Riley_Peterson1

Spring, TX, USA

Originally from northern Virginia, Riley grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. Starting in elementary school, all the way through graduation, he took weekly lessons in classical guitar and piano. In high school he picked up the electric guitar and lead the church youth band, and in senior year of high school, he started writing church music. The scope of his writing quickly expanded as he made the college transition. The relational and financial struggles of the modern American transition to adulthood are now the central topic of his music. In his view, the hollow success of the current system continues to stretch thin the most vulnerable citizens while perpetuating the shift from community to individualism. Drawing from musical influences such as Coldplay, Tenth Avenue North, Fleetwood Mac, and Snowmine, he aims to integrate the sing-ability and rhythmic power of modern pop music with the aesthetic appeal of alternative rock and folk music. Riley is a junior at Baylor University.