Ria Mae
| Ria Mae | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Genres | Urban, pop, alternative |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Labels | Sony Music Canada |
| Website |
riamae |
Ria Mae is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her music blends pop melodies with alternative and folk.
Career
As a child, Mae's family moved around Halifax, switching from school to school while she learned to write songs. But instead of pursuing a career in music, she briefly dabbled in construction management out of high school.[1] Before long, she would return to music, playing in bars and clubs and steadily growing a fan base.
Her first release, the EP Between the Bad, was released in 2009. Two years later, Mae was chosen as a finalist in the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, causing her to cancel her show at the Halifax Pop Explosion.[2]
In 2011, Mae self-released her debut album Under Your Skin, recorded with Mir members Asif and Shehab Illyas at The Shire Studios in Halifax.[3] Mae met the Illyas brothers while acting in Rohan Fernando's feature-length independent film, Snow, in which she played an itinerant singer.[3] The Illyas brothers composed the score for Snow.[1] Under Your Skin won an East Coast Music Award in 2012.[3] In March 2012, the song "Under Your Skin" was chosen as a finalist in the Radio Star National Talent Search at Canadian Music Week.
In 2013 she was nominated for another ECMA for Song of the Year for her song "Leaving Today".
The single "Clothes Off" was released in 2015 and has received positive reviews.[4][5] It is her first release with Sony Music Canada. The track is produced by Juno Award-winning hip-hop producer Classified, who Mae chose after hearing his work with David Myles and Chad Hatcher.[6] "Clothes Off" has been nominated for Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2016.
Mae was nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the 2015 East Coast Music Awards.[7]
Mae has performed at CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, Folk Alliance International in Memphis, Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Contact East in Fredericton, and at East Coast Music Awards Week. She has shared the stage with Family Of The Year, Xavier Rudd, Buck 65, Classified, and opened for Elle King.
She is out as a member of the LGBT community.[8]
Discography
Albums
- Under Your Skin (2011)
- Forthcoming album (2015)
EPs
- Between the Bad EP (2010)
Singles
- "Under Your Skin" (2012)
- "Leaving Today" (2013)
- "Clothes Off" (2015)
- "Gold" (2016)
Filmography
- Snow as an itinerant singer
References
- 1 2 "Ria Mae channels inner Gypsy". The Chronicle-Herald. November 3, 2011. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
- ↑ McNutt, Ryan (November 17, 2011). "Ria’s spark". The Coast. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
- 1 2 3 "Ria Mae gets Under Your Skin". Xtra!, June 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Ria Mae Holiday Inn, Truro NS, November 6". Exclaim!. November 7, 2014. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
- ↑ "Music Lives: Warm up with great Nova Scotian music". Truro Daily News. March 25, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
- ↑ Ritchie, Matthew (June 28, 2012). "Mae day". The Coast. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
- ↑ "2015 ECMA nominees announced". The Telegram. January 28, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
- ↑ "Ria Mae talks signing to Sony and working on her new hip hop-inspired album". After Ellen, February 12, 2015.