Artist Profile and Background

In the competitive world of the modern day digital music industry, few artists manage to combine technical skill with raw and compelling songwriting like Rio Sterling. Rio is based in Sound London and is a Soul and R&B multi instrumentalist. He represents a new wave of British talent that prioritises an authentic live experience and organic musicality in a time dominated by synthesised production. He recently graduated from the prestigious Access Creative College, the institution responsible for launching global icons like Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora, Rio’s musicality is rooted in formal training and crafted after extended research into the soul genre.

Although Rio is pioneering a revival of past genres, he is also embodying modern ideas and techniques to shape his music into his own style. Rio’s debut single ‘POV’ embodies his sound which makes it a vital track to listen to if you are trying to get into his music. It incorporates a blend of neo-soul qualities, such as smooth bass lines, and a clean electric guitar sound that is heavily inspired by Marvin Gaye and Donna Hathaway. Rio also has exclusive first hand experience of what the professional life in the music industry is like. This is due to his extensive work in the Flames Collective, a choir who have worked with the likes of RAYE, Ed Sheeran, Sasha Keable, Cian Ducrot and many more. This experience also grew his vocal skills to ‘stadium ready’ as well as professional discipline that is hard to find amongst the emerging music scene.

Justification for Selection

I chose to focus on Rio Sterling due to his unique potential and audience he as already built. While many R&B artists stick to a ‘vibe based’ niche which traditionally leads to a short lived buzz with no real chance at longevity in an artist, Rio utilises the ‘live’ capability he has when sharing his music digitally. Accompanying Rio at his live shows is an impressive 9 piece band, including alumni from award winning schools like The Brit School and ELAM. This choice is an intentional move towards ‘performance authenticity’, a trait in high demand by major labels seeking artists that can sustain a career through live touring and festivals rather than just short lived social media moments.

Furthermore, Rio blends many genres, branching his audience rather than focusing on a niche. His sound reaches to the Neo-Soul genre with his rich and complex story telling, whilst his Soul-Pop arrangements provide the mainstream element to them, allowing for the possibility of radio play. By choosing Rio Sterling, this project aims to touch on an artist that has been classically trained can be ‘future proofed’ using the ‘live first’ branding philosophy.

Market Appeal

Rio Sterling’s appeal is built on three distinct aspects: Nostalgia, Technical Skill, and Inclusivity.

• There is a documented shift in the music market towards artists that bring the ‘warmth’ of the 1970s soul era, for example Silk Sonic or Leon Bridges. Rio taps into the nostalgia element but keeps it his own with the classic R&B vocal harmony and texture that appeals to the younger generation that were not around for the 1970s.
• Rio’s target audience mainly consists of musicians and creatives in the urban setting ranging from ages 18-34 who would frequently visit venues he plays at (The Lower Third or The Old Blue Last in London). However, his ‘polished’ production style also fits to the older demographic that grew up with Motown and Stax Records, helping Rio achieve a cross generational audience.
• His links with the UD Music Incubator Programme provides him with the skills needed to gain credibility in the London music industry network. Getting into the music industry is all about connections and the people you know, this ecosystem also allows him to boost his fellow up and coming artists like Isabelle mettle and Jacob Storey.

Looking at current streaming trends, gives a good overview at Rio’s potential. Neo Soul and Alternative R&B playlists on platforms like Spotify have seen a 25% increase in followers over the last 24 months. Another way to examine Rio’s potential is looking at his strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

• Strength – He has an exceptional live performance and great links with ‘Flames Collective’. As well as a great, distinctive visual brand.
• Weakness – High cost of touring with a large live band. Limited discography as he is ‘currently emerging’.
• Opportunity – The ‘Retro Soul’ revival in mainstream pop. Heavy use of soul music used for sync licensing in advertisement.
• Threat – Over saturation of the R&B market on streaming platforms. Rapidly changing social media algorithms favouring gimmicks and short form content over craft.

POV

POV is a great example of how Rio Sterling embodies his modern soul-pop feel. The track is set at approximately 100 BPM which sits comfortably in the mid range. 100 BPM also lies in the ‘heartbeat’ range, which has links to making the listener more relaxed.

