Chris Rio
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Chris Rio | |
|---|---|
 Chris Rio performing live in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Uriri Israel Onoyovwi |
| Also known as | Mr. Rio, Christopher |
| Born | 2 July 1995 Warri, Delta State |
| Origin | Ughelli, Delta State |
| Genres | R&B, Alternative R&B, EDM, Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist, Performer |
| Instruments | Acoustic Guitar |
| Years active | 2012 – present |
Christopher Rio (born Uriri Israel Onoyovwi; 2 July 1995) is a Nigerian Songwriter and Alternative R&B/Soul Singer.[1] He is best known for his debut EP Unveiled which he released in the summer of 2015.[2] The EP peaked at number 2 on the Nigerian pop albums chart and number 6 on the overall albums chart on iTunes.[3]
Early life and education[edit]
On the 2nd of July in 1995, Christopher was born to a family of 6, with three big sisters: him being the final addition and only male child. His late father, Christopher Onoyovwi, worked for Shell Nigeria as an Engineer, while his mother works as a Lecturer at the College of Education, Warri. Chris grew up in the great city of Warri, Delta State. He attended New Era Primary School, International Unity School and went to high school in Demonstration Secondary School, Warri. He went on to study Applied Biology & Biotechnology at Covenant University, Nigeria. In the early 2000s, his father bought one of his sisters a radio/CD player as a gift. It was on this CD player that Chris first discovered love for music and found his first musical influences, the likes of Nigeria’s Styl Plus and the legendary Usher Raymond. He started singing passively back then, but it wasn’t until 2010 that Chris considered a career in music. Christopher’s father passed in 2004.
Musical career[edit]
2010: Career Beginnings & Learning Songwriting[edit]
Chris wrote his first song in August 2010, after being inspired by a friend in high school who had written a book full of original songs. It was during this period he adopted the alias Chris Rio as a stage name – Christopher, he adopted from his late father in his honor, and Rio he got from making an acronym of his middle names. He kept on writing and improving his singing and songwriting ability so aggressively that by December same year, he too had a book full of songs, over 40 songs at the time. In 2012, he met a singer on Facebook by the name Dvyne, who took him to the studio where he met Chocolate City Ace Producer, L37. Within a month, L37 produced Chris’ first song titled “So Good”, where he also featured Dvyne. The song has since remained a fan favorite with Rio faithfuls’, and it marked the beginning of his indie musical journey.
2013-2014: Ojay’s FORGIVEN, Irrevocable & Mali Music’s Beautiful[edit]
In 2013, he was featured on the title song of Ojay Muzik’s FORGIVEN mixtape which went viral on the Covenant University campus.[4] He also performed a new song titled Irrevocable at one of the school’s events which garnered him even more attention on campus.[5] When he finally released it in December, he got noticed by Nigerian ace on-air personality, Sheye Banks. Banks took interest in Chris’ music and proceeded to offer him a management deal with TSC Entertainment, which he accepted. Irrevocable went on to enjoy regular airplay on top radio stations in Nigeria. In April 2014, Chris released an afrobeat cover to the buzzing single Beautiful by Mali Music.[6] His cover garnered over five thousand downloads within the first week of release on various blogs and online platforms. Chris was highly praised for his vocal performance, in the opinions of many being as good as Mali’s, as well as for bringing a different more afro-centric feel to the song.
