CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 097: RIIKI REID AND HER LOVE LETTER TO WELLINGTON CITY

Interview by Brooklyn Gibbs.

Kiwi artist Riiki Reid has just released the perfect summer dance song to get you moving this upcoming season!

This release marks the second single from Riiki’s upcoming Crash and Collide EP.

Futuremag Music caught up with Riiki to discuss what being out in the city means to Riiki, and the dance scene in New Zealand.

FMM: Congrats on the release of The City!

RR: Thank you so much!

FMM: I understand that The City explores being out and about in the city with your friends. What are some of your most memorable experiences from these nights?

RR: The City is totally a love letter to Wellington city, where I live, and to the good times with my friends. There is a club called Club 121 which for some time straight after lockdown, we were going every Saturday night. It ended up being a meet up place for everyone I knew and we’d spend the entire night dancing. After all the grief that lockdown put everyone through, it just felt so special to be in a room surrounded by all your best company. The days felt long and hard sometimes getting back to normal day life, but at that time my friends and I looked forward to seeing each other again and forgetting about the world.

FMM: Why was it important for you to capture this experience in the form of a song?

RR: It felt like there was so much built up emotion inside me and I just needed to find a way to let it all go and create something that would allow people to forget about the world, let there hair down, dance all night and let go of all the stresses in their lives at times. The song is very cathartic for me and does exactly this for myself too. At the time, I needed to find a way to relieve me from all that was clogging me up, especially after covid. And reflecting on the nights in Club 121, those are the times where my friends and I felt so happy and all I remember is everyone on cloud 9 having the best time and being sad that it would eventually have to come to an end and we’d have to get back to life again, so I wanted the song to capture that feeling so that when you need that relief, you can listen to the song and let go. 

FMM: With summer being around the corner, this release is timed perfectly! Why is now the perfect time for The City?

RR: I hope people feel like they can dance all summer long to the track. Summer to me is all about relaxing, enjoying the sun, enjoying the company of loved ones, and that’s all what the song is about too.

FMM: You’re a former dance teacher and I think that really shows in the sound of this track! I can’t help but to bop around to it. Is your dance background something you consider when working on the sonic elements of your music?

RR: It definitely does come into play into my music, especially this new Mini-EP. I don’t think I intentionally think about making music to dance to, but I definitely think that because I am a dancer, I really like to pay attention to certain intricacies and textures because that’s what I hear when I listen to music and that’s what I hear when I dance.

FMM: Do you produce your own sound? What does your gear set up look like?

RR: I love to produce my own music but I also like to work with producers to co-produce my music too sometimes. Really depends. I have the most basic set up. Just a MIDI keyboard, my mic, interface, guitar and laptop. All in a bedroom in my house. I used to feel embarrassed about my set up and then I realise how much I love the fact that I have to manipulate sounds to get them to sound how I want them to be. It makes the creative process more challenging and fun for me.

FMM: Any gear you’ve been meaning to add?

RR: I would love to get a bass guitar – I do all of my bass on my guitar and then manipulate it to have similar ones a bass would, but would be a lot nicer to have one.

FMM: How would you describe the dance music scene in New Zealand?

RR: It is so BOLD, so inclusive, so loving and fun! We have a couple of really cool things going on in the dance music scene; There is a project called ‘Filth’ which is a club community of collectives that priorities QTBIPOC. Club 121 is a club in Wellington that is a safe space for dancing and getting lost in all sorts of dance music. There’s always a lot going on in NZ for the dance music scene and I feel so grateful to be able to get amongst it.

FMM: What do you hope listeners take away from this release?

RR: I want people to forget about the world, let their hair down, give themselves the time and joy they deserve, especially after the past couple of years.

FMM: This is the second track from your Crash and Collide EP. What can we expect from the third track?

RR: The third track is actually a more softer track. I describe it as he ‘crashing and colliding’ part of the EP where the emotional wall just comes tumbling down. It’s about getting too comfortable where you are and desiring more/knowing that you need more.

FMM: For anyone coming across your music for the first time, how would you describe yourself and your music?

RR: She’s definitely all over the place, but in a good way. I think overall you could say I’m a pop artist, but that does not box me in as just a ‘Pop artist’. I love alternative music, I love dance music, I love melancholic music and so the list goes on… What it most important to me is that I use music and my platform as a way to connect to people in a cathartic way, meaning that it helps me and it helps listeners. I want to be a voice that represents people and I want to be a distraction from the craziness life throws at everyone. Most importantly, I want my music to impact people as positively as I can.

FMM: From your previous releases, as well as completing an arena tour with some big names, you’ve had some exciting well-deserved success! How does it feel reflecting back on that success during today?

RR: It’s crazy! I often forget to reflect on the things that I do, and when I do, I definitely get overwhelmed with emotion and then realize just how grateful and humbled I am to be able to do what I do.

FMM: What’s next for you?

RR: Hopefully everything and anything. I’m an open book right now and I cannot wait for new adventures to come along. I want to do more shows and I want to get overseas!