Holly Riva invites us into her musical world, sharing insights on her latest single, “Drowning,” and her eclectic creative process.
Holly Riva, the versatile Aussie artist equally at ease in a cozy speakeasy or a bustling arena, introduces “Drowning,” a pop gem that effortlessly flits between genres.
Her vocals, reminiscent of Billie Eilish, draw you in with an intimate, unfiltered resonance. Today, she’s in Sydney, co-writing with the legendary Oscar Dawson from Holy Holy, a connection forged at a London music event.
With roots in the UK, Holly shuttles between Sydney, London, and LA, cherishing the unique vibes each place offers. In Sydney, it’s the calming, grounded atmosphere, while London buzzes with creative energy. LA, a nexus of opportunities, fuels her ambition. Nature, coffee, and harbor swims define her Aussie days, while evenings are filled with music, friends, and dinners out.
The upcoming months promise tours and new releases, a testament to Holly’s dynamic journey through music.
Happy: What are you up to today?
Holly: Have a fab day ahead, co-writing with Oscar Dawson from Holy Holy, he’s such a legend. We met at a music event in London and really got on. It’s cool to be writing in Australia. There’s nothing quite like meeting people and writing face to face.
Happy: Tell us about where you are from? What’s the scene like in your neck of the woods?
Holly: My family are from the UK and music team are based in London. I’m constantly working between Sydney, UK and LA. Really enjoy it, made incredible friends with the people I work with, like music family. In London things are always really busy with meetings, gigs, the UK has such a creative buzz, also love the theatre and fashion.
In Sydney people are more relaxed, chilled which always makes you feel more grounded and helps smooth out life. Nature plays huge role for me in Australia, love the coffee and afternoon swims in the harbour. On the other hand LA is off the rictor with opportunities, co- writes networking heaven. Feel so lucky to have the balance.
Happy: Describe an average day?
Holly: With my next single Dropping on the 29th September and me being presently in Sydney, average day kicks off having a good coffee. Usually work on zoom with LA writing session till 2ish co-writing. Love my inner west cafes for a break before organising social content and admin. I usually record vocals stems for the producer late afternoon. Before Uk team get online to discuss marketing. Love having dinner out and time with friends.
So so excited as there’s a few tour opportunities coming up quickly so the average day is ever changing and looks like London calling for the next 6 months.
Happy: What did you listen to growing up that fuelled your passion for music?
Holly: Growing up I listened to Adele, Lady Gaga, , Moorcheeba, Amy Winehouse, Carole King, Seal and eastern music as we traveled heaps for my mum’s fashion business to India.
Love singer-songwriter truthful music and channel that into my current day writing.
When I was small my dad had a T Bird, we would drive around town and play the Beach Boys and I honestly think they set me off on loving harmonies!!!
Happy: Your latest single, “Drowning,” delves into the complexities of unhealthy relationships and their repercussions. What inspired you to explore such deeply personal and poignant themes in this song?
Holly: So many people that are so so close to me have been in whirlwind relationships that have changed who they are and really affect their self esteem, self love and being able to live with stable mental health. It’s a given that young people have to go through ‘immature’ relationships and certain behaviour to grow and thats ok, but really we should teach the younger generation to treat each other with respect rather than swipe left, ghost and generally be soul destroying to one another hiding behind a screen.
Happy: The track touches on the psychological traumas experienced by young people in today’s social media-based society. How did you approach conveying these important societal issues through your music?
Holly: Things are always complex, it’s never black and white in relationships. Perfection is a fantasy however having more positives than negatives within a relationship is the goal and when signals are mixed and intertwined to the point of small delivery’s of more poison than praise over a period of time it can scar the individual and leave a complex puzzle to untangle.
We used lyrics such as ‘lost in translation, fool me once you won’t fool me twice … Drowning in the desert sand .. first you were so loving’ to show the contrast and mixed feelings of the character. Wanting to work through the ‘storm’ that is the mind and come to a space where she can see how unhealthy the situation is.
