Born in Haiti, Riiv moved to Stamford, CT in the early 90’s. Raised in a large family, with 3 brothers and 1 sister, he was often viewed as the rebel child. Growing up with out a true role model in his life, he landed himself in a group home, living there from age 13-18, not caring about anything, especially the law. It was his experience in the group home that lead him to discover his love for music, often finding himself singing to himself alongside the music videos on T.V. Criticism from Riiv’s so called “friends” at the group home, taunting him that he couldn’t sing, only lead him to sing more. If only those “friends” could see him now…
Representing his Haitian and Dominican background, Riiv collaborates a mix of R&B and Hip Hop sounds. He also has many influences, with the likes of Ne-Yo, Trey Songz, Brian McKnight, Maxwell, and of course the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. His list of influences goes on and on. He’s just trying to follow in their footsteps, inspired by them to make it to the top, and have people listening and enjoy his music the way he’s enjoyed those before him. With great confidence in his talent comes a very humble Riiv…..
Along with music, Riiv has a love for basketball, his PS3, an occasional night out at the club for special occasions, and just being in good company, with his family… and lets not forget good food! His nice smile and a good sense of humor goes a long way. He always believes that having a good sense of humor is a great way to just relax and be layback.