The song begins with a minimalist approach. Rather than hitting the listener with the full nine piece band straight away, Rio uses a four bar introduction consisting of a clean electric guitar. This creates a sense of space allowing the vocal to sit forward in the mix. When the bass enters in bar 9, it uses a syncopated pentatonic scale, a characteristic of the 1970s Stax records sound. The ‘hook driven’ bass line doesn’t just provide low end support; it acts as a secondary melody when playing fills up the fretboard.

The chord progression on ‘POV’ avoids a standard and predictable one that most pop songs use. Instead, Rio uses a more unique progression of 4 1 3dom7 repeating throughout the entirety of the song. The shift into the dominant 7th chord was a clever choice by Rio, it keeps the listener engaged and links back to his roots in jazz and soul.

Technically, Rio’s vocal performance on ‘POV’ is a great look at his dynamic control. He utilises a breathy texture in the lower register during the verses to create intimacy, then moving to a resonant, chest voice during the hook. The ‘POV’ hook itself relies on holding and repeating a high strained note which mimics the meaning of the lyric ‘baby girl I’m still in love with you’, a typical scenario to feel uncomfortable and strained. The backing vocals, likely influenced by his work with Flames Collective, are arranged in close harmony, creating a gospel pad style that fills the mid to high range without cluttering the lead vocal.

Alongside the technical side of the song, the nature of ‘POV’ is great for an emerging artist. In 2026, ‘Relatability’ is the most common yet successful trait in the music industry. With artists like Lola Young and Chappell Roan being unbelievably successful whilst being unapologetically themselves. By writing about a a shift in a relationship, Rio’s lyric writing becomes almost perfect for current social media trends and formats.

From a production standpoint, the snappy snare as well as the dry vocal processing make the song ‘TikTok’ ready. The pre chorus build up is perfect for a transition style video, which is obviously intentional by Rio. This is a great demonstration of how although Rio is a ‘traditional’ musician, his discography and how he uses it shows he has an understanding of the modern day music industry and how algorithms work.

Angel Dust

Whilst ‘POV’ sits in a comfortable mid tempo, ‘Angel Dust’ runs at a significantly slower tempo at 74 BPM. This choice is deliberate as it shifts Rio’s sound from ‘upbeat soul pop’ to ‘atmospheric R&B’. At 74 BPM, there is a physical ‘lag’ in the rhythm often referred to as Dilla time or playing behind the beat.

One of the producers, Bertie Spencer, utilises a deep, ‘thudding’ kick drum and a hi hat pattern that uses some warmth from the lower frequencies. This song is in 4/4 and the clicks on 2 and 4 is laid back like I mentioned earlier. This ‘Dilla feel’ creates a ‘lean back’ tension which is a classic feature of the South London soul scene noticeable in works by the likes of Jordan Rakei.

The harmony used in Angel Dust is more complicated than an ordinary pop song. As a slower song, it moves away from the standard major key from POV into minor and modal keys. The song frequently uses minor 9th chords which add a bittersweet quality to the song, a way to link back the sound of the song to the addictive nature of the title and lyrics.

• The track opens with enveloped synth keys sounding like they are opening and closing, a feature often seen in funk that fills the gap between 70s and the 2000s. The texture thickens as the song progresses, with backing vocals playing a prominent part in the harmony. Without the BVs, the song would consist of a very dry sound as the majority of it is only drums and bass.

In Angel Dust, there is a direct use of Rio’s gospel background in which his delivery is more melismatic. He uses slightly damper voice for the verses to match the intimate and dirty themes of the lyrics before opening up and using falsetto in the chorus. This dynamic range proves his technical ability which allows Rio to be ready for the industry as he has a lot of viable skills as a session singer and as an artist himself. He would also fit right in the R&B playlists which value vocal texture over belting and the power of your voice.

In the lyrics, Rio uses a metaphor of a drug to describe an obsessive romantic connection: ‘I feel taken by your angel dust’. This is a common theme in R&B with artists like D’Angelo using it in Brown Sugar, but Rio keeps it fresh and new by references to high end fashion, ‘Vivienne bags’.

By blending his impressive musicality, along side his 9 piece band, with luxury references, Rio is selling himself as an expensive artist. This justifies his appeal to high end brands and more important music festivals. His already found success is not accidental, it is meticulous planning and clever marketing to push him to the top of his field.

Where The Sky Meets The Water

Where The Sky Meets The Water is the most technical and ambitious track in Rio’s current discography. On the other tracks of his debut EP, the band is used to support Rio’s vocal. However on this song, it is used alongside him as an equally important element.

The song starts with a slow and relaxed guitar melody line, with Rio alone singing along. A small choir joins him with some keys to support, all remaining slow and soft. The listener is then hit with a sharp snare to break the silence, and with a fill leading into the verse, the song shifts into a mean groove and a whole different experience. The keys transform into 8th note stabs, reminiscing Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black.

Rio uses an impressive technical use of his vocal and the horn section that consists of trumpets, saxophone and trombone. In ‘Where The Sky Meets The Water’ the horn not only play chords, they use stabs and swells too. These are accented on the off beat, the ‘and’ of 1 2 3 4, which creates a lifting bouncing feeling for the listener. This is another nod to the London jazz scene, influenced by artists like Ezra Collective. Rio acts as the conductor here as his adlibs often cue members and sections of the band. This level of musicianship is another rare quality for an emerging artist and can be viewed as a crucial USP for his brand.

Thinking back to his work with the Flames Collective, the vocal and choir arrangement includes very complex harmony. Rio uses a Soprano Alto Tenor harmony structure for the backing vocal as he fills most of the bass. This is a feature often seen in 1970s soul. These harmony intervals work in seconds and fourths, creating a shimmering effect, linking back to ‘water’ mentioned in the title. This is an example of word painting which Rio uses a lot, the use of music to illustrate the lyrics. As an emerging artist, these qualities boost Rio to a valuable act for labels to look out for.

From a business and marketing perspective, Where The Sky Meets The Water is Rio’s closing track. Every artist needs a grand finale that leaves the audience feeling uplifted. It is also a bonus that this song has had the most social media attention, further boosting reasoning for this song to be the ‘grand finale’. As this song is specifically designed for Jazz and World Music as well as Rio blending these with other genres, he would be able to fit in to many festivals such as North Sea Jazz, Love Supreme, Glastonbury, Truck Festival etc. This also gives Rio incredible sync potential on this song as it is incredibly cinematic and also has the slow mean groove aspect too.

Artist Development Plan

This development plan discusses a high impact, 18 month journey designed to transform Rio Sterling from a South London rising star, to a nationally recognised figure within the UK Soul and R&B land scape. This strategy focuses mainly on product consistency, an easily scalable live performance, and creating a digital community.

In the modern time, the traditional album release cycle has been overtaken by a continuous drip feed model. For Rio, his primary product is his recorded music, but his secondary product is the narrative of his process as an artist.

Foundation Phase: We will begin with a 12 week intensive writing and demo creating period. We will aim to create a pool of 24 rough demos. From this, the top 4 will be selected for the “Master” production. This ensures that the released product represents only the absolute best of what Rio has to give.

The Single Campaign: We will then begin a ‘waterfall’ release. Every 6 weeks, a new single is released. Each single will be ‘stacked’ on top of the previous ones on streaming platforms to gather a larger stream count for the single before per listen of the new single.

The Live Studio Project: Along side the writing and demo creation, similar to what he has done in the past, we will produce a ‘Live at the Studio’ visual series. Given Rio’s background with the Flames Collective, these videos won’t just be acoustic sessions, they will be high quality, utilising multiple cameras to create a professional look, selling his high demand as an artist.

Rio’s unique selling point or USP is his nine piece band allowing him to achieve his massive sound live. However a development plan must address the logistics of such a large ensemble.

We will develop three configurations for the live product.

