 and much more freestyle than using backing tracks and having a sort of canned but clean sound. I encourage you to reach out and tell me what you desire and the budget and I will make sure you are SO HAPPY with the outcome! Much Love! Riada