On Thursday afternoon Riovaz, brought the energy to the Bacardi stage, performing some of his hit songs to an energetic crowd.
“Damn, how ya’ll feeling,” Riovaz asked as he stepped out onto the stage.
Throughout his set he continuously darted across the stage, hyping up the crowd as they screamed along to the lyrics to songs like “You’re a Parasite” and “Jersey Club.”
On Friday afternoon, Riovaz sat down with The Daily Illini to talk about his performance along with his upcoming releases and future goals.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Daily Illini: How do you feel your experience was performing at Lollapalooza? What do you think the highlight of your set was?
Riovaz: I think one of my favorite parts about the set is when I played “Jersey Club,” because I’m from Jersey, so I like seeing it out here and the energy … They were having little dance battles, they were turning up … I f— with that part of my set, but it felt good, man. I love Chicago, so it’s always good.
The DI: Do you feel like the crowd energy influenced your performance or your song choices?
Riovaz: I definitely feed off of their energy a lot. I was playing a lot of unreleased, so I wanted to see their reactions. Especially for Lollapalooza, because it’s my first Lollapalooza and I’m still rolling out the album. The reception was really good. I definitely feed off their energy a lot, it gets me super hyped. Festivals are different bro, like they go crazy. It was lit.
The DI: How do you choose what songs you want to play? Do you have a specific set or do you go with the flow?
Riovaz: I kind of go with the flow. It’s usually the same format. I’ll play like my bigger songs at the end …. But for this one, I literally just wanted to open up with my unreleased.
The DI: How do you mentally and physically prepare to bring that kind of high energy to the festival stage?
Riovaz: I don’t know bro. I don’t really do any preparing. I just go. Like backstage I’m always super f—— nervous … I get on stage and it just leaves my body. But backstage, my heart is racing. When I get on stage I’m a whole different person. But I don’t really do any preparing, I love performing … We don’t really do s—, we just go on stage.
The DI: How do you strive to make a lasting impression with the audience?
Riovaz: I just want them to have fun, and I want them to get out of their comfort zone, because sometimes people can act too cool. I want them to have fun and just dance like nobody’s watching. It’s dance music, so what the f—, just dance, have fun.
The DI: You played several unreleased songs. Any upcoming releases?
Riovaz: I’m dropping my album. I don’t know if I’m gonna drop a single before. I might just drop the album out of nowhere. I think it’s about that time.
The DI: How long have you been working on it?
Riovaz: I started it in November. So that’s not been that long, but it’s done. So I’m ready.
The DI: Do you feel like your music has evolved since your earlier releases?
Riovaz: Yeah. I feel like back then I was just singing sometimes, I was just singing high sometimes just to sing high. Now I have vocal structure and I know how to sing.
The DI: Can you share any details about your upcoming release?
Riovaz: It’s definitely my best music, I’ll say that. It’s super electronic, it’s like electronic mixed with indie music. It’s that sort of vibe. It’s something I’ve never made before, so you’re just going to have to hear it when it drops.
The DI: Where do you see yourself and your music in the next few years?
Riovaz: Hopefully, headlining one of these festivals … I just want to be as big as I can, my goal is just to be remembered.
The DI: Have you played a lot of shows or festivals?
Riovaz: This is my fourth festival. I’ve been on like two headlining tours … I just came off a tour last October. It was really good, they went crazy.
The DI: Is there a particular genre or style that you haven’t explored yet that you want to incorporate into your work?
Riovaz: I’ve never really tried to make rock music, so I want to try that. That would be fire.
DI: Do you channel your personal experiences or anything into your songs?
Riovaz: Sometimes, but sometimes I just make s— up.
The DI: What’s the one thing that you hope to achieve in your career that you haven’t yet?
Riovaz: I want a platinum record. I’m on my way to that but I want it. Either that or a Grammy. That’s super far fetched, but I feel like it could happen if I lock in.
