Darryl Riley

Toronto-based R&B singer Darryl Riley is poised to be Canada’s next R&B star. The 25-year-old has a smooth and refined vocal delivery that allows him to transition seamlessly between sexy slow jam ballads and up tempo R&B bangers over hip-hop beats.

Riley, who cites industry legends Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross and Boyz II Men as his musical inspiration, is a member of the highly respected Black Jays crew, which includes AKON- KONLIVE rapper Kardinal Offishall, rapper/producer Solitair, Reggae artist Lindo P, and Estelle.

Since the age of six, Riley has been performing publicly in talent competitions and artist showcases. He studied music at the renowned Cardinal Carter School of Arts, and by the age of 15 was already producing his own music. In 2004, he placed in the Top 5 in Toronto urban radio station FLOW 93.5’s high profile Soul Search competition. He received the following comments from high profile judges, including Canadian Idol Judge Farley Flex and distinguished vocal coach Elaine Overholt: �Very good stage presence and very smooth�; �Great presence and tone�your love your audience�.

Riley�s singles have received more than 3,000 spins on FLOW 93.5 and have been featured on the radio station�s UrbanFLOWcase CD compilations («I’m Sayin» feat. on Volume 3 released in March 2004; «Groove» feat/ on Volume 6 released in May 2005; «Hot» featured on Volume 8 released January 2006; and «Tonite» featured on Volume 9 released June 2006). His 2005 mixtape, Man on Fire, showcased Riley’s mastery of street soul.

Riley has done music videos that have received national airplay on MuchMusic and MuchVIBE (for the singles «Groove»; «Groove (remix)» and «Tear it up!»).

He is seasoned on the live stage, having performed at a number of major concerts in Toronto over the past several years. A few of these select performances include: Performance at Marc Ecko�s Getting Up Festival, featuring Ciara, Fat Joe, Ludacris and others (August 2005);
7th Annual Canadian Urban Music Awards (November 2005);
Featured performer for FLOW 93.5 Soul in the Summer concert series (July 2005 & August 2006); and
Opening for major international R&B recording artists such as Eric Benet, Joe, 112, Usher and Ne-Yo has only further inspired him to maintain his work ethic and succeed at meeting his own standard of excellence.

Now, Riley’s long anticipated debut album, Welcome to the Life of Riley (Fall 2009), is about to hit the market. The album is a collection of some of his successful radio singles as well as a number of new tracks. With a solid musical background, strong production team and substantial marketing plan in place, Riley is poised and ready to share his talent with the world.