Phillip Hong
February 14, 2010

 

She's a self described nomad who has incorporated elements of her travelling as well as other bits of life into a deep, exciting hodgepodge of songs. What is particularly homogeneous about this artist, which is quite rare for such a varied repetoire, is the fact that her music displays a unique voice that makes it enjoying to hear in many aspects.

 

It's pop without the scandal and superficial texture, with elements of rock that aren't built to kill your eardrums, combined with singing that is as delicate as classical music without the boredom or foreign colloquy.

 

Teresa Riley, or "T" as she likes to be called, has an eclectic set of answers to my mainly plain set of questions.

 

PHIL: You're a great singer and an equally great songwriter. Which part of your music is more enjoyable to do, and which is easier, in your opinion?

 

TERESA: Thank you very much for the compliment! That is a tough question to answer, but I think singing is more enjoyable, but songwriting is more like something that must be done or else I'll explode! An analogy might be that singing is like running along a beach or dancing, and songwriting is like going to the bathroom. And the high you get from writing a song that you like is unexplainable!

 

PHIL: Some say that your music "does not require fast forwarding to get to the good stuff, and gets better with each listen". Would you say that your material ages like a wine vintage, and do you believe that your fans out there will still owns technology that features "fast forwarding"?

 

TERESA: All of my favorite albums usually start out with me thinking it is just ok, with a couple stand out hits. Then after a few listens, other songs slowly grab me, and I am in love with the whole album and my old favourite songs are no longer my favourite songs. From what I am told, this is kind of the affect my album has had on some people. It had it on me too, but I am way too close to it to be objective about it.

 

PHIL: Tell me about "Shed Some Light". What was the inspiration behind this song?

 

TERESA: A guy, what else?!? At the time I was dating a certain someone who was in love with me, then didn't want to be with me, then fought to get me back, then didn't want a relationship... blah blah blah! It was the first time I was on the other side of that coin, so I was basically saying "If you want me, come and get me!" "Shed Some Light" also, as in "just stop screwing around and tell me what you want so I can stop guessing!"

 

PHIL: If you didn't have such a passion for music, what would you see yourself doing instead?

 

TERESA: Acting. Definitely. I am in an acting class right now, and am pursuing that as well. I also fly airplanes to pay the bills. Yes, I am a pilot.

 

PHIL: Please "shed some light" and tell me about your personal position in regards to rap.

 

TERESA: Go Eminem! I love you!

 

Phillip Hong is a presenter on AMPM, combining some great indie music with quotes and interviews.