RihTrack 03 -- "Run circles"
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Running in circles—it’s like being trapped in a cycle, chasing something that’s always just out of reach. This song captures that frustration of always feeling close, but never quite getting there. Comparison is the thief of joy and I often always end up comparing myself to my contemporaries, it's like chasing something I’ll never catch.
"Run circles" was inspired by Wild at Heart. That album was fast, free, but directionless. This track takes that restless energy and focuses it on the feeling of constantly chasing validation without finding resolution. I figured it would be fun to take my least... impactful album and sort of make it a confidence booster! I only need validation from myself.
This love song is about the joys of being stuck, even as everything around you seems to change. You go through life thinking things will get better, but sometimes, no matter how much you grow, the core of who you are remains unchanged.
"Through it all, nothing changed" is inspired by Wasteland. That album was all about navigating the ups and downs of the end of the world, and this track is a joyfully apocalyptic love song about a girl who wonders if her man feels like neither of them have changed, even as the world around them drastically does.
Grief is a constant companion, someone you can't ignore. This song is about meeting grief, not as a fleeting emotion, but as someone who stays with you, shaping you in ways you didn’t expect.
"She told me her name was grief" was inspired by my album Showtime. That album was full of highs and excitement and is one of my most "marketable" pop albums to date. When i sat down with her though I was shocked, I could only really remember how during that period of my life I really encountered grief for the first time. This track dives into those emotions.
This song is about striving for perfection and realizing it’s not always about the final product. I'm a perfection, to an extreme for better and definitely for worse. It’s about the practice, the effort, the messiness of trying to create something great, and accepting that the process itself is where the beauty lies.
"Virtuoso" is the only song on the album that was originally recorded for another album, that being Digital Disturbance. That album was experimental and full of creative risks, just like the process of mastering something. This song reflects that same creative energy. I've scrapped and tried to fit this song on so many albums in the past 7 years--Wisteria, ASCENSION, TRUCE, Devil, and more... It wasn't until now that this song finally found a home it fit in.
Sometimes, you reach a point where there’s no longer a need for a conversation, a back and forth—you just decide and move forward. This song is about how sometimes it's okay to let the conversations stop.
"Ain’t no back and forth" is tied to On the Other Side, where I deeply explored a, now ended, relationship and all the push-and-pull that comes with that. This track represents the moment when the back and forth ends, and feeling peace with that decision.
This song is about looking in the mirror and finally seeing yourself—not just the person everyone else sees, but the one you’ve always been beneath it all. It’s about self-acceptance and pride.
Inspired by becoming a mother and the joyous journeys of the ones I love, "Prettiest face I’ve ever seen" draws from Wisteria. That album was about the beauties of life, and this track is the moment of realizing the beauty that comes from embracing your true self.
A monumental moment in my growth, this song is about breaking away from something that’s been holding you back. The lyrics capture that feeling of conflict—wanting to burn it all down, yet realizing you need to save yourself. It’s about finding the courage to leave, even if it means stepping into the unknown.
"Leap of faith" draws from ASCENSION. A dark and viscerally raw moment of my life, I look back at how it changed and grew me as a person. This track represents that pivotal moment when you realize the only way forward is to let go of what’s been weighing you down.
This song is about enduring a season of pain. October symbolizes a time in my life that felt heavy, oppressive, and inescapable. It’s about not just enduring but breaking free from the cycle of hurt and refusing to let someone else’s actions dictate how you feel.
"October won't make me hate you" is tied to TRUCE. That album was about attempting finding peace after a tumultuous and chaotic period, and this track is the moment when I realized that no matter what happens, I'm the one that gets to choose how I respond.
This one's special, this song is about discovering your true identity, even when that journey is painful. It’s a song that wrestles with self-doubt and transformation, embracing the dualities of life—bliss and abyss, growth and destruction. There’s this raw vulnerability in having to annihilate yourself just to feel yourself again, and realizing that breaking down is in fact part of the process of blooming.
