Ria Mae
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ria MacNutt, known professionally as Ria Mae, is a Canadian singer and songwriter from
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
.


Career

As a child, Mae's family moved around Halifax, switching from school to school while she learned to write songs. Ria has described herself as a teenager who spent hours in her bedroom writing songs and teaching herself how to play guitar while rarely sharing them with anyone else. "I was super shy and just kept it hidden," she says. "I used to write about relationships but I never had one. It was just imagination stuff." She wouldn't play those songs in front of a big crowd until shortly before high school graduation. But instead of pursuing a career in music, she briefly dabbled in construction management out of high school. Before long, she would return to music, playing in bars and clubs and steadily growing a fan base. Her first release, the EP ''Between the Bad'', was released in 2009. Two years later, Mae was chosen as a finalist in the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, causing her to cancel her show at the Halifax Pop Explosion. In 2011, Mae self-released her debut album ''Under Your Skin'', recorded with
Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...
members Asif and Shehab Illyas at The Shire Studios in Halifax."Ria Mae gets Under Your Skin"
''
Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former p ...
'', June 17, 2012.
Mae met the Illyas brothers while acting in Rohan Fernando's feature-length independent film, ''Snow'', in which she played an itinerant singer. The Illyas brothers composed the score for ''Snow''. ''Under Your Skin'' won an East Coast Music Award in 2012. In March 2012, the song "Under Your Skin" was chosen as a finalist in the Radio Star National Talent Search at Canadian Music Week. In 2013 she was nominated for another ECMA for Song of the Year for her song "Leaving Today". The single "Clothes Off" was released in 2015 and has received positive reviews. The themes behind the song were inspired by a visit to Montreal where Mae took in the nightlife. It is her first release with Sony Music Canada. The track is produced by
Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
-winning hip-hop producer
Classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...
, who Mae chose after hearing his work with David Myles and Chad Hatcher. "Clothes Off" was nominated for Juno Award for Single of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2016. Mae was nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the 2015 East Coast Music Awards. Her self-titled album was also produced by Classified and Mae has said she doesn't think the collaboration would've come about if they weren't both from Halifax. "(Halifax) makes for some really funny collaborations," she told The Canadian Press in an interview. "If I grew up in Toronto I wouldn't necessarily be collaborating with the most famous hip-hop artist (in the city)." Classified co-wrote and produced Mae's hit song "Thoughts On Fire" and raps on the version featuring Classified. Mae wrote "Thoughts On Fire" the day she signed with Sony Music Entertainment Canada: "Despite being told 'no' for over a year, I just never stopped believing," she said. She is no longer signed to Sony. It is unclear why however the split comes following her 2019 release Stars which did not chart or become commercially successful. Mae has performed at CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, Folk Alliance International in Memphis, Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Contact East in Fredericton, and at East Coast Music Awards Week. She has shared the stage with Family of the Year, Xavier Rudd,
Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop rapper. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country ...
,
Classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...
, and opened for
Elle King Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her musical style is influenced by Country music, country, Rock music, rock, and blues. She signed with RCA Records to ...
. She is
out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...
as a member of the
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
community. Mae is a member of Canadian charity Artists Against Racism. Mae portrayed a lesbian relationship in the music video for her single "Gold". It would later be acknowledged as a rare example of a positive lesbian relationship in a music video that didn't "exist solely for the titillation of straight men." The singer told The Canadian Press that she struggled with playing an alternate version of her sexuality in a music video, concerned it might pigeonhole her career. After some consideration she changed her perspective: "I had this gut feeling, like, 'Shut up. It's good, and it's important,'" she said.


Discography


Studio albums


EPs


Singles


Filmography

* ''Snow'' as an itinerant singer


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mae, Ria Canadian women singer-songwriters Musicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian LGBTQ singer-songwriters Living people Canadian pop singers 1991 births 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian lesbian musicians 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Singers from Nova Scotia