Riz La Vie, the New Jersey–born and New York–based singer and songwriter, pours raw emotion into vocals that shift from a soothing croon to an impassioned roar. He first gained attention via the 2018 single “Napkins” and has since sharpened an expressive, textured, and at times blues-inflected blend of R&B, hip-hop, and pop across further singles, EPs, and the 2023 album Haven.
His recordings surfaced initially in 2017, when he self-released the five-track digital EPs Found. and Keep. Those projects opened the door to a partnership with J. Erving’s Human Re Sources (home to Charlotte Lawrence, Ernest K., and Six60), which issued the lighter-toned single “Napkins.” Streaming listeners quickly pushed the track past one million plays and onward into the tens of millions. The five-track EPs Breathe. and Feed. arrived in 2019 and 2020, respectively. From the earlier of those releases came the introspective, trap-leaning single “Saturn,” another notable success for La Vie. Additional standalone singles kept interest high until his debut full-length, Haven, appeared in February 2023.
