Christina Maria Rieder (born 13 March 1986), better known by their stage name Rykka (), is a Swiss-Canadian singer and songwriter from

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, whose songs have been featured on TV, and who has been nominated for several music awards both in British Columbia, and across Canada. On May 12, 2016, Rykka represented

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2016 The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Heroes (Måns Zelmerlöw song), Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw. Organis ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

with the song "

The Last of Our Kind ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

", performing in the second semi-final of the event.

Life and career

Early years

Rykka was born Christina Maria Rieder in

, Canada. Christina began guitar lessons at age 15, then performed at local community festivals. During their two-year program at

Vancouver Community College Vancouver Community College (VCC) is a public community college in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1965, it is the oldest community college in British Columbia. VCC offers 79 certificate programs, 24 diploma programs, 9 award o ...

, Christina studied voice with Paula Kremer, while also busking around Vancouver's

Granville Island Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, across False Creek from Downtown Vancouver, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge. Formerly an industrial ...

. In 2009, Christina moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to record their third independent album ''Straight Line'' under the performing name “Christina Maria”. The album was produced with the help of several Canadian producers such as David Baxter, Russel Broom, and Ryan Guldemond of

Mother Mother Mother Mother is a Canadian indie rock band based on Quadra Island, British Columbia. The band consists of Ryan Guldemond on guitar and vocals, Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin on vocals and keyboard, Ali Siadat on drums, and Mike Young on ba ...

. In 2010, Christina's album ''Straight Line'' was released in

under Little Jig Records. Rykka stayed and performed both in Switzerland and in Germany, highlighted by a performance on "Sat.1 Frühstücksfernsehen"; a German television channel boasting an average audience of 1 million viewers. Christina later received a nomination for Demotape Clinic at M4Music in Switzerland.

2012–2013: ''Kodiak''

Christina released an album Kodiak in 2012. It marked a significant change in their musical career, since Christina formally changed their stage name from Christina Maria to Rykka. The record was produced by Ryan Guldemond of

, engineered by Shawn Penner, mixed by

Warne Livesey Warne Livesey (born 12 February 1959) is a British/Canadian music producer, mixing engineer, songwriter and musician. He has produced Midnight Oil, The The, Matthew Good Band and Deacon Blue. Life and career Warne Livesey started his career in L ...

and mastered by Andy VanDette. It was released that year in Switzerland by Little Jig Records.

2013–present: Other work

In 2013, Rykka released their fourth studio album ''Kodiak'' under Vissen Record in Canada, following a release of the same album in Switzerland the year before. Later in 2013, Rykka won $100,000.00 in BC's

Peak Performance Project The Peak Performance Project was a seven-year, $5.2 million music initiative funded by the Jim Pattison Group, to provide financial support to emerging Canadian artists in the British Columbia and Alberta markets. The $100,000 prize for the winner ...

. Rykka played a slot in BC's well-known

Squamish Valley Music Festival The Squamish Valley Music Festival (pronounced ), previously LIVE at Squamish, was an annual music festival co-produced by Vancouver-based BRANDLIVE Management and Live Nation Canada, held in Squamish, British Columbia, over the second weekend ...

(2014), opening for another Peak Performance Project winner,

We Are the City We Are The City was a Canadian rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia and formed in 2008 in Kelowna, British Columbia. The last known line-up included singer-keyboardist Cayne McKenzie, drummer Andrew Huculiak, and guitarist David Menzel. ...

. Rykka represented Switzerland in the

with the song "

" (written by Rykka, Jeff Dawson, Mike James, and

) after winning ''ESC 2016 – Die Entscheidungsshow''. Rykka placed 18th (last) in the second semifinal of Eurovision 2016, scoring 28 points.

Personal life

Rykka splits their time between

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

in Switzerland and their hometown of

. Rykka cites

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

, Blondie,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

, and

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; formerly and still professionally Benatar ; born January 10, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 US ''Billboa ...

as their main influences. Rykka's paternal grandfather is

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

. Their maternal ancestry is

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

; their maternal grandfather comes from

Bodegraven Bodegraven () is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covers an area of of which is water. The former municipality of Bodegraven also includes the communities Me ...

and their maternal grandmother is from

Woerden Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and the fact that it has rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commu ...

. Rykka came out as

non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...

and uses ''they/them'' pronouns.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Filmography

*''Blackie'' was featured on TV series

Rookie Blue ''Rookie Blue'' is a Canadian police procedural television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone. The series premiered on June 24, 2010, and aired on Global in ...

(S04E07) *''The Brink'' was featured on TV series “Tessa & Scott” (S01E03)

Awards and nominations

*''Kodiak'' nominated for Spiritual Album of the Year (

Western Canadian Music Awards The ''Western Canadian Music Awards'' (WCMAs) is an annual awards event for music in the western portion of Canada. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of six member music industry organizations from Brit ...

) (2014) *''Map Inside'' won Best of BC (

Shore 104 CHLG-FM (104.3 MHz, ''104.3 The Breeze'') is a commercial FM radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. Owned by Stingray Group, the station broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are on Horseshoe Way in Richmond. CHLG-FM i ...

Radio Station) (2013) *Rykka wins The Peak Performance Project (2013)

References

External links

"Rykka"
official website {{Authority control Living people Canadian rock singers Canadian experimental musicians Singers from Vancouver 21st-century Swiss singers Canadian emigrants to Switzerland Musicians from Zurich Canadian people of Swiss descent Canadian people of Dutch descent Canadian women pop singers Canadian non-binary musicians 1986 births Swiss pop musicians Swiss rock musicians Swiss singer-songwriters Swiss non-binary people 21st-century Canadian singers Non-binary singers Canadian LGBTQ singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Swiss LGBTQ singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants