Rizo In The Flesh
Overview: After over a year of enduring awkward new social customs and isolation, it’s time to be Baptized in Glitter. How can we communally mend (in chic metropolitan style) after gathering became illegal? Enter the high-priestess of cabaret, she will polish her personal disco ball to cleanse you anew. Rizo performs live with a full band singing many of her own songs, and favorites of others that helped her through the “Great Pause.” An international cult favorite, Rizo’s stage shows bring her powerhouse vocals together with seductive storytelling, and wild audience experiments.
Bio: “An anarchist streak still runs through me,” says Rizo, the singer-sophisticate who was once a teenage punk rocker. “I love the idea of claiming something that’s uncool and making it authentic.” To that end, the NYC-based artist has earned a name for herself by transforming nightclub-pop into experiences that are more soulful, more theatrical. A provocateur with an electric wit, Rizo is a vessel for the spirits of Edith Piaf and Freddie Mercury.
The New York Times once referred to Rizo (né Amelia Zirin-Brown) as “a formidable belter who can sustain phrases and notes even when sprawled on her back on a piano and scissoring her legs.” They’re not alone in that enthusiasm. Rizo — who released Indigo, her second album, in 2017 — has collaborated with Moby, Reggie Watts, and Yo-Yo Ma, the latter on his Songs of Joy & Peace album, which won a Grammy Award.
Taking a cue from Piaf, Rizo fully embraces the role of chanteuse. In recordings, she is a mysterious figure, a siren ushering you through tableaus of heartbreak, lust, and the murkiness in between. Live, she is an eyeful. “Freddie Mercury embodied songs with his voice and body,” she says, admiringly. Like the Queen singer, she too can make even the simplest sentiment feel voluminous.
Rizo recently released her newest music video “Under” from her most recent album Indigo.
“It’s really all about the songs and that incredible voice…deserves a full house every night.” – Herald Sun
“Rizo practically has the word “talent” tattooed on her forehead.” – Wall Street Journal