Meet Rio Thorogood

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rio Thorogood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Rio, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Through my blog “The Hot Child in the City”, I believe I have found my purpose as an independent music journalist. Connecting with other music historians via social media has been a crucial ingredient in my mission. I have been able to witness likeminded people at work as they tell stories and share history. As for myself, by passing down this musical folklore, I came to realize my purpose is to keep music alive and inspire new generations, to educate my readers on music history and open their minds (and ears) to new artists.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Hello! My name is Rio, I am the creator of the music blog and radio show “The Hot Child in the City.” I launched my website almost two years ago and it’s been an amazing journey. My site focuses on concert and album reviews but I also strive to provide a platform for up and coming artists in the music industry. My radio show focuses more on interviews and guest DJs. Music history is seasoned throughout both my written pieces and radio episodes.

The most exciting parts about my work are when someone tells me they discovered a new artist through me or learned a new piece of musical history. It’s also very rewarding getting to work with an artist I admire. A pinch me moment was definitely my interview with singer Kelsy Karter who I’ve been a fan of since college.

Coming up are new episodes of “The Songs that Shaped Me”, a radio segment I started in the fall of 2022, and fresh and fun content for festival season in the spring! Stay tuned.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Passion 2. Creativity
3. Open mindedness

To start, you should love what you’re doing and stay true to yourself. My passion and love of music were the driving forces to start my blog. And if you stay true to yourself, you can provide a unique voice. There’s only one you, celebrate that! Next, I’d say my creativity and willingness to learn new things were quite impactful. There’s always some new software or editing tool to better improve my site. For example, Adobe Express changed the way I use YouTube, with fun design tools for thumbnails. And that brings me to open mindedness. Yes, being open minded about new technology can be useful, but more importantly, I strive to be open minded about a new artist or genre I haven’t covered before. I’m no expert on urban-pop for example, but when musician Elijah Rosario, a rising star in the urban-pop genre, reached out to me a few years ago, I thought what a great way to learn and explore a whole new world of music I’ve not covered yet! Since then we’ve collaborated frequently, I’ve seen him in concert and he’s been a guest on my radio show. You never know what opportunities await if you step out of your box.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am definitely looking for folks to collaborate with! Independent artists who want to be featured on my website…I love promoting new works, so send me your upcoming releases! Albums, singles, etc. I also would love to work with other podcasters and bloggers! For example, I collaborated with GRRRL Music, a music discovery community run by two best friends. They also have a podcast so it was fun to have them on my show and just talk music. I have found so many new artists through other music blogs and I strive to introduce people to more through my own. Us music bloggers have to stick together!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Evan Karsian-McCormick Mariah Tzoumbas Tiffany Hsu

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