RIIV is an up and coming singer/songwriter originally from Haiti. Moving to Connecticut at the age of 6, he was a rebellious teen until he hit a low point in life and his father had him placed in a group home. It was there that RIIV began to turn his life around. He started discovering his love for singing. He has been through ups and downs in life but music has always been a constant. RIIV is a go-getter and has linked up with L2 Records to produce his recently released track “Beautiful”.
“Beautiful” is the result of RIIV’s collaborative process with beatmaker DJ Shaw, producers DJ Dens (a.k.a. The Rooster), Chris Anger and executive producer Michael Varner of L2 Records. The track is a blissfully laid-back pop tune with a subtle EDM vibe and works as the perfect showcase for RIIV’s smooth and charismatic voice. Beginning with filtered clean guitar, a languid ‘four to the floor’ beat provides the bedrock for RIIV to lay down a memorable vocal melody with romantic lyrics: “Finally found a reason to sacrifice all of my heart…”.
It breaks down for the bridge with a catchy “Is it your love?” refrain before building back up to an instantly anthemic chorus augmented by synth melodies. In the second verse, the beat develops subtly with handclaps before the chorus and bridge refrain combine to great effect. The production throughout is absolutely first rate and can stand alongside anything on mainstream radio. With the music appealing to both the pop and EDM scenes, “Beautiful” is well placed to be successful both on radio and in the clubs.
Overall, this a perfectly produced Pop/EDM track with a summery, joyous vibe that will undoubtedly help RIIV gain traction in the Pop/EDM space. Since the track’s release, “Beautiful” has received nearly 200,000 views on YouTube and has been doing extremely well on streaming platforms. If RIIV continues to produce songs of this caliber, he has the potential to become the next big thing in the Pop/EDM world. I await future releases with great interest.
VERDICT = 8.7 out of 10
Alex Faulkner
Listen here:
The Faulkner Review 