RïA MEHTA

Introduction 146

"I just returned from Berlin so this 1-hour cross-genre set is inspired by all the amazing music I heard there. It also includes my DKJ release "Alone", and a preview of a new remix dropping this Friday called Waking Dreams (Rïa Mehta Remix)! I hope you'll enjoy the set as much as I did making it :)"

DIT KLINGT JUT · Introduction 146 | Rïa Mehta

Hey Ria! Thank you for agreeing to answer some of our curious questions. To dive right in, we'd love to hear a little about the beginning of your journey as an electronic music artist. How did everything start for you?

"Thanks for having me! My journey as a music artist came in 2 parts. First: I started DJing in 2019, and that was just for fun and at home. But a few months in I got to play my first party, and that was the moment I knew I wanted to produce my own music. The pandemic hit a few months later so I took that opportunity to learn Ableton, and the rest is history :)"

What do you love most about being an artist?

"Luckily "artist" means many things, and I've been an artist my whole life in one way or another. As a kid, I used to play the piano (by ear, with one hand - self taught :)). Then I sketched/painted, became a state-level public speaker, acted in plays/drama, and also became a certified salon professional (the latter helped get myself through college). Lastly, right before I got into music, I went to film school, and also did photography for friends and family. So yeah, you can say I love being creative, which is what I love most about being an artist. As long as I'm expressing myself in some way, I'm a happy girl."

How do you stay focused in a world of constant distraction?

"If there's one thing I'll say I have, it's determination. So if I've made up my mind to do something, I'll go above and beyond to make sure it gets done (lots of late nights, lol). I'll say I'm lucky on that front :) Producing requires hyper focused attention and I'm able to do that 9 out of 10 times (there is that 1 time every now and then I'll give myself a break though :))"

What is sacred to you?

"The truth; especially with myself. If something is bad, I admit it, if it's not then I admit that too. Among friends I'm known to have no filter; I'll say whatever comes to my mind (as long as it's true) :) But I mean well, so those who know me don't get offended easily... I do hope to get better about saying things mroe carefully though! It can get me into trouble sometimes :)"

What is your opinion on failure?

"I am extremely hard on myself, so admittedly I don't give myself a break when I fail. But I think failing is important every now and then, it's good to learn from it. And when you hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up! So if / when I do fail, I try to learn from it and move on quickly, keeping in mind not to repeat my mistake(s)."

What makes you laugh?

"I love this question! I'm a positive person in general; and will laugh at anything that's said or done in good humor, or is a very witty response to something."

What can we expect from you in the near future?

"It's interesting; In 2021 I released 18 tracks and was all about getting as much music as possible out there. This year I'll have half as many releases, but I feel my production has gotten 10x better. So in the future I'm going to continue focusing on enhancing my quality, and not worry so much about numbers.
Production wise, I have a couple more tracks releasing this year. DJ set wise, I'm playing here in NYC and have a couple international gigs lined up (TBA), which I'm really excited about :)"