"Marigold" draws from my album ANNIHILATE. This song is a continuation of the thesis of that album—it's about what it takes to truly become yourself, to embrace every side of who you are, and how that journey is both painful and freeing. It’s a reflection on the past while running towards the future.
This song is about endings—when something burns out, but its impact still lingers with you. It’s about the bittersweet moment of watching something you love fade, even if that's your ability to put energy into something you love. You wish you could just reignite the match but that's just not possible. Yet, even when the candle's wick is all burnt out, the fragrance still lingers in the air for at least a little bit.
"When the candle burnt out" ties to Give the Devil Her Due. That album was raw, grandiose, and a true testament to my craft at its most maximum. This song is a reflection of the feelings that lead me to that album. I wanted to make a song that felt as exceptional as that album does to me.
So we finally did it, we reached the study. I told you we'd sit and read a book here. This song is about the constant search for understanding—wanting someone to truly see you, even when you don’t have all the answers yet. I've always struggled with feeling like the words I attempt to give don't come across in the way they so rightfully deserve, but now, I believe I am in fact, understood.
"I hope to be understood" connects to the sister record of this album, lately I’ve been indigo. That album was all about myself in the present when I recorded that album, the ups and downs of feeling both incredibly happy and yet, at the same time not. This track concludes that journey, finding understanding in the midst of uncertainty.
Thank you for stopping by, but now here's the sad part where I tell you it's time for you to go. This song is the culmination of everything I’ve shared on this album. After revisiting all the memories, emotions, and stories, there comes a point where I’m ready to move forward. It’s not just about ending something, it’s about the power of letting go and allowing the door to close on what’s passed. So when you leave, please close the door behind you. Thank you.
How It Feels to Be Remembered Me
A step inside the house that has made me all of who I am. Thank you for visiting and going through all of these memories with me.
With all of my love,
Rih
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Physical merch and variants:
Rih (@[email protected])
Attached: 1 image How It Feels to Be Remembered Me Physical merch and variants 🏡 ✨ #HowItFeelstoBeRememberedMe #R14
The most devoted members of the navy received a book that was near and dear to my heart this week.
I'm very excited to share an extended look at it with you now
Track 01 - En garde!
Produced by: Sean Bowie
Length: 03:54
Starting off with confrontation, this track is chaotic, upbeat, and in your face. “Unknown Pleasures” marked my first step into the music industry and I wanted to evoke opening doors for the first time. I was recording lines for my character in Dead Cells when this one line spoke to me, “En garde!” I got the bizarrest vision: answering the door and instantly being met with a fencing match.
Lyrically, it captures the emotional turmoil of standing at a threshold, heart racing, unsure of what lies beyond. Distorted guitar riffs and a drum loop that carries throughout the entire song keeps the pace at a constant high, making the song feel like a chase throughout a labyrinthine house. Pulsating rhythm and swirling guitar effects draw listeners into a space filled with tension.
The production builds layers of sound, I even got Sean and Robyn to do backing vocals that we distorted the hell out of, making it feel like onlookers shouting from the crowd or someone talking from the other side of a door. A panic attack in song form.
Track 02 - Heard how I felt
Produced by Sean Bowie & Kevin Parker
Length: 03:22
Here I dive further into themes of confrontation. The second song had to be Anthemic, so this for the people in your life that are present but not actively engaged. The production features groovy basslines intertwined with booming drums that shout throughout the song.
A rather uplifting song about shedding off the people that aren’t invested in you as much as you are them, this is one where you want to be the loudest one belting along in the crowd too.
Track 03 - Run circles
Produced by: Robyn Fenty
Length: 03:07
It’s no secret that my third album was my most tumultuous. I wanted to spin that and make a subtly braggadocios song. Its infectious beat, jangly guitar riffs, and gorgeous strings capture the whirlwind of being caught in a cycle.
The lyrics explore the push and pull of complicated relationships, capturing the exhilaration and frustration of loving people who keep you on your toes. I've always let comparison be a thief to my joy, and I'm done letting that happen. Here I invite people to try to run circles around me, the only place i'm going is forward.
