Q&A with Riley
Brand new single ‘Jigsaw Lover’ by Scotland’s country-pop queen Riley was unshackled yesterday and we caught up with her to chat all things songwriting, inspiration and board games.
Welcome Riley - for those who are new to your wondrous music, describe your sound in 3 words.
Thank you so much for having me! I would say the 3 words that describe my sound best is… music you’ll enjoy!
Your second single ‘Jigsaw Lover’ dropped yesterday. Tell us about this track, it’s meaning and why you chose it as your first single of 2022?
I wrote Jigsaw Lover back in Autumn 2017. It was a song that pretty much wrote itself once I picked up the guitar and started mumbling lines into my voice memos. I had just experienced my first real heartbreak and the only way I’ve ever known how to truly process tough emotions and feelings like that, is by writing them into a song. I wanted to write about modern love and all of it’s trials and tribulations. Falling in love nowadays should be easier than ever, right? We have downloadable dating and social media apps at the click of a button to allow us to discover new people whenever we like. But, speaking mainly for myself, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of building someone up in your head before truly getting to know who they really are.
I loved the imagery of the ‘perfect love’ being one complete jigsaw puzzle and how this relationship felt complete at the start but overtime, pieces went missing and maybe there were parts of this person that weren’t quite inline with what I value in a relationship, we just didn’t fit quite right. When I finally took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, it was obvious that the red flags had been there all along and we were never a good match for each other.
I wanted to start my releases for 2022 in the order that the songs were written so by the end of the year, my singles should all tell a full circle story. This song is only the first chapter. I was also keen to showcase a slightly different style, sound and genre of music compared to Go-Getter. I think genres are boundaries for breaking and it’s been fun experimenting with a more pop sounding production with dreamy stratospheric synths, pop-style harmonies and programme drums whilst keeping the storytelling lyrics and Nashville guitars.
What are your favourite things about being a songwriter?
I guess it might sound cringe, but songwriting is my lifeline at this point. Writing, making and performing music is the only thing in life that I’ve never gotten bored of or given up on career-wise. I took up the usual hobbies when I was little, like dancing, tennis… that was tragic and don’t get me started on girl guides, that was too much effort. But nothing lit me up the way reading a poem and seeing words rhyme did, or going to my first concert and seeing my idol in the flesh thinking ‘if I get one go, I wanna do exactly what they’re doing on stage and leave people feeling that sense of unmatched joy’.
I also think certain people are born with the ability to do certain things in life and sometimes you don’t choose it, it’s just in you. My favourite thing about songwriting is being able to communicate with strangers through my lyrics and melodies and evoke emotions in people. Your song might be the only thing they truly feel that day as they go through the motions of their 9-5 job or usual routine. Your music could be the very thing that makes them view a challenging situation from a different perspective or even just calms their busy mind for a while. I am a geek for words and love anything that rhymes or paints a picture in my head, and for someone who thinks a lot, it’s the best form of therapy I’ve ever had… it’s a bonus that it’s free!
We hear you’ve been spending some time across the UK, working with other people and attending industry events. Tell us a bit about that
Since lockdown and being confined to zoom calls, I’ve made it a goal this year to be travelling as much as possible, to meet new people I can co-write with and learn from. I’ve been up and down to London for a few sessions as well as London Fashion Week attending the Vin and Omi show – amazingly creative and focused on caring for the planet! The most recent time was for an event called Girl & Repertoire. G&R is run by two women called Georgie Willmore and Lauren Aquilina, they set up a networking event in the heart of Soho, strictly for womxn in music to meet and make connections. Alongside Riley, I aim to achieve something similar within the Glasgow music scene. Myself and two other artists/friends of mine have started up ‘Girls, Girls, Girls, Glasgow’: A space for womxn and queer people in music. We will be announcing our very first event which will be held in Glasgow with a really cool brand partner for the launch, really soon across our socials. We want to create a comfortable space and community for womxn of all ages and backgrounds to come and try out their new material to a warm, supportive crowd without any pressure or scrutiny. Instagram: @girlsgirlsgirlsglasgow.
You’ve supported the likes of Jordan McKampa and fellow Scot, Tamzene, if you had to pick any artist in the world to support on a tour, who would that be?
There’s so many people I’d love to support on tour but the big dream would be to open for Taylor Swift. I guess that’s a pretty obvious answer from me but I think I would learn so much from watching her each night. Her stagecraft and ability to captivate an audience for a 2 hour set is unparalleled. Other than Taylor it would be The Foo Fighters. Obviously Dave Grohl is the epitome of cool, but when I saw them live in Bellahouston Park a few years ago, I was just in awe of how they could be so unbelievably talented yet have no ego or side to them. They oozed rock and roll yet relatability. You could tell they just loved playing music and lived for each gig like it was their last. I also think I could spend a lifetime just listening to all of their tour stories backstage.
Favourite board game to bring out a party
I love this question, it would have to be Articulate. Probably a strange answer but this was the main board game we all played with family on holiday and even to this day I remember the fits of laughter we would have watching people scramble to describe things in the most panicked of ways. Who knows, maybe Articulate is the reason I’m a songwriter now, evoking that love for words within me.
Make sure you follow Riley on Facebook & Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest news!