We used swing rhythm as well, freeing and gives the lyric a cool place to sit in. Played with the flow as well like how the mind often can spin into a spiral of thoughts we wanted to imitate how the character thinks with the rhythm of the top line.
Happy: You mentioned that “Drowning” is an outpouring of emotion and a reflection of life’s complexities. Can you share the creative process behind crafting such an emotionally charged and resonant piece of music?
Holly: Was introduced by my publisher to co write with an amazing UK writer Kit Rice, we sat in Bush Studios in London, I had a chord progression idea that Kit liked, we sat for a couple of hours over a deep heart to heart about Covid times as the world had just opened back up.
We both new numerous people that had met online partners during Covid. Once the world opened up allot of relationships fell apart and became so emotionally painful, eventually after breaking up things turned nasty with enormous manipulation on line.
We wanted to explore writing something that reflects that feeling of loosing yourself and sinking. Drowning was derived from heart ache of loosing yourself and suffering, “I just wanna feel, something that is real”. Everything can feel so confusing and mixed when meeting someone online and we all simply crave real love that’s authentic.
Happy: Collaborating with producer Swavybeats and UK tunesmith Kit Rice, “Drowning” brings together a mix of piano, brass, and strings. Can you tell us more about the creative process and decisions behind the production style that allowed your vocals to shine as the focal point?
Holly: We wanted the production to be minimalist so the vocal could be the focal point of the mix. So we layed down the piano. Swavybeats who had just worked with Kanye West is an incredible beat maker so he sampled some amazing brass, strings, percussive layers and we begun to construct something magic. It’s all about space in Drowning.
Happy: Your debut EP “A Memory” and previous single “Love Who You Wanna Love” garnered significant attention, including a nomination for Best Song at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards. How have these experiences shaped your approach to music and your growth as an artist?
Holly: It’s always so rewarding to see that the music is being acknowledged and it really touched me. Legendary songwriter Diane Warren was presenting so to be put in that position already at the very beginning of my career to be nominated was life changing.
Happy: With an online presence reaching nearly 12,000 monthly Spotify listeners, you’re clearly making a mark in the music industry. How do you navigate the challenges of building your career in an ever-evolving digital landscape?
Holly: It’s definitely positive and negative, the negative being that many artists have to spend just as much time creating TikTok’s as songs, in fact one co write I did recently with a well known act, we both had to start our session creating social content for that day, crazy but necessary. Don’t get me wrong I do love making videos for business its just so time consuming for artists and musicians and now become expected to be marketers and advertising agents.
In the positive light, people that you never would have been able to keep in contact with or connect with are accessible, brilliant!. Like being able to work with Oscar today came from meeting at a UK gig and hooking up on socials, so I have a mixed opinion on it all.
Happy: “Drowning” has been described as a contemporary sonic storytelling experience. What do you hope listeners will take away from this song, and how do you envision it resonating with them long after the music ends?
Holly: Oh that’s a great question, hope listeners will be moved by the flow and metaphorical imagery casted to demonstrate toxic relationships. I hope people can listen and say ‘that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling’ so they don’t feel so alone, to give them an opportunity to open up to a friend.
Happy: Looking ahead, what can fans expect from Holly Riva in terms of future projects or artistic directions? Are there any new themes or genres you’re eager to explore in your music?
Holly: I’m so excited to be able to share overseas touring news for later this year, summer 2024 UK festivals and I do want to hit the Australian festivals. Will be posting updates on my Insta holly_riva. Got heaps of material to release, another single in a couple of months, very thankful to all the incredible collaborators who’ve believed in me, we have some awesome new songs waiting for release. Bond vibes, upbeats, ballads, one exciting ride.
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
Holly: Writing, recording, performing music, friendships, coffee, Pina Coladas, kickboxing, dancing and using my dreadful sense of humour makes me really happy, oh and heaps of travel.
