Singer, songwriter, recording artist and Halifax native, Ria Mae initially broke on the Canadian music scene through her collaborative work with acclaimed Canadian hip-hop artist Classified. This subsequently garnered her a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment Canada and resulted in the release of her debut single, the platinum-certified Top 10 hit “Take Your Clothes Off”. Ria followed that up with a slew of hits, including “Gold” and the gold-certified “Ohh Love,” both charting Top 20 on multiple radio formats nationally, with the latter reaching Top 10 at Hot AC. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including three ECMA awards over the past two years, a JUNO Award nomination for Single of the Year and an MMVA nomination for Best New Canadian Artist, along with being selected as a featured artist in Spotify’s global Spotlight Artist for 2016.

The success around Ria’s debut single allowed her to become eligible for support from the Radio Starmaker Fund and in February 2016, Ria received her first domestic marketing and international tour funding, which were crucial pieces in launching her debut self-titled album. The marketing dollars were used to support a domestic radio campaign, grow Ria’s social media presence, pulse the Spotify global Spotlight Artist campaign, promote the video for her second single “Gold” and fund a number of extensive digital marketing campaigns to promote the album leading into and following the record’s release. The international tour funding played an integral part in landing Ria a support slot on Coleman Hell’s 2016 spring tour of the United States, along with a handful of international showcase opportunities. The marketing campaigns and international touring helped significantly grow Ria’s profile on a domestic and international level.

In the spring of 2016, Ria received additional domestic marketing funding from Starmaker and used it to extend the reach of the album marketing by launching a national radio advertising campaign coinciding with the radio servicing of her third single “Ohh Love”, along with extensive digital marketing initiatives to promote the track and debut full-length album. The campaign resulted in numerous achievements including 3.3 million local audio streams, 1.1 million local video views, a second Top 10 chart position at radio and a gold-certified single.

Ria went on to receive further domestic marketing funding, as well as another round of international tour funding and domestic tour funding from Starmaker. These monies were used to help cover the expenses of a full cross-Canada tour opening for Coleman Hell, along with participating in a career-changing European tour opening for acclaimed Canadian outfit, Tegan and Sara. The three funding initiatives helped substantially grow Ria’s profile on a global level, as well as solidifying her as one of Canada’s most exciting new exports.

Now, as Ria gears up to release her sophomore EP My Love, we are incredibly thankful for the support received thus far from the Radio Starmaker Fund. It has significantly impacted what we have been able to accomplish to date. We also look forward to continued RSF support, so that together we can develop Ria’s career both nationally and internationally as a songwriter, recording artist and successful international export.

John Fielding
Marketing Manager
Sony Music Canada