LA artist-to-watch Riah makes a splash with her spirited single “Bed,” an uplifting, cathartic, and irresistibly catchy indie pop anthem fueled by crippling anxiety, invisible demons, and the resolve to break free and let our inner light shine.
for fans of Abby Holliday, Loviet, Dizzy
Stream: “Bed” – Riah
There’s no denying the ache at the heart of Riah’s new song, but there’s also no mistaking her desire to break free from it.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 31% of American adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. That’s one in three people. It’s a painful statistic whose numbers are only likely to grow higher in the coming years (as they have over recent decades) – and yet, knowledge is power. So many of us are suffering, and despite stigmas slowly going away, they’re still there; most people don’t want to talk about their mental health in polite conversation, and others still don’t want to hear it (or would prefer to sweep it under the rug, so-to-speak).
But you can’t sweep a song like “Bed” under the rug, and that’s what makes Riah’s latest single so important – and special. The LA-based singer/songwriter’s first song of the year is an intimate, radiant rush of inertia and yearning, capturing the very real paralyzing sensations that often accompany anxiety, preventing us from living our best lives and being our best possible selves.
Jumped in the car forgot the keys
I jump the gun on everything it’s typical for me
I shut my eyes but never sleep
I always think a million things
a million things
I have this reoccurring dream
Where I’m stuck on a flight
in the back in the middle seat
Some claustrophobic energy
What does it mean
A million things
Rather than accept her lot in life, Riah – née Mariah McManus Goss – remains determined to unshackle herself from these invisible demons and overcome the forces weighing her down from the inside out. “Bed” is thus as inspiring as it is exhilarating: A soaring anxiety-fueled indie pop anthem highlighting the sheer tenacity and resilience of human spirit.
Anxiety may keep her from getting out of bed some days, but Riah won’t let it break her – or define her. She rises to fever pitch in a cathartic and irresistibly catchy chorus:
I guess I’m just stuck inside my own body
Trying to run but going nowhere
If I could move I’d bring you back to me
But I guess it just is what is
Tell me what to do with all these feelings
When half of these thoughts
don’t even make sense
I don’t wanna stay, but how can I leave when
I can’t even get out of my bed
Get out of my bed
“Bed is about crippling anxiety and feeling like the weight of the world is on your chest,” Riah tells Atwood Magazine. “This song for me is that heavy feeling of wishing you could just snap out of it but you feel so stuck inside of your mind, like there are a million things you would do if you could only just get out of bed.”
Written with Ben Tan and Aodhan King, “Bed” is a resounding return for Riah; independently released May 10, 2024, the track is her first in over a year – her last single, February 2023’s “can’t lose you now,” had itself been her first since 2019’s acclaimed debut EP, Heartbreak Magic.
“Listening to Riah’s debut EP is the musical equivalent to floating on a dream cloud,” Atwood Magazine previously wrote in our Heartbreak Magic feature. “Sweet wisps of synths and bubbly guitar fade in and out of an entrancing rhythmic soundscape, with rich emotionally-driven vocals lighting a path forward… Heartbreak Magic shines as a bright, beautiful soundtrack to romantic turbulence, emotional empowerment, and self-discovery.”
Much has changed for Riah in the years since that dazzling EP, whose songs hit as hard now as they did five years ago; most notably, she had a daughter, whom she says forever changed her drive for the better.
“The second I found out I was having a girl I made a promise to myself that she was going to grow up watching her mom pursue her dreams,” she smiles. “So here I am. Doing everything I can to make us both proud and have the best time doing it.”
I have this vivid memory
Back when we were young
you played this song you wrote for me
I can’t remember anything
The lyrics or The melody
What did it mean?
What resonates most in “Bed” is not Riah’s anxiety per se, but rather her determination to overcome it; to shine in spite of it. “I’ve had enough of breaking down, why do I do this to myself?” she sings in a passionate breakdown, resolved to rise higher than ever before. “I’ve had enough, it’s over now.”
