at h T d oun onates S es R
VIBING
With Singer Ria706
By Natalie Downey Photographed By Mike Graham
he sits at the bar, unassuming, calm, there is a glow S to her. She talks of a life spent singing. There’s a secret passion in her eyes, it’s easy to see - she’s more
touched everybody,” Ria remembers. But Ria recalls that it wasn’t the song her grandmother sang, or her voice in particular, though she had great talent, that than just a musician. She doesn’t just sing; she creates touched people so deeply. It was the remarkable way a completely new and unique sound, and she moves she connected with her audience. “Just watching the response people had to what was inside of her through music, and invites the city to dance along. Briana Wilson, aka “Ria706,” grew up in was amazing. I wanted to touch people like that,” Columbus and the surrounding area, spending Ria says. “I want people to connect with something bigger than me.” Singing in church led to a deepening love for music, and Ria began composing in high school, developing her own style. She looks to a diverse array of music for inspiration. Today, her music is all-original, and she collaborates with other local artists to grow and develop her ideas. “Ninety percent of my music started with my own idea and instrumentation,” Ria says. “I play around with ideas in my mind and go from there.” Ria records her music locally and plays with other local musicians, such as local band Create. She speaks in glowing colors of the many local artists she’s had the privilege of working with. With musical influences such as Erykah Badu, Tweet, Missy Elliot, and Ari Lennox, Ria’s sound Briana Wilson From “Pull Up” Video is smooth and addicting, with a genre that doesn’t some of her early years in Atlanta, then returning to quite have a title, one that is all her own. “It’s kind Columbus to attend CSU as a music major. By the of an electric, hip-hop, soul fusion,” she explains. time she was in college, she knew she had a gift She admits to intentionally listening to music for making music. Her time spent in symphonic outside of her genre to stretch her creativity, spark orchestra playing instruments such as alto sax, bass inspiration, and deepen her understanding of clarinet, and basson, as well as singing in church, music composition. Whether it can be effectively put into words gave her a foundation of experience and insight into or not, her sound is the avenue of art she authentic, coming from a hoped to travel. place of natural talent and As a child, Ria a commitment to creating grew up listening quality work to share with to her grandmother the community. When she sing in church. commits to composing, She nostalgically she has a method to remembers a getting the work done, time when her and doesn’t stop until the grandmother was finished product is one spontaneously called she can be proud of. upon to sing as the A performer must church service was wrapping up a revival. From left to right Top Row: Wayne Black, Myke Grizzly, Ria706, put out what they say they’re going to put out, “There was this song Josiah and Joshua Fiveash of Siantz whether they feel like it at Bottom row: GXCHY, The Tye Dye Intellect, Manny Black that she sang that LocaL
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every performance or not. Ria recognizes the energy people have put into supporting her work, and strives to return that energy with her own best performance, every time. “There are times when I wasn’t feeling it,” she says, “But I went out and gave the best show I could. You give the show you said you were gonna give, cause your name’s on that bill, and they came to see you. Give all of what you have.” What Ria has is genuine talent, and it’s easy to see that making music is about more than just singing to her: it’s an opportunity to connect with and inspire the community, to share her soul with the world, and to make the city sound a little sweeter. The local community has been nothing short of supportive of Ria’s music, and while she understands that not everyone is going to be a fan of an artist’s work, she appreciates the outpouring of love she’s felt from her local listeners. “There are people who, any opportunity they get, share love to me, and I try to do that in return,” Ria says. Photo By Tony Pettis Ria can be found playing live music around Columbus and the surrounding areas. She has taken the stage in Atlanta on numerous occasions. Her music, including an EP titled “R” and single “Pull Up,” can be found on all music platforms. Ria has content dropping in the near future on social media, and a video set to drop in the beginning of December. For more information about Ria706’ music, follow her on all social media platforms @_ria706. u
NOVEMBER -DECEMBER 2020
