Source: iOne Digital/Christopher Cavanaugh
NAME: Stevie Rizo
OCCUPATION / AFFILIATION: Christian R&B Singer
LOCATION: New Jersey born, Atlanta living
HOW ARE YOU USING YOUR GIFT TO INSPIRE THE COMMUNITY? “Me personally, I like to serve my community. I like to go to non-profit events and sing. Even at local churches, I do a lot of singing and songwriting. That’s personally how I use my gift to serve my community.”
THE CREATOR:
If life had turned a different card for Christian R&B singer Stevie Rizo, he could very well be competing on the charts with the likes of Brent Faiyaz, Lucky Daye, Daniel Caesar, Bryson Tiller and many of the other newer male R&B singers you’ll find on the Billboard charts. Funny thing is, he’s still just as fresh as those guys, complete with the chains, gold grillz, iced-out rings and laced in the latest streetwear drops. He’s living proof that you don’t have to comprise your beliefs or sound to make it in the music industry. With songs like “Esther,” “Faith and Favor,” “Unconditional” and his smooth-as-silk collaboration with fellow rising Christian R&B singer A’sha titled “When We Ride,” it’s almost surprising how well it sonically blends in with some of the music on Spotify’s popular “R&B Right Now” playlist!
Similar to SZA — again with the contemporary R&B comparisons! — Rizo made his place in the game by way of an upbringing in New Jersey. He’s since put in the work to establish a career for himself well outside of the East Coast that combines the sound and aesthetic of modern R&B with the message and delivery of a Christian mindset. On standout songs like “Esther” for example, he uses the titular woman’s name to mean a few things depending on how you decide to hear it. However, the overall message is clear that he’s letting this woman know God is the only man she should be looking for attention from or — again, how you interpret the lyrics! — herself to in any form or fashion. Wordplay adds in a big way to his appeal as well, going back to his way of making Christian R&B feel like everything you’re currently listening to on the radio.
Check out Stevie Rizo’s latest EP, Surrender The Will, and any of his upcoming projects to see why the future of Christian R&B might just sound a tad bit familiar.
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