Crowned ‘Best Vocalist’ at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards 2014 & 2015 and by innumerable critics, Riya (aka Laura Pacheco) has put her versatile voice to work on countless hyped releases, from her huge singles ‘Open Page’, ‘Redlines’ and ‘Piano Funk’ to’See Your Face’, ‘Waiting On’ and more recently album tracks like ‘I Don’t Need’, ‘Fear Bites’ and ‘Confessions’.
Riya is more than a vocalist – she’s recognised as an artist in her own right, and her work has seen her garner a loyal fan base and a respect amongst her peers that most MCs/vocalists could only dream of. Data Transmission describes her as “a versatile siren who can switch from vulnerable to tough faster than you can rewind the drop. Believe the hype.”
In September 2015, Riya released her debut album entitled Sublimation on Spearhead Records. The album features collaborations with some of the scene’s leading figures, including LSB, Break, Total Science, Enei, Hybrid Minds, BCee, Dynamite MC, Frank H Carter III, Collette Warren and many more. The album was named ‘Mixmag album of the month’ and received a plethora of 8/10 and 10/10 ratings in other dance music publications. It also went to number 25 in the iTunes dance charts on the first day, and reached the number one spot in the D&B charts on Beatport.
Shortly after the album released, Riya began her album live show tour. The show has been gaining attention from many people across the world as she mixes album stems using the Native Instrument Traktor S5 controller whilst singing and hosting at the same time.