I’ve had enough
Of breaking down
Why do I do this to myself
I’ve had enough
It’s over now… It’s over now
Uplifting, and utterly enchanting, “Bed” is a beautifully bold reckoning with the inner aching, pressure, and inertia that so many of us feel in this life. It’s a song that (quite fittingly) gets us out of our own funks, propelling us to move and groove and let our own inner light shine as Riah channels painful emotion into breathtaking, palpable energy.
Atwood Magazine recently caught up with Riah to chat about the inspirations behind “Bed” and her own journey of personal and musical growth. Get to know a bit about the indie pop dreamweaver – an unmistakeable artist to watch – in our interview, and stay tuned for more to come from Riah in the months ahead!
I guess I’m just stuck inside my own body
Trying to run but going nowhere
If I could move I’d bring you back to me
But I guess it just is what is
Tell me what to do with all these feelings
When half of these thoughts
don’t even make sense
I don’t wanna stay, but how can I leave when
I can’t even get out of my bed
Get out of my bed
— —
:: stream/purchase Bed here ::
:: connect with Riah here ::
Stream: “Bed” – Riah
CATCHING UP WITHA RIAH
Atwood Magazine: Great to catch up, Riah! What's the story behind “Bed,” and why did you choose to release this as the first single off your new record (and your first song back in over a year)?
Riah: I actually wrote this song a year ago, and it was the first of many writing sessions with the two guys I wrote the song with. There was something really special about writing it. It felt like there was just something different in that room that day. It just made sense for it to be the first.
You've talked about the crippling anxiety and weight of the world crushing down on you that inspired this song. Where, for you, did those emotions stem from? Is that a constant, persistent feeling?
Riah: It feels so dramatic, but the song really isn’t meant to be heavy. Even though maybe when you listen to the words with the context it might be anyway. “Bed” feels like a window into my mind, I guess. Somedays are heavier than others, but I have such a rich life and I’m constantly reminded of the great joy in my family and the true friendships that I’ve built over my life.
In part, I think that’s where some of the fear comes from. The idea of losing what I have. I’ve not always had consistent loyal friendships, or steady kind love. I think when you’ve experienced both sides of life, the good and the bad, fear of ever going back to the bad can creep in and make it hard to really see the good that’s already in your life.
Sonically, what were you going for with this song? What was your vision for it, if any?
Riah: Historically with Riah music it’s been very left and vibey, which I love. But with “Bed” it was really all about the song serving the lyrics. We didn’t want to overshadow the nuances and thoughtfulness. Just wanted it to stay real and true to what it’s saying.
It's been a year since “can't lose you now” and 5 years since Heartbreak Magic. How, for you, does “Bed” serve as a reintroduction to Riah?
Riah: Woah. 5 YEARS! That’s crazy. Yes. I think I’m a lot more open handed with the journey and with the outcome. I want to release music because I love music. Because I love writing. I never get over the feeling of stumbling across a new song and listening to it 500 times in a row because somehow the artist put music and lyrics to how I’m feeling in that season of I life. I hope I can do that for someone.
Continuing along that line of thought, how does the Riah we're getting to know today compare to the artist we last really knew in 2019? How do you feel you've changed over the past five years, and what excites you about returning with new music now?
Riah: Yeah, my life has changed. My drive has changed. I had a daughter, that will change you. The best thing of my life. The second I found out I was having a girl I made a promise to myself that she was going to grow up watching her mom pursue her dreams. So here I am. Doing everything I can to make us both proud and have the best time doing it.
The second I found out I was having a girl I made a promise to myself that she was going to grow up watching her mom pursue her dreams
What do you love most about this new song, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Riah: I love that it’s got a lightness to it musically and a heaviness to it lyrically. I love that it’s the perfect driving song (I’m always looking for songs to drive to because I live in Los Angeles). I love that it’s the first of many songs to come. Like I said earlier, I hope it can meet somewhere where they’re at in this season of their life. That maybe someone out there who’s feeling stuck like I have so many times in my life can know they aren’t alone.
Lastly - Do you have any favorite lyrics or lines from this track?
Riah: I have a few but the first line, ‘jumped in the car forgot the keys.’ Just funny ’cause I do that a lot.
— —
:: stream/purchase Bed here ::
:: connect with Riah here ::
Stream: “Bed” – Riah
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© Abagail Reid
© Abagail Reid
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