Riley Roth’s song “Give Me Away” was pitched to me after the song went viral. She wrote the song as a special surprise to her father to be played during their father-daughter dance at her recent nuptials. The title came to her as she reflected on how much her dad had given to her throughout her life.
I, too, am a fan of the heart-stirring song and wanted to learn more about Riley Roth.
Roth is from Pennsylvania and does not come from a musical family, and advised, “I'm the youngest of four siblings, so my immediate family is six people, and we all have very different passions, yet are such a tight-knit family. And being the youngest of four siblings, I feel like coming from a loud house, we had to compete for attention growing up. Part of what made me a performer was trying to get a little spotlight on me for a second. I was always singing and dancing around the house.”
Despite her family's lack of musical talent, they loved music and always had it on. Her mother played country music in the car, where Roth initially learned to sing. Her family told her that as she was learning to talk, her babbling had a melody to it.
“Music chose me,” she shared.
At age 10, Roth picked up a guitar and started putting melodies to the words she wrote down. She remembers studying poetry in elementary school.
She recalled, “I was thriving and fell in love with the idea of using words to convey the way I was feeling inside. As a kid, I entered a book writing contest in my hometown, and I won first place. And I have a book that's published in the local library. I learned early on, even before songwriting, that I had this gift to write.”
By the time Roth was 16, she and her mother were making regular trips to Nashville, where they stayed with a family friend as she learned the ropes of the songwriting community.
“It laid the groundwork for what I needed before I moved here permanently,” she stated.
While visiting Nashville, music publisher Danniel Lee introduced her to busbee. Roth sent him her original song occasionally so she could stay on his radar.
After graduating high school, Roth signed her first deal with hitmaker busbee. Tragically, not long after releasing her debut song, busbee passed away from brain cancer. This loss was followed by the onset of the pandemic and a series of personal and professional challenges; however, that never slowed down Roth.
“He's probably the biggest musical force I've come across in my eight or nine years doing this,” she explained.
They inspired her to write the song “Can You Hear Me From Heaven” with her husband, Kyle Anson Schlienger, (who was not yet her husband) and Molly Reed Grayson.
“Our hearts were so heavy. The song came from the place of praying where I wondered if my prayers were being heard,” she recalled.
The song has not been officially released, but hopefully, that will soon change.
Roth and Schlienger wrote songs together for years but were never a couple. But when the switch was flipped, she wondered, “Dang, how were you ever a stranger.” The thought triggered the song “Stranger,” which is one of her biggest hits to date.
“The song just fell out me,” Roth reported.
Besides her new and massively viral wedding song “Give Me Away,” she wrote a sentimental song for her mother called “When God Made You My Mama.” With the words, When God made you my mother/ He knew who I'd need/ When he picked you from the others/ He could already see/ That you would be my hero/ And everything I wanna be you can see why so many are drawn to the tender tune.
The song has had more than 9 million streams on Spotify alone. Her music is well-loved, and she has been able to support herself 100% with her streaming revenue, a feat that many rising artists have only dreamt about. Other popular tunes include “Go Find Less,” Parents,” and “More or Less.”
Before he passed, busbee stated, “Riley has that rare ability to communicate directly to listeners at every level, and to her peers in particular. It’s a product of her heart, dedication, skill, and work ethic, and when an artist can marry those traits with the right songs and records, anything is possible.”
With over 27 million career streams across her growing catalog, Roth has repeatedly proven that people connect to the music she releases.
She confirmed, "When people listen to my songs, I hope my conversational, honest lyrics make them feel understood - as though they're hearing the words straight from a friend."
In my line of work, I am regularly inspired by gifted singer-songwriters, but Roth takes her talent to the next level. It’s no wonder that one of the greatest songwriters of all time, busbee, saw something special in a teenage girl from Pennsylvania. Even at her young age, Riley Roth is one of the finest songwriters I have encountered.
You can follow Roth on her website, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and all music streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.