Ria Mae

Raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canadian singer-songwriter Ria Mae crafts contemporary pop that blends indie influences with electronic touches and R&B nuances. After establishing herself on the local scene, she released her debut album, Under Your Skin, in 2011, which brought her to stages across Canada’s East Coast. Her collaboration with rapper-producer Classified marked a significant milestone and led to the single "Clothes Off" in 2015, widely played in Canada, followed by the album Ria Mae in 2016 on a national major label. Ria Mae’s music relies on direct melodies, spare, rhythm-driven productions, and lyrics focused on relationships, desire, vulnerability and the affirmation of a queer identity—topics she addresses explicitly in several tracks. A Juno Award nomination increased her visibility; she subsequently toured clubs and festivals in Canada and abroad while continuing to release singles and EPs in which her songwriting gradually shifted from a folk-pop format toward a more electronic, urban sound, without abandoning an intimate approach to songwriting.