Page 9 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2018
P. 9
KM: What was the first song you learned to KM: I loved, loved, loved your cover of
play on guitar? Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” Fleetwood
Mac is a nostalgic classic of mine and
RB: “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift. Ha, ha, ha you definitely did Stevie Nicks proud!
You also nailed the vocals on your cover
KM: You were signed to Elton John’s of “Stay” by Rihanna! Your rendition of
“Rocket Music” at such an early age. What the song really shows off an edgy and
was meeting Sir Elton like? What happened soulful quality to your voice. You have
to that affiliation? captured a huge following on YouTube
making videos performing cover songs.
RB: Yeah! That was amazing! I was out doing But you also have a large songwriting
open mics a bunch and one of the open mic catalog. Tell us about your songwriting
runners was posting his shows online and it and what is the song that you’ve written
caught the attention of one of Elton’s that most reveals the “inner Riley?”
engineers. He contacted us and shortly after,
recorded a 3-song demo before bringing me to RB: Thank you so much! Yeah, I love
Elton. It was really awesome! He’s absolutely putting my own spin on other people’s
wonderful! My parents got to come along and songs. I’ve written hundreds of songs over
meet him too and they were completely over the years and I think, stylistically, they’ve all
the moon as you can expect. Ha, ha! evolved and grown up as I did. I just had a
song come out with an amazing DJ, Frank
KM: Talk a little bit about the process of Walker, and I wrote and was featured on
making it on “The Voice.” Also, which the song. It’s called “Heartbreak Back,” and
Season 9 contestant on NBC’s “The Voice” I would say that is one of my favorite ones
was your BFF and are you still in contact to come out in a while. It’s the perfect blend
with any of “The Voice” contestants? between pop with a soulful cool edge, too.
It but also bringing in elements of EDM,
RB: It was an experience that not a lot of people which I really, really, love.
can say they’ve been through, so that’s
something I’ll cherish about it forever. It was a KM: What music is playing in your car
reality TV show, so personally, there were right now?
some aspects to it that I didn’t love. But all in
all, it was a blast and I got to meet some RB: I’ve had the new Lennon Stella song
incredible people that I probably wouldn’t have “Like Everybody Else” on repeat since it
had the chance to meet had I not been on the came out. It’s so sad and beautiful and I
show. I keep in contact with a few people still. love songs like that.
Morgan Frazier was one of my roommates, and
one of the people I got closest to. We still talk KM: Do you have any gear
every once in a while, but she lives in Nashville. endorsements? Which guitar are you
Interestingly enough, the person I got closest to rocking?
was Max Boyle, who didn’t actually have a
chance to audition before all of the teams filled RB: I do not. I play a Yamaha and it gets the
up. He’s an amazing, amazing artist and one of job done. I don’t consider myself a guitar
the best vocalists I know. It seriously sucks that player really at all. I mainly learned so I
he didn’t get to audition, but we talk a ton still. could accompany myself as a singer.
chance to artist and one of the best vocalists I
know. It seriously sucks that he didn’t get to
