Today we’d like to introduce you to Lady Ri.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lady Ri. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Richmond, VA. I first sang on stage at my eighth-grade graduation, and after that sang during the “special music” portion of services at my home church. To be perfectly honest, I did not like my voice – for years. The only reason I sang was because my mother essentially made me (love you for it now, mama!) and because I saw how it made other people feel. But I didn’t really start to embrace my gift of song until I attended school at Bridgewater College in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. My sophomore year, I entered “Bridgewater’s Got Talent” and placed second with my cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie”. The following year, I was crowned Miss Bridgewater 2013, winning the pageant with my cover of Alicia Keys’s “Girl on Fire”. I think that’s when I realized that I had something special, something Divine and unique that it was my calling to share with the world. From then on, I sang at every function I could. After college, I moved a town up to Harrisonburg, VA, and stepped on to the open mic scene there. I became a regular at Ruby’s, a popular local open mic bar, with my roommate and guitar player, Andrew, and fell deeper in love with performing live. After six full years in the valley, I moved to New York in 2016 for a change in scenery. I picked up the ukulele so that I could continue to perform live and accompany myself. After about a year of hiding out in my New York apartment, writing original songs and honing my ukulele skills, I went to my first open mic night in Brooklyn in March of 2017. I was the only acoustic instrument amongst rappers and singers with backing tracks, and from then on was known as the “Lady with the Ukulele”, guaranteed to show up at hip hop shows asking if anyone had two mics for my uke and my voice. While I fell in love with the hip hop scene in Brooklyn and loved standing out with my ukulele, I was ready for the next move. Living in the mountains of VA, I was missing the slower pace of life and was craving a new adventure. So my boyfriend and I quit our corporate jobs, loaded up our car, with our cat, and drove 3,000 miles across the country to move to San Diego. And thus I landed here on the West Coast! For the first time ever, with no job and no real plan except to pursue music as a career 100%.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
HA! Smooth! That’s hilarious! “Some struggles” is an understatement, y’all. We moved out here, both my boyfriend and I, with no jobs. Within the first week, we both landed jobs that aligned with our careers (he as a chef and me at the Music Box, a live music venue here in downtown San Diego). It is only by the will of God, our Divine Creator, that we found an apartment and had purpose-aligned jobs having had absolutely nothing but our savings, a car, and our belongings when we arrived here on January 8th of 2019. We both took huge hits financially as well. I was so stressed – I was second-guessing myself, doubting my capabilities, the decision to come here. I felt like a fraud – I would ask myself, is this really your gift? Are you good enough? Do you really think you have what it takes to pursue music as a career? But I truly believe that when you choose to step into your Divine purpose, the universe will align to ensure that you have what you need to survive, succeed, and overcome. My success so far here is a huge testimony, to the people that were placed in our path that helped us secure these opportunities, and to the Universal Appointments that we have been assigned to. It most certainly has been a struggle, and still is! But the only option ditching my “comfortable”, high-paying, passion-less job was to succeed. And so far, I’ve created quite a bit of kinetic energy. I’m blessed to be here.
What should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is myself – my name is Lady Ri, and I am a singer/songwriter. Beyond that, I deliver positive energy, words of encouragement, songs of healing, hope, authenticity and Light to all who will listen. I believe what sets me apart is my ability to connect with others. That’s the reason I do what I do – to make space for people to feel welcomed, loved, powerful, and present. Some people say I have a way of “disarming” people, challenging them to be their truest selves when interacting with me. I don’t know about all that, ha! But I am grateful that I can step into people and really listen to them, make them feel valued and cared for. Because they are. We all are. I’m just out here trying to make sure everyone knows that! That they are here for a reason, and that they matter, and that they have something Divine, unique, and beautiful within them that the world needs.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success…success. What do you want to accomplish in life? Is it doing something that helps others in some way? Are you seeking to spread goodness and Light with your gift(s)? Are you accomplishing the goals you have set for yourself? Are you better than you were yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that? That is success to me. Success is accomplishing that which you are called to do in this life – success is attaining something that you have been working towards, and being able to share that with the world in a positive way.
Contact Info:
- Email: rihillmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ladyrimusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ladyrimusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/ladyrimusic
- Other: www.soundcloud.com/theladyri
Image Credit:
Personal Photo: Danny Ospina
1st Photo (laughing): Danny Ospina
2nd Photo (city scape): Ryan Rizzuto
3rd Photo (singing): Jay Prob
4th Photo (my cat Rizzo): Me
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