Q: I love the vibe of “Leaving You.” Can you tell us more about the
song? What was the inspiration?
RIVER LION: The inspiration was the city of Los Angeles, the city where I was born. I lived and worked there for many years. One night at the end of a fifteen hour shift delivering flowers for valentine’s day I looked up at the moon and started singing to the city. This is what came out.
Q: I enjoyed your musical style very much! What are some of your
influences?
RIVER LION: The songs of Cat Power and trap music bleeding out of car windows everywhere..
Q: What music genres do you enjoy listening to?
RIVER LION: The music I most enjoy tends to come when I let it find me rather than when I hunt it down. Genres confuse me but I suppose it’s fun to explore any menu so long as the food’s good.
Q: What do you love most about making music?
RIVER LION: I love that sometimes it’s like catching rain drops and other times it’s like freeing a wild beast. I love that once it’s made it’s something that can heal and something that can be shared.
Q: Can you tell us more about your creative progress?
RIVER LION: To acquiesce to all the stress of this musical chess and transgress this duress that the jest has expressed. Maybe in protest, maybe for press; maybe more, maybe less. You’ll have to guess.
Q: What is your story with music?
RIVER LION: At 9 years old I wrote a song with my sister about a beloved cow called Daisy. After that, I was never the same.
Interviewed by Katrina Yang
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