Connor Riesen
From a playful love story to an intimate wedding performance, Connor Riesen discusses creativity, collaboration, jazz-pop fusion, and the experiences shaping his evolving identity as an artist.
1. “Everybody Falls in Love in Time” was inspired by a period when you and your co-writer were both struggling to find love. How did those personal experiences shape the song’s lyrics, message, and overall emotional atmosphere?
I think honestly that it kind of was this funny thing that both of us shared, but it was a very true experience for both of us and it hit on a level that allowed Joel Rivera-Lizardo, my co-writer and actually main writer, to write such a fun and playful, yet deeply emotional song. My experiences added in, and I was able to make some subtle changes and whatnot, which eventually led to the end product!
2. You played all the instruments and handled the production on the track, while Lisandra Yero provided the vocals. What made Lisandra the right voice for this song, and how did you approach bringing her into the recording process?
Well I would say the first thing that made me think to ask her to record this was when I was in my studio working on this track. I had just gotten the lyric and melody demo back, and I heard the vocal tone that I wanted, which was this rich and warm tone, very fit for jazz. It then hit me that Lisandra, who was dating my cousin at that time, had been singing for quite a while and had all the same tone that I was looking for. So probably the next day or something like that, I saw my cousin, David, and Lisandra and I brought up the idea of recording her vocals on the song, and the rest was history. Probably the next week, I setup a makeshift recording booth in my cousin’s bedroom, as it was the most acoustically treated room in the house, and we tracked all the vocals in one night.
3. This song holds a particularly special place in your story because it was Lisandra’s first-ever recorded performance—and you later performed it live at her wedding to your cousin. What did that moment mean to you, and did performing the song at their wedding change how you connected with it?
I think it was definitely very exciting for all of us and also nerve-wracking when this song first came out, and then obviously as it did well and was well received, it was really awesome. I honestly did not expect to perform this song live, by myself at least, but one lost bet later, I ended up playing the piano and singing on this song for their reception. I was honestly terrified and thought I bombed it, but I also think it was a really cool and meaningful full-circle moment from that night in my cousin’s room recording the song, to performing it at their wedding.
4. The track combines a strong jazz influence with a catchy pop feel, creating something both sophisticated and easy to sing along to. How did you balance those two sides when arranging and producing the song?
Honestly that’s not something I put much thought into until later in the production process. This song started out originally as a Bossa Nova song, and I was aiming to stick to the classic Bossa Nova sound and feel. Later on though I realized that it was quite bare-bones and so I started layering various instruments and filling in spaces in the mix, and before I knew it, it was this weird pop/jazz/bossanova/whatever else you want to call it song. I was really quite happy with how the two main styles blended though and I almost think of it like “Accessible Jazz” or something like that. Almost like an intro to jazz basics with the ear-candy of pop music.
5. Your musical journey has taken you from self-taught piano and French horn to digital production, jazz, collaborative albums, and your piano-focused Sabbath in C. How has each stage of your career influenced the composer and artist you are today?
I would say that each stage of my career has contributed little easter eggs to all my latest work. It’s almost like a game of finding which things I took from previous works and albums because everything I’ve done in the past leads to where I am now and where I’m going in the future. I’ve learned so much about everything in the songwriting process. the recording process, and the production process, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without everything that came before.
6. Looking ahead, you continue to explore different genres and sounds. Are there particular musical directions, collaborations, or creative projects you are excited to explore next, and what would you like listeners to discover about Connor Riesen through your future work?
I definitely have a few big things coming up in the near future which are quite exciting, and I’m hoping that some familiar names will return to my features soon, but only time will tell where I go from here exactly. If there is one thing though I would like people to discover about me through my future work, it’s that I am a true lover of music, many kinds, and I love what I do. If they can figure that out just through what I do on my future releases, then I’m very happy with where I will be at.