Denver newcomer Riah is bringing her dual-artistry as a singer-songwriter and pole dancer to the local music and arts scene, with her intention being to use the combination of her two talents to “reclaim the narrative of sensuality as power, rather than objectification.” As both an athlete and dancer who uses the pole as her medium and a musician with a gift for raw lyricism, Riah has jumpstarted the late summer release of her latest album, The Fourth Wall, with the release of the single “Stand By You” and its accompanying music video. The sensual and powerful music behind the album thus far, as heard and seen in the single, showcases Riah’s ability to “create music you can strip to, but also music you can sit with, feel through, and reflect on.”
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Riah’s first memories include music. “I started singing before I could even form full sentences,” she reflected. “By age five, I was on stage with my dad’s blues band at open mics and bars, belting out BB King and Bill Withers.” After a challenging time in Los Angeles during her teenage years that taught her “a string of painful lessons,” Riah temporarily stepped away from music, focused on a tech career and a business and eventually found herself in a place where she could create entirely on her own terms — “and that freedom has been everything.” The Fourth Wall will be her third album, and is one that “pushes even further into vulnerable territory” while simultaneously bringing her to a point of “catharsis.”
For Riah, music is “how [she] process[es] and express[es] the parts of [her]self that don’t always have a space in everyday conversation,” which will be showcased throughout The Fourth Wall, exploring topics like “sex work, the complexity of supporting others through healing, and even the emotional layers of ending a pregnancy,” she said. “Sonically, it’s still very much in that dark-pop, sultry lane, but it’s longer, more cohesive, and written in a condensed period of time, so it really captures where I am right now in life.” While we wait for the full album to drop, fans and listeners have the sneak peak that is the strikingly beautiful “Stand By You” music video, whcih was filmed at the beloved recording studio, Conway Sound.
Riah moved towards something different for both song and video when it came to “Stand By You.” Specifically, she explained that most of her videos have been performance-based and often centered around pole dance — “which I absolutely love and will continue doing.” But with this particular video, she didn’t want there to be too heavy of a focus on the visuals, whether that be “the sex appeal, the movement,” etc. To achieve this, the video was recorded in a “one-take, stripped-down, blues format” that was meant to remind herself and others that she is “a vocalist and songwriter first.” Writing all of her own lyrics and arranging all of her own harmonies, the creative process behind both song and video felt to Riah “incredibly honest and refreshing.”
The future will bring more spiritual creation for Riah, including the impending release of another song and accompanying video later this summer with fellow singer, songwriter and pole artist Alissa Ann. She’ll also be performing with Deja View Productions on August 17 at Cervantes’, which blends live music and aerial performance into something “magical.” From there, Riah will be announcing more music and performances as the summer continues, along with focusing on planting roots in the local music scene and “carving out space for what I do.”
Stream “Stand By You” here!