Ithaca College Artist: Rilya

Rilya is a sophomore majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, who holds a passion for music and song writing. Rilya was inspired to create music at the age of 6 years old when she learned how to play the pianica. This experience was a gateway for Rilya to express herself through music.

“Creating my own music is so personal because I would go into my own headspace and sort of have an inner monologue of what I’m feeling and how I’m feeling.”

Creating music is a way for Rilya to document her journey as a creator. She is influenced by artists such as Adele and Sam Smith. Rilya describes their music as soulful and aspires to make music that achieves to provoke that emotion. Lately, she’s been listening to Dodie Clark, Stephen Day, and Bruno Major as she believes they are talented songwriters.

“I’m still trying to develop that skill, so listening to their music helps me a lot.”

She is further influenced by hometown artists, such as the Indonesian musician Tulus. She describes his lyrics being full of depth and how he further conveys his emotion through his performance.

After performing last year at the One World Concert that Ithaca College hosts annually, Shanel reached out to Rilya and asked if she was interested in being signed by CollegeTown Records. She is really excited to continue working with the label and possibly collaborating with other artists.

“I'm learning so many things, and I love it. There are times where it might be stressful, but I still love the experience.”

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