Music Review and Interview with Rivita – Silent Nights
The way this track opens up immediately gives it a really ethereal and quite euphoric sound. The mood is set, and the atmosphere is wonderfully dreamlike. The oriental sounding finger-picking of the guitar is gorgeous, as is the unusual beat. In actual fact, the production style of this particular piece is altogether quite unusual, and striking to listen to.
On top of this you get the song itself, the vocal performance is beautifully soft and smooth sounding – it’s effectiveness is partly due to the way in which the vocal recording is perfectly in fitting with the whole production style. It feels like a musical waterfall at times, rather than a song – and that’s not a bad thing. The music gathers around you, and there is always something new about to occur, some additional sound or moment, not overbearing or out of place, just, in a way, keeping the musical scenery original at all times.
The track sounds great, the introduction pulls you in straight away, there’s a hint of classic 90’s pop to the beat and the backing track, but for the most part that finger-picking riff takes over and adds this massive stamp of originality. The voice seems to slot flawlessly into the music, not just sitting on top of it, not added as an after thought, but genuinely embedded in the sound and the overall track. Everything seems to work quite well together within the walls of the song. The quiet parts are well placed, as are the bigger, louder, more repetitive sections. The hook repeats many times, but something about the flow of the music and the softness of the voice makes it sound quite natural in this particular setting. It seems strange that it should work so well, but that’s good – something new has been reached for, and the outcome is hugely positive.
The track is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.
By Rebecca Cullen
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Rivita: I grew up in New Delhi, India. I was always quite attached to music and creating things. Ever since I was a teenager I wanted to become an artist. I always loved writing music and lyrics. It is like writing a story with a beat to it. What I enjoy about being an artist is creating a well-rounded product with the right sound and the right look. I really started taking my career as an artist seriously when I was studying at University in London.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Rivita: I didn’t come up with the name, my mom did! It is quite a different name, something my mother created. She says the meaning of “Rivita” is a mermaid
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Rivita: I think online music sharing has its pros and cons. While the artist might not get paid much, it does open doors for artists to be in control of their music and build their own audiences. With people writing and creating such brilliant music from their bedrooms, I think the Internet provides a platform for everyone to be heard. I do give my music away for free, you can download my single “Fly Away” for free from my Soundcloud page right here:
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Rivita: I think the number one advice I could give to anyone is to concentrate on the music. Have your music ready, prepare a set and then put it out there. Talk to other bands who are gigging, take a note of venues that have “Live Music” nights and talk to them. Same goes for airplay, look for online radio stations or student radio stations in your area and drop them a well-written E-mail.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Rivita: It just comes to me really, most of the times it starts with a short melody and lyrics that evolve into an entire song. Other times, I like to play around with sounds on my production software (Logic X) and that gives me an inspiration for a new song.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Rivita: Yes, I have a website – www.rivitamusic.com
My music is available on all major platforms – iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Soundcloud, Youtube etc.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Rivita: I think I would use it wisely. I would like to record an EP and hire a good team to work with on various aspects of it – recording, production, artwork and PR. I will put some of the money in savings for future projects.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Rivita: Ah, promoting your music can be a very tricky. I try social media and all the regular stuff but I think what works best is to reach out to people who genuinely care about unsigned artists and are willing to promote them. There are people like this who write blogs or are music publishers. You just have to spend time looking for people who genuinely like your music and are willing to promote it.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Rivita: Yes, I am very excited about my new single “Silent Nights” coming out next month on the 10th. So 10th June 2016 – save the date. It is already up on iTunes for pre-order. It has been an exciting project, we are currently filming a music video for the single and I just can’t wait to share it with the world!
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Rivita: I dropped out of medical school half way, so probably that.. or not.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Rivita: For the past couple of years I have been quite busy, I finished a Master’s degree in Music itself all while working part-time, teaching, gigging and releasing new music. I think what really gets me through is making a to-do list and checking things off it as they get done. It is a very simple thing to do, but you do feel a sense of accomplishment as soon as you strike one thing off the list and move on to the next.
I have to admit, I am very lucky, I have parents who support me. I am taking some time out at the minute to concentrate 100% on the music. I do teach and work on various other projects but it’s enjoyable as it is to do with music at the end of the day.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Rivita: My new sound. I have been exploring an electronic approach to my music swaying away from my usual Pop/Rock sound. I am working on quite a few songs, I have become more independent with my music – It is becoming more DIY. And of course can’t wait to share my first ever music video with the world
