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Premiere: New Zealand's RIIKI sets her sights on the world with Share Your Luv
After storming the New Zealand charts with two singles last year, the pop fresh face now has her eyes set on a bigger prize – the world.
Posted By Hayden Davies
4 years ago
If you've paid particular attention to the pop world across the Tasman in New Zealand, chances are you've already come across RIIKI. Last year, she burst out of the gates with a bright-eyed and strong-armed debut single One Day, only to follow it up with a single that would launch her into homegrown commercial success, with High Heights – her second single – finding its way onto the New Zealand singles chart, where it stayed for weeks. In the time since, however, the New Zealand pop market – and RIIKI herself – have only grown; musicians such as BENEE and Thomston capturing international attention and directing eyes to the country's next generation of stars in the process, where RIIKI sits amongst.
Riding this wave, RIIKI is using 2020 as the year to climb to her pedestal, doing so with her first single of the year in Share Your Luv. It's a single that captures the charm and beauty of her two singles prior but also shows how far she's come since then, with a broader range of influences and inspiration – including everyone from The 1975 and Kali Uchis to Joji and Tom Misch – giving her new work a distinct edge that separates it from the rest of the pack, and keeps RIIKI looking forward into the future.
As a result, there are shadings amongst Share Your Luv that open plenty of pathways for her to travel down in the future. While her debut work was dazzling indie-pop at its most potent and brilliant, her new work feels a touch more stream-lined and slick, all while pairing it with a slight touch of R&B and electronica that pushes her personal boundaries within music and showcases her creativity in crafting exceptional, radio-ready pop.
If you go a bit deeper, however, you'll find that Share Your Luv is a bit of a personal moment for the rising star, with RIIKI using the single as a vessel to vent about heartbreak and longing, while also remaining hopeful as she sings about the strength needed to overcome these emotions and come out on top. "I’m usually the friend helping people I know around me in these situations," she says. "But it just feels so damn real when you’re in it and you truly experience that really sad feeling you never saw coming. Although, it is so important that if you fall into that situation you remind yourself ‘you were never the problem or held responsible, they were’.
"Don’t blame yourself, instead have a lil boogie, because this only made you way stronger."
Share Your Luv gives you the perfect opportunity to have a lil boogie and come out the other side a stronger version of yourself, so take a dive into the track ahead of its release tomorrow, and keep an eye on RIIKI as she emerges a fresh-faced star from across the Tasman ready for you attention.
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