1. “The Core” Solo/Duo: For radio visits, promo slots or international events Rio will either go alone, with just him and his guitar, or alongside an accompanying pianist and backing vocalist to still keep some of his core musical features.
2. “The Collective” 5 piece: For standard gigs and support tours. This will consist of him, keys, guitar, bass and drums.
3. “The Experience” 9 piece + Choir: For headline shows and larger scale festivals. Will consist of all members from the ‘collective’ as well as his 4 man brass section.

Additionally, we will implement ‘Open Rehearsals’ in London, a technique I have seen many successful up and coming artists like Sekou and The Molotov’s implement. These will be ticketed, intimate events for around 25 ‘super fans’ where they can sit and watch the band arrange a new track. This turns rehearsal time, which would normally be expensive, into a revenue generating event.

In our plan, one of our goals will be to pass the ‘gatekeepers’ of radio as a lot of the time that requires specific connections to get into. Instead we will move to a direct to consumer model.

• We will launch a community server on Discord or Instagram’s close friends list. This will be a personalised form of media were fans can vote on things to do with Rio and receive personal insights from him about what he is working on.
• We will document how Rio writes by breaking down brass arrangements and vocal harmonies and film them for 30 second videos. Rio is branding himself as an expert to his craft which will attract both fans and fellow musicians.

This plan focuses on gaining loyal fans that will more likely stick around from project to project. By focusing on the music itself and the live band, we are building a fanbase that is more likely to buy vinyl, merch and come to gigs rather than a casual listener that would just follow a TikTok account. The ‘waterfall’ release schedule makes sure that Rio consistently appears on Spotify’s notorious Release Radar and Discover weekly playlists.

The tiered touring model makes the plan financially reasonable by scaling touring costs for each venue size. Additionally, by filming content in bulk when recording and during rehearsals, we maximise the output of a single day when the whole band would be together. This will save time and money.

Weaknesses, Challenges, and Improvement

The primary weakness is the financial risk we will have with the 9 piece band. UK touring margins are known for being thin as for an emerging artist, paying 8 session musicians can result in a net loss even on a sold out tour. We will mitigate this by looking for brand partnerships with high end audio companies and fashion brands. Rio has already partnered with Wing Stop and Lyle and Scott so more partnerships like these would be easier to come by. Some companies that could work with Rio include Marshall, Sonos or tailored menswear. A sponsorship could provide enough financial support to be able to bring the whole band on the road. Additionally we would apply for Arts Council England funding, more specifically the ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ grant, focusing on the collaborative nature of the band.

Whilst soul is a massive genre, it can often be grouped into a niche market, making it difficult to transition into mainstream playlists like BBC Radio 1 etc. To overcome this, we will implement a cross genre collaboration strategy. By having Rio provide vocals for high quality UK Garage or Jungle Soul producers like Nia Archives or Barry Can’t Swim, he can keep his soul brand whilst letting his voice into high energy dance genres. This strategy would bring Rio’s brand into the mainstream through a more radio friendly approach.

The demand for constant social media content can lead to creative burnout and effect the mysteriousness often necessary for a soul artist. To battle this, we would move towards a ‘document, not create’ strategy. Instead of Rio having to perform for social media, a designated content creator would be assigned to capture raw footage of the bands interactions and Rio’s writing process. This allows Rio to focus more on his musical development whilst making sure the digital aspect of his brand is taken care of.

Because his sound relies so heavily on the live performance, losing a band member can change the entire project. Realistically, we would have to admit that not everyone would be able to make every gig, with the majority of his band still in university or working on other projects. So as replacements are made for the individuals, we are slowly building a catalogue of musicians that have worked with Rio, know some of his music, and could be used as replacements in case of any cancellations in the future.

Conclusion

Rio Sterling represents the future of UK music and the increasing popularity of Neo Soul. By combining his impressive 9 piece band with my 18 month release plan, Rio is branded as an important act that will be hard to keep your eyes off. Whilst there will be challenges to do with money and logistics, our touring plan will provide easy solutions. Rio’s potential lies in his authenticity. In an increasingly AI driven industry, his drive towards his human led soul is his greatest advantage over other emerging artists.