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1 December 2025

Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Belfast based artist Ria Timkin to find out more…

Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
I’m based in Belfast, but I actually started my music career in Bristol. I’ve always been a musical kid — growing up, I took classical piano lessons and sang in a choir from the age of six. Music has been a constant thread throughout my life, so pursuing it professionally felt like a natural step.

I started my career as a solo artist, using a live looping station to build harmonies and instrumental layers onstage. When I moved to Belfast, I was really inspired by the local music scene and felt it was time to expand my sound further to deliver the music I truly wanted to play, with no limitations. That’s when I transformed the project into a three-piece — and I’ve never looked back!

I’m incredibly lucky to share the stage with such talented musicians: Jamie McNamee on bass and synth, and more recently Harry Whyte on drums. Playing with them has really taken the live show to a whole new level. I’m really proud of my solo journey, but forming this trio has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
My childhood was a little unusual in a sense that for a long time, the only music I really knew was classical. I grew up playing classical piano and studying music literature, so my early musical memories are of Bach, Mozart, and Chopin. In my early teens, I began discovering some of the Disney Channel artists, and I completely fell in love with the Hannah Montana series. From that moment on, my fate was sealed – I knew I wanted to be a music artist.

These days, I really enjoy listening to pop artists like Chappell Roan, Lorde, Halsey, and Olivia Rodrigo. I think the current pop landscape is absolutely incredible! I’m really inspired by artists like Ruelle and Summer Kennedy, who do a lot of sync work. The bands I hugely admire include CHVRCHES, Imagine Dragons, Glass Animals, and Nine Inch Nails, especially their live shows.

How would you describe your sound?
I describe my sound as cinematic alt-pop. It’s full of contrast in the best way possible! Some of the songs are bright, full of hope and energy, while others lean into a darker, more atmospheric space, inspired by the worlds of fantasy and fiction. I really love exploring both extremes and seeing how they can coexist.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My latest single is called “Our Time”. I recorded and co-produced it with Tom Wilding in Bristol. Tom is incredible and always brings out the best in me as an artist. We’ve also worked together on my first single called “The Difference”. “Our Time” is a song about having unwavering belief in your own path, even when the journey feels hard and doubt creeps in. It’s about holding onto that conviction that your time will come — and when it does, you won’t be facing it alone.

What’s your local music scene like?
The Belfast music scene is absolutely incredible — there’s so much talent here, and it’s really inspiring. At the same time, the scene is relatively small, so you get to know the people within it, which is lovely. The level of support and encouragement from fellow artists and industry professionals is truly heartwarming! There are so many local organisations doing amazing work for emerging artists. One of the pioneering champions is the Oh Yeah Music Centre, which plays a huge role in nurturing new talent — it’s also where we played our first band show just over a year ago.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I have really exciting plans for 2026! My new EP is coming out in April, and we’ll be going on tour to support it. Playing live is one of my favourite things in the world, so I can’t wait to take our show on the road!

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Collaborating with any of the artists I mentioned earlier would be an absolute dream! This year I saw Glass Animals live, and I couldn’t help but wish we could open for them one day. At the same time, there’s so much incredible talent locally. I’d love to collaborate with Huartan, a local band that blends electronic and traditional Irish music. It would also be amazing to do a show with another indie-pop band from Derry, Beauty Sleep.

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Back in my live looping days, every show felt like a tightrope walk between nailing it and quickly covering up mistakes when things went awry. My first loop station was the iconic Boss RC-30, which came with a few built-in effects — including one called Bend Down. It was the first effect to come in, and true to its name, it dramatically dropped the sound in slow motion, like a broken cassette tape. It was far too easy to hit the wrong button while performing, and a few times the music just stopped mid-song, followed by dramatic silence. At that point, you just have to play it cool and act like it was part of the show.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
Performing live is one of my favourite things in the world. Everything I do — all the tasks, all the late-night rehearsals, my Hannah Montana-style double life with a full- time job — is so I can get on that stage and connect with people in the audience. We work so hard on creating a real, immersive live experience, and I just hope it never ends — that more and more people can come and share in that joy with us.

You can find out more about Ria Timkin on her website or via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube.