Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Riva Taylor, London-born, has never been one to sit still creatively. From her early career as a powerhouse vocalist on major stages to her forays into pop, theatre, and cinematic songwriting, she’s always followed her ear rather than the market. With her latest EP, Keeping It Together, Taylor returns with her most vibrant and genre-defying work to date: a project that intertwines timeless pop melody with sultry Latin grooves and cinematic jazz textures.
Recorded between London, Brooklyn, and Mexico City with producer Marcus Foster (Ellie Goulding, GIVĒON) and Mexican collaborator Juan Luis (of Los Rumberos), Keeping It Together captures an artist rediscovering joy and liberation in her craft. “During the pandemic, I remember asking myself, When did I feel best about my music?” Riva recalls. “The answer was in my childhood…when I was singing musical theatre and the American Songbook.” That reconnection with her roots sparked an entirely new creative phase, one where instinct and play took the lead.
That freedom led her to Latin America both literally and musically. A collaboration with Juan Luis of Los Rumberos on Colours of Blue in 2023 and opened a door to a new musical vocabulary. Driven more by the music and immersing herself in the culture and sound of Mexico gave Taylor a renewed sense of purpose. “I’d been told that Mexican audiences are the best, and they really are. They love music in every form, that energy is unforgettable.”
That experience infuses Keeping It Together from start to finish. Drawing on rhythms like bossa nova, cumbia, and rumba but with a contemporary spirit all her own, Taylor has embraced a sense of liberation. “It’s for moving, living, breathing. I suddenly felt unboxed.”
The title track, Keeping It Together, was the first song written for the project. Built on a smooth bossa groove, it nods to classic film soundtracks like Henry Mancini’s Mr. Lucky goes Latin. Eyes of a Stranger turns a difficult story into something quietly redemptive. Inspired by a friend who expressed feeling invisible, this song captures when even a brief connection with a stranger could feel profound.
Then there’s Hey Ho!, which started life as an interlude but grew into a full-blown golden-age jazz romp. “It’s a bit mad, but we loved it,” she laughs. “It became this joyous, offbeat moment that ties the whole record together.” Great Unknown shimmers with bossa-drenched warmth, while the closing track Valentine Road is a haunting, melancholy love letter that lingers long after it ends.
Keeping It Together is the product of years of evolution. She wanted to shift the lens outward, “I have enjoyed writing about what I see instead of what I feel. It’s been nice to find joy in observation.”
Taylor stands alongside a new wave of artists who are redefining the relationship between pop and jazz, bridging timeless influences with contemporary sensibility. Musicians such as Laufey and Olivia Dean are emerging at a moment when listeners seem newly open to authenticity and musical sophistication. Their success signals a cultural shift toward artists who are unafraid to honour their roots while crafting something unmistakably modern and now this is a space in which Taylor feels perfectly at home. She also draws inspiration from the fearless versatility of figures like Lady Gaga, whose celebrated collaborations with Tony Bennett proved that stylistic range can coexist with artistic integrity.
Like her peers, Taylor has grown to fully embrace the qualities that make her voice distinctive. Once described as having an “old soul” tone, she has come to recognise that this character and warmth are her greatest strengths, connecting her to the timeless lineage of vocalists who balance elegance with emotional depth. Ultimately, Keeping It Together captures Taylor as an artist in motion, blending worlds, absorbing new rhythms, and rediscovering the simple joy of creating music that feels alive. It’s the sound of an artist not seeking to conform but finally settling into her truest form. As she continues developing a full-length album for 2026, that sense of freedom and self-assurance promises to deepen, marking this moment as both a turning point and a declaration of intent.
