Years active 2000–present Occupation(s) Singersongwriter Albums Kodiak | Name Christina Rieder Role Singer Website www.rykka.com | |
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Genres Alternative rockindie pop Labels Little Jig RecordsVissen Records Similar People Ana Zimmer, Chelsea Jade, Alex Guest, Monokle, Timothy Jaromir | ||
Birth name Christina Maria Rieder | ||
Rykka blackie balconytv
Christina Maria Rieder (born 13 March 1986), better known by her stage name Rykka , is a Swiss-Canadian singer and songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her songs have been featured on TV, and she has been nominated for several music awards both in British Columbia, and across Canada. On May 12, 2016, she represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm with the song "The Last of Our Kind". She sang in the second semi-final of the event.
Contents
- Rykka blackie balconytv
- Early years
- 20122013 Kodiak
- 2013present Other work
- Personal life
- Filmography
- Awards and nominations
- References
Early years
Rykka was born Christina Maria Rieder in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She began guitar lessons at age 15, then performed at local community festivals. During her two-year program at Vancouver Community College, Christina studied voice with Paula Kremer, while also busking around Vancouver’s Granville Island.
In 2009, she moved to Toronto to record her third independent album Straight Line under the performing name “Christina Maria”. The album was produced with the help of several Canadian producers such as David Baxter, Russel Broom, and Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother.
In 2010, her album Straight Line was released in Switzerland under Little Jig Records. Rykka stayed and performed both in Switzerland and in Germany, highlighted by a performance on "Sat.1 Frühstücksfernsehen"; a German television channel boasting an average audience of 1 million viewers. She later received a nomination for Demotape Clinic at M4Music in Switzerland.
2012–2013: Kodiak
Kodiak was Rykka's 2012 album. It marked a significant change in her musical career since she formally changed her stage name from Christina Maria. She recorded “Kodiak” under the new name Rykka. The record was produced by Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother, engineered by Shawn Penner, mixed by Warne Livesey and mastered by Andy VanDette. It was released that year in Switzerland by Little Jig Records.
2013–present: Other work
In 2013, Rykka released her fourth studio album Kodiak under Vissen Record in Canada, following a release of the same album in Switzerland the year before. Later in 2013, she won $100,000.00 in The Peak Performance Project.
Rykka played a slot in BC’s well-known Squamish Valley Music Festival (2014), opening for another Peak Performance Project winner, We Are the City. She represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "The Last of Our Kind" (written by Rykka, Jeff Dawson, Mike James, and Warne Livesey) after winning ESC 2016 – Die Entscheidungsshow.
Personal life
Rykka splits her time between Zürich in Switzerland and her hometown of Vancouver. She cites Heart, Blondie, Madonna, Björk, Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush, and Pat Benatar as her main influences. Her paternal grandfather is Swiss. Her maternal ancestry is Dutch, her maternal grandfather comes from Bodegraven and her maternal grandmother is from Woerden.