riddo is a rapper and producer carving a fanbase for himself in both Australia and the Phillipines, currently warming up to the release of a yet-to-be-named album.
With that on the cards, we caught up with riddo to chat about his inspirations, his education at the Australian Institute of Music, and his many collaborations.
“It’s the introverted emo kid making hip hop”: we take five with producer, vocalist, songwriter, and all-around powerhouse riddo.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about riddo. What’s the elevator pitch?
RIDDO: Right now it’s the introverted emo kid expressing himself through hip-hop. He aims to be humble and certain in everything he does, especially when it comes to his music. It’s hard to be both, especially when in the hip-hop game, and I believe if I maintain that mentality it will definitely make me unique. It’s not hard to be because that’s just who I am and who I want to be. I don’t want to change who I am, I want to be the best version of myself and lead by good example.
HAPPY: How did you get started making music?
RIDDO: Music has been with me throughout my whole life. My mum’s a singer and I’ve been playing piano since I was five. Fortunately, I live in an era where technology has made everything accessible. I downloaded FL Studio when I was 14 and made so much dubstep. From then on I just kept on creating and creating. Then eventually throughout my eventful life I ended up taking up music as a career!
HAPPY: You seem to be fond of working with others, what makes collaboration important to you?
RIDDO: I don’t know too much people in the music industry. All the people I’ve collaborated with are either close friends or local artists. I love to surround myself with people who have the same passion in music so it’ll inspire and motivate me to continue making.
HAPPY: You’ve got a decent following in SE Asia, what has performing in that scene been like and how is it different to Australia?
RIDDO: I’ve only performed in the Philippines and Australia. The support I have from these two places mean so much to me and it makes me so happy. I believe I still need to perform more in both scenes to clearly see a difference. But for now, they both show so much love and I’m really grateful for that.
HAPPY: What has surprised you about making the transition to a different audience base?
RIDDO: Nothing really surprised me honestly. I’m well acquainted with both the Australian and Filipino culture since I was born here in Australia.
HAPPY: What has studying at the Australian Institute of Music taught you about being a musician and the music industry?
RIDDO: One things for sure, I would never have met the people I know now if it wasn’t for AIM. The music industry is slowly welcoming me into its home and AIM was the door.
HAPPY: What course are you studying there?
RIDDO: Bachelor of Composition and Music Production.
HAPPY: You’ve got an album coming soon right? How’s that coming along?
RIDDO: The songs are ready to blossom! Will be releasing one more single beforehand then out with the album two weeks after!
HAPPY: Is there anything else you have coming up?
RIDDO: Not at the moment, but I will be updating my website and instagram when something does comes up! So if you follow @ridoman or go to riddomusic.com you’ll be personally notified!
If you’re considering a career in music, don’t miss AIM’s upcoming Open Days in Sydney and Melbourne:
AIM Sydney Open Day – 27th July 2019
AIM Melbourne Open Day – 3rd August 2019
You can find out more and reserve your free tickets here.