2015: Unveiled The EP[edit]
On 8 August 2015, Rio released his debut EP titled Unveiled: The EP. It was highly anticipated as it climbed the iTunes charts in Nigeria two days to release date solely on pre-orders, peaking at number 2 on the pop albums chart, sandwiched between Empire Cast’s Empire (Original Soundtrack) album and Beyonce’s BEYONCE. It was also number 6 on the overall chart.[7] This feat gained him some mainstream attention as he was invited for an interview with top Nigerian radio station Rhythm FM the next day.[8] It was picked up by many top blogs in the country, and the lead single Without You received massive airplay from top radio stations (including stations like Cool FM Lagos & Inspiration FM) in Nigeria.[9]
2016-Present: Be Mine & Future Projects[edit]
After a brief hiatus, Rio returned to the studio in December 2015 with a producer, IBK who had previously produced three of the songs on Unveiled. Rio collaborated with budding new songstress Tomi Owo on the awe-inspiring love song, Be Mine and it was released on 13 February 2016 just in time for Valentine’s day on major blogs and online platforms.[10] The song opened even more doors for Rio as it got noticed by award-winning filmmaker, Lowladee of Doreen Media Africa and it was featured on the first episode of her now viral TV series, This Is It.[11] Rio laid low for the rest of the year asides from featuring on a song, Bolutife by Ama Psalmist.[12] He also put out a verse on Ric Hassani’s Gentleman on his Soundcloud.[13] Rio is currently contesting on Season 2 of The Voice Nigeria. He's also working on his debut album.
Artistry[edit]
Musical style & influences[edit]
Rio’s music is mainly R&B, while he also incorporates elements of pop and afro music. In an interview with Praiseworld Radio, Chris said “my music is very experimental, and I’m very open to trying new things with music”.[14] This was evident in the diversity displayed on his 7-song Unveiled EP, where he sang in various genres including Electronic music, Reggae, R&B and Pop. He’s fondly experimenting with blends of the English language with Nigerian Pidgin, and the occasional native Yoruba and/or Urhobo language in his songwriting. Rio has cited Usher Raymond, Michael Jackson, Aloe Blacc, Lucky Dube & Mali Music as his musical inspirations.
Voice[edit]
Rio began singing with his adolescent voice before experiencing pubertal changes plus enhancements finesse-wise as evident in the difference between 2012’s So Good & 2016’s Be Mine. In a music review, it was said that “Chris’ voice is smooth and has a lot of richness to it”.[15]
Personal life & beliefs[edit]
Chris has described himself as a believer in Christ. In the earlier years of his career, his faith bled through every song, every lyric. He maintains that his faith will always play a vital role in the music he makes, which will see him releasing conscious music from time to time.
Discography[edit]
| As Solo Artist | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Project |
| 2012 | So Good | Debut Single |
| 2013 | Irrevocable | Unveiled: The EP |
| 2014 | Beautiful | Cover |
| 2015 | Without You | Unveiled: The EP |
| 2016 | Be Mine | Single |
References[edit]
- ↑ "Official Website - Chris Rio". christopherio.com. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Chris Rio – Unveiled: The EP". 360 Nobs. 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Unveiled EP by Chris Rio makes the number 2 pop album on iTunes in Nigeria from just pre-orders!". instagram.com. 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Ojay Muzik's FORGIVEN Mixtape". PraiseWorld Radio. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "CHRIS RIO FT. SKWEIRD – IRREVOCABLE". Lyndre 247-gists. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "TSC's Chris Rio covers Mali Music's Beautiful". PraiseWorld Radio. 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Unveiled EP by Chris Rio makes the number 2 pop album on iTunes in Nigeria from just pre-orders!". instagram.com. 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Holy Holla Podcast #95 with Chris Rio". Holy Holla. 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Chris Rio sings Without You Featuring Skweird". Not Just Ok. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ http://tooxclusive.com/download-mp3/chris-rio-be-mine-ft-tomi-owo-prod-by-ibk/"Chris Rio releases Be Mine featuring Tomi Owo". TooXclusive. 2016-02-13. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Lowla Dee's Mini Series 'This Is It' is a must watch!". Bella Naija. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Ama Psalmist features Chris Rio on 'Boluwatife'". TooXclusive. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Chris Rio covers Ric Hassani's 'Gentleman'". Soundcloud. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Holy Holla Podcast #95 with Chris Rio". Holy Holla. 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ↑ "Chris' voice is smooth and has a lot of richness to it". Gospel Music Naija. 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
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