Paul Golder writes for the Brentwood Gazette
It’s not often that we get performers all the way from the USA to visit us, so when we do we have to give them just a little bit more airplay …
Nashville singer/songwriter Ria Barkr visited Michelle Ward’s Eat My Brunch show to talk about her career and sing live in the studio.
Ria started in musical theatre, starring in US productions with Broadway A-listers Gary Mauer, David Elder, Cary Miller and Denise DiRenzo.
But after a studio session with renowned jazz pianist and composer Jeff Franzel, who has performed with Frank Sinatra, Josh Groban and The Temptations, Ria decided the time was right to move over to a more musical career.
Ria only started releasing music in March last year – but since has been on a national tour, is scheduled to play at the prestigious SXSW, and has achieved over 300,000 streams online.
She’s honed her skills by joining multiple writing camps including ones with top publishers Prescription Songs – a fantastic achievement for an independent artist.
Ria, backed by her guitarist Mike, performed three amazing tracks live – Work For It, Tennis and Monday.
Her debut EP, ALPHA SHE, was released on Friday and you can find out more about her at www.facebook.com/riabarkr. You can hear her session again at phoenixfm.com.
