This article is partly taken from the winter 2025 issue of Dazed. Buy a copy of the magazine here.

Taipei-born, LA-based singer R!R!Riot (pronounced ‘ri-ri-riot’) is in uncharted territory. In the last two years, young people in China have found themselves spearheading the country’s first homegrown youth culture movement, and it is within this context that Riot’s futuristic pluggnb releases have gone viral within the Chinese firewall. Sort of like the Mandarin-speaking sonic lovechild of Avril Lavigne and Playboi Carti, Riot has accumulated millions of streams on platforms like NetEase (China’s Spotify), boarded countless flights between the US and China for performances, and has recently found herself courting major label attention. But, when she dialled in to a call with Dazed in October of last year, she appeared blindsided by this sudden success.

“I love music and will always be doing it, I just don’t know if I like being a mainstream artist in front of the screen and all that,” Riot explains, currently based in LA for a degree in audio production. “With the numbers going up these days, we’re making music for the market and it’s not as fun as it used to be. I just want to show people what’s inside of me.”

Songwriting has always come naturally to Riot. Born in Taipei and having spent most of her school years bouncing between Guangzhou in China and various US cities, Riot’s early listening was shaped by American music. Tweenage years soundtracked by Avril Lavigne led her to front pop punk bands in middle school, the heyday of Rihanna saw a foray into R&B in high school, and the rise of Carti’s Opium imprint sparked a natural transition into the trap and R&B-fusing pluggnb genre during the pandemic. Riot describes her first releases as “just for fun”, but it was a chance meeting with Shanghai-born producer ATM Hanson at an LA party in 2022 that changed everything.

“Hanson cracked the whole China scene open for me,” Riot recalls. “He’s the best producer in the Chinese hip-hop scene at the minute. We released our tape in 2023 and our song ‘Rain’ blew up in China. 2023 was when the Chinese underground started to emerge, and 2025 is the year that it was seen by the mainstream.”

Despite this explosion in popularity, however, Riot’s interview with Dazed arrived at a tricky time. “This is the moment that I need to decide [where to take my career], because I’m graduating and my parents are talking about this too,” she explains. “I was so down to do post-production for other people because I love to film and make my own clothes. I don’t know if I should sign with a label or if I should just keep doing freelance stuff.”

Photography Ariel Fisher, Styling Julian McCandless

Personal turmoil aside, however, this uncertainty is reflective of a profound change taking place in music today. Riot’s music represents a changing of the guard: American pop influences recontextualised for China’s untapped Gen Z audience, a rise facilitated by Chinese social media platforms like Douyin (Chinese TikTok) and WeChat, and intensely digital production that is, in many ways, the sonic equivalent of the high-speed internet cables that make it all possible. Riot may not have been able to see it at the time, but she is a trailblazer in the truest sense. Below, the bilingual pluggnb singer dives deeper into the cross-pollinating influences that made her go viral.

Where did your name come from?

R!R!Riot: Because of the spelling, Americans would pronounce my name Riya as ‘Raya’. So, back in high school, everybody would just call me ‘Raya’. I just went with it because I felt tired correcting people, but my closer friends would call me Riri. Then, you know the show Riot! Riot! Riot! from Raf Simons in 2001? I like Raf Simons, so I kind of just used it [all together].

You mentioned meeting ATM Hanson ‘cracked China open’ for you. How did you meet?

**R!R!Riot: **My friend introduced us at a party. Then, he heard my music. I didn’t know anything about Chinese hip-hop back then. I was really thinking of doing post-production for people. I’d been ghostwriting for people for two years. I wouldn’t be Riot if Hanson wasn’t there. I was at a bit of a low point in my life in 2022 and, when I met him, everything started going up.

Why do you think the Chinese underground is having a moment right now?

**R!R!Riot: **Do you remember Crazy Rich Asians? Since that movie, Asian music artists and actors in Hollywood are doing so good. The internet started to love Chinese kids. I feel like I’m popping out at the right time.

What artists inspired you?

**R!R!Riot: **I would say the US definitely influenced me the most, but I’m really grateful to have the Chinese part in me, too. My favourite artists when I was a kid, say preschool or middle school, were Avril Lavigne and Justin Bieber. I liked A$AP Rocky when I was in middle school, and Rihanna. Then, later on in high school and college, it was Drain [Gang] and Yung Lean. I was also a day one [Playboi] Carti fan. I have a poster from like 2017, the Cash Carti [era], downstairs.

Do you listen to Chinese music nowadays?

**R!R!Riot: **I love it these days. If it’s a Chinese artist, I love to listen to Jack Zebra, and his girlfriend, HPSB. I’m really proud of Jackzebra; he opened the door for Chinese artists in the US.

Given your music is bilingual, could you explain a bit more about the meaning behind your recent EP, LVL R?

R!R!Riot: It’s kind of like ‘Level R’ is the rooftop, the top floor. So, I’m working my way up and fighting your own thoughts all the time, like you are your own worst enemy. But it’s meant to represent a level up.

What’s the difference between performing for US and Chinese fans?

**R!R!Riot: **I wouldn’t even know because my music isn’t as popping in the States as in China. China has the idol culture, they idolise artists and go crazy with it. I love the vibe. I love how fans are really engaged when you go on stage or when you post it on the internet, they’re just super engaged.

Who would be your dream collab?

**R!R!Riot: **That’s tough… I just saw Yung Lean two days ago. I would love Lean.

Do you think your future is in China or the States?

**R!R!Riot: **My brother used to live here and my family used to live here, but they all moved back to either Taipei or China. But, I have my dog here – an American Bully named Asia. So, if I move back to China, I’d have to bring my dog... I think flying back and forth is ok for now.

LVL R is out now