Riovaz

Riovaz's music deftly captures the frenetic, unpredictable energy of growing up. Influenced by drum & bass, post-punk and dance composition, his genre-blurring, cutting-edge pop songs that have won him both critical and commercial success before he even graduated high school — are both emotionally rich and dizzyingly varied. It's rare that two songs sound exactly the same. On his lovesick 2020 breakthrough "Prom Night," he sang of feeling like death over lilting pop arrangements. But he's equally likely to spill his heart over crystalline electronic arrangements ("you're a parasite") or bouncy house refractions ("Tell Me All Your Fears"). It's all different, but each track is united by honest, lived-in lyrics from a teenager who doesn't want to pretend to be anyone but himself. He demonstrates that on his eclectic EP Disturb The Norm. The 8-song project boasts singles "U Neva" and "Tantrum (Pace Yourself)" as well as the skaiwater-assisted "Hypnotized." Propulsive and poignant, the dance anthems continue to highlight the 19-year-old's songwriting and defiant originality. Disturb The Norm went on to received major backing — Office Magazine praised him naming his process "boundless," while Billboard, acclaimed him as a "21 Under 21" artists to watch.

Riovaz grew up in Jersey City, NJ surrounded by music. His brother is an avid music fan, his sister is a talented singer, and their parents were always playing '80s Argentinian alt-rock and Michael Jackson at home. This consistent exposure to music from a young age initially transitioned into curious artistry through playing Guitar Hero, and by 13, he was making his own songs. Before uploading his track "Prom Night," which now has over 100 million streams, he had been regularly posting music to SoundCloud and Instagram. The formula for "Prom Night" wasn't any more calculated, but there is a spark to the track. It resonated with listeners quickly. When Riovaz saw it organically going viral — the audio for the song multiplying by 20, 40, or 50 each time he looked — he posted his first-ever TikTok and told his family about his music for the first time.

A busy year for Rio — after the success of Disturb The Norm, the burgeoning artist kicked off his headline, sold out, RIORAVE tour and performed to wild crowds in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, and New York before wrapping in Chicago. He also went overseas for three additional shows and performed at Pharrell Williams' Something In The Water. With all his newfound success, Riovaz proves that he's far more than an artist to watch.