Name: Jean-Philippe Rio-Py aka Riopy
Nationality: Franco-British
Occupation: Composer, pianist
Current release: Riopy's "Nocturne" is out now. It is the first single to be taken off his upcoming new album Thrive, scheduled for release on April 14th 2023. He is also about to embark on a big tour. For more information and tickets, go here.
Finally, a sample of Riopy's "Flo" was used for the song "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing" featured on del Rey's upcoming album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.

If you enjoyed this Riopy interview, and would like to know more, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

It’s a rather deep subject to get into, and quite difficult to explain in a few sentences.

Creating comes from an unknown part of us, right? I get into a “creative gear mode”, anything that makes me feel something inspires me, I get ideas in dreams, in situations, in everything around with a search for a perfect harmony.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

My “music brain” is always switched on. I’m always connected to sound, everything is sound for me, all around.

Sometimes, I wake up and go to my studio, there is no planning. I just make music all the time, it’s easier and more accurate than any other language.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

That’s a very good question. The hardest for me is to “put a song in a box”. I always hear so many versions, there are always evolving, so it’s difficult to “finish” and let them have a predetermined “life”.

I love the unknown, that’s the most exciting. You never know what you’re going to find. You never know what might come, true magic.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Rituals? No, I avoid any kind of ritual, sounds too cultish or religious to me.

I have a routine, yes, I have a way of living my life that is very personal to me and that works for me. The way I consume food will affect my state of consciousness, so I avoid bad food - I’m a vegetarian by choice, I do not drink alcohol, I avoid sugar, I have ice baths, I exercise and do my yoga and I meditate every day, etc.

It’s all part of my lifestyle and it helps me cope with everything. I’m more in control of my emotions, which means that it's easier to let the flow of creativity grow. At least for me.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Sometimes I have a melody in my head, sometimes I just go and play my piano (or another instrument) and I get myself into the music. That’s how I start.

Then, I get into a kind of deep meditation as I’m fully focused. I’m always making music, day and night. It’s my first language, it’s easier to express any feelings that way.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

Once I’ve started, it will depend. It happens that I go the total opposite way of what I initially wanted to do. I love when this happens, it's so unpredictable, yet fascinating and inspiring

A bit like life - you have no control.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

There is no control. I think to make music one has to listen. By listening we can then create. Listening to another part of us, another mode of functioning, a different part of the brain.

It's a funny question as basically this is a kind of hypnosis. When it gets out of hand, that’s the ultimate beauty of creating. We can actually visualise the way our brain is in a deep creativity mode / deep meditation. Coincidence?

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I love this the most. So many alternative roads, ideas, notes come into the map, and everything grows. A bit like a matrix.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

We first need to define what spirituality means. If spirituality means the existence of something beyond the “self”, then yes, I am spiritual. And yes there is a spiritual aspect to my music for sure. It heals me.

That’s how I started, out of necessity. Still to this day, I'm looking for a special frequency.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

It’s never finished and I accept that.

That’s the reason why I never listen to my own music, I rather play it. Always different. Still evolving

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

If I keep playing it again and again for months, it means it has a special place. I see it a bit like nature. A plant will start to grow and find its balance, right? The photosynthesis, the light, what it needs. And it evolves.

The more I play a piece that I started composing, the more it finds its place within, like organising itself. I can actually play a piece 1000 times before it feels it found itself, though.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I get involved in every single aspect of my music. I need to. Every single detail will affect the mood, the tone, the intent, etc.

I’m always in the studio working. I have a sound in my head I want, I always know exactly what I want to achieve in terms of sound and so on.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Haha, good one. When I finish making an album, I’m already working on a new project.

It’s a bit like breathing, I cannot stop.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I like this. Well, I think the day one succeeds in enjoying the “mundane” tasks of life, one is “there” haha. There is peace and happiness in everything, I would totally agree with that. Actually, my happiest friends are the ones who spend time in nature and have a “simple” life and I can definitely relate to that.

Now, towards creativity it is not comparable. Music is for me the number 1 art  perhaps top1 with painting / drawing) as it involves something mysterious, deep, from the subconscious mind …

You never know what you’re going to find when you create music. It is full of wonders. Alibaba’s cave.