Diandra Interviews M.Rivers: From Champion Fighter To Champion Artist
Releasing his newest single, “Don’t Drink The Water”, M.Rivers is building that he is an artist living for the temptation of love. Yes, love makes you vulnerable, but that vulnerability stems from you wanting to reveal and try new sides of yourself. There are certain things in life that push to light your hidden desires, for better or worse, and love/ M.Rivers music certainly does that.
Diandra: You chose the name M.Rivers because you felt it was a name that matched your music. How so?
M.Rivers: I feel it is a soulful name, and at the end of the day I want to capture a piece of my soul in my recordings.
Diandra: As a fighter, you talked about having “that voice” in your head that psyched you up while training. Do you have the same “inner voice” when creating music?
M.Rivers: I look to life experiences for making music and writing songs, whether it’s about conflict and struggle or relationships and love. As concepts and ideas are swirling around, I reel thoughts inward and focus on specifics to guide the song into fruition. As I fighter I would visualize the entire match beforehand, so when I was in the fight it was as if I had already been there. As an artist, visualization is one of the most important disciplines I practice.
Diandra: Your bio says you thirst for “authenticity”; a word that has become popularized with mindfulness. How would you define authenticity?
M.Rivers: When I record music, authenticity equals transparency for me, capturing an honest performance. Being authentic is being yourself, flaws and all.
Diandra: In going solo, have you noticed differences in how you approach music and yourself?
M.Rivers: I’ve put great people around me with this project, and I rely on their creative and constructive input but at the end of the day I make final creative decisions, as well as the overall direction in which the music steers. With a band, you have to consider everyone’s perspective, lives and family and you take on emotional weight from others as well, so the dynamic is very different.
Diandra: “Champion” feels more dynamic in tempo and verses compared to previous works. What did you want this record to say about you personally that, perhaps, your prior music did not?
M.Rivers: This record was all about feel as far as the playing, and vibe when it comes to the sound. The individual parts I wrote on this record (along with producer Jimmy Messer), really interacted with each other, I concentrated on counterpoints more and the ability to translate the songs live with simplicity and minimalism.
Diandra: What messages and inspiration went into the “Don’t Drink The Water”? How do you feel it further displays your music’s growth?
M.Rivers: I stand for equality and I stand against misinformation. As a human being, I believe we are repeating ourselves from decade to decade and the song is about challenging us to think for ourselves and above the things we are taught by mainstream media and the powers that be. For example, when I say the line “sharpen your knife”, I actually mean exercise your mind and tap into your higher consciousness, I want us to arm ourselves with intelligence and an understanding that we’re all in this together.
Diandra: You have been creating music since you were a child. What was your first music memory, and the one that made you feel music was your path?
M.Rivers: I remember watching the blues brothers with my father as a child, and seeing the cast sing and dance with passion and purpose. It’s a far fetched comedy, of course, but the music is as real as it gets. Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, Cab Coloway, John Lee Hooker, come on.
Diandra: Now older and an actual, professional artist, how has your love for music changed since childhood?
M.Rivers: I love it even more now then I did when I was young. I think it’s important to continue to love the process and learning from my peers and the greats who came before me.
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