Track 04 - Through it all, nothing changed
Produced by: Sean Bowie
Length: 05:14
This track, like "Wasteland", had to serve as a pivotal moment. Featuring the most soaring and electronic funk guitar riff, Sampha's soulful voice provides the perfect contrast to mine.
#HowItFeelstoBeRememberedMe #R14 #Throughitallnothingchanged
I haven't done a love song in some time and lyrically, this song contemplates on the idea that sometimes love remains steadfast amid even the most existential of chaos. This song's a perfect soundtrack to two lovers driving off into the sunset at the end of the world.
Track 05 - She told me her name was grief
Produced by: Robyn Fenty & Jacob Bugden
Length: 4:51
I've found myself on a journey of healing and that's where this song puts us right in the center of. When I sat down and went through the "Showtime" era, I surprised myself. I could only think of aspects of that album in relation to a loss I experienced during that rollout. It puzzled me for a while.
One day my longtime manager came to me and informed me that she'd like to go by a new name. I'm so proud of her, and that sort of sparked the idea for this song. I turned to what's been burdening me and I asked it for it's name, and it answered "Grief." Sonically I wanted to try something new, so with a refreshing take on 2000s indie rock, I can't help but bang my head and go crazy at the guitar riff that roars throughout the bridge.
Track 06 - Virtuoso
Produced by: Robyn Fenty & Tyler Okonoma
Length: 04:04
For years I thought Digital Disturbance would be my crowning achievement and for years I tried putting "Virtuoso", a demo from it, on an album of mine. It wasn't until sessions for this album that I felt comfortable stripping the electronic parts from the song and infusing it with some psychedelic rock. That's when the song finally found its home.
The production features intricate and layered guitar lines and driving drums. The lyrics dive into the duality of feeling like you’re exceptional in you’re craft while grappling with self-doubt. This song reflects the creative process, capturing the struggle of balancing talent and vulnerability.
Track 07 - Ain't no back and forth
Produced by: Robyn Fenty & Jacob Bugden
Length: 04:27
It was after "On the Other Side" that I made sure to stop making my art about my love life for a while. I wince and cringe anytime I see "Hassan's interlude." Anyway, while that love was good for that chapter of time, this song is about how love can sometimes fade to silence.
Not every song needs to be intricate, and the guitar strings on this one sound rather cinematic. Sometimes it's just easier to let that last conversation be the last conversation.
Track 08 - Prettiest face I've ever seen
Produced by: Robyn Fenty & Jacob Bugden
Length: 03:23
The eighth track brings a lightheartedness to the album that is sweet and sweeping. The only song on the album that still holds any semblance of the country direction this album was originally routed for, The zig-zagging strings begin with a twang before expanding into an electronic symphony.
The percussion grows from the tiniest seed into a release that blossoms. “Wisteria” was recorded during a period of my life in which I was smoking heavily, and well for this one I wanted to capture the high that a summer crush could give.
Track 09 - Leap of faith
Produced by: Sean Bowie
Length: 03:46
"ASCENSION" was the result of the most tumultuous and traumatic period of my life. I cannot separate that time from the body of work it produced. By far the darkest track on the album, I've always struggled with confrontation and that's something I'm working on. Fusing grunge and psychedelic rock, this song is filled with distorted guitar riffs and a pulsating bassline.
I personify depression a lot on this album and use a "leap of faith" to convey breaking free from a toxic relationship. The act of taking a "leap of faith" becomes a declaration of independence, reinforcing the idea that we shouldn’t allow past hurts to dictate the our future. This track resonates deeply with anyone who has fought to reclaim their identity amidst emotional turmoil-I know I have.
Track 10 - October won't make me hate you
Produced by: Dragos Chiriac
Length: 03:35
A song you know and a song you love. This song is such turning point for me. The track pulsates with rhythm and emotion, blending jangly guitars with dreamy synths that create a sense of floating. Lyrically, it addresses the complexity of mourning while celebrating resilience.
This song is a testament to the idea that while grief may linger, it does not have to consume us.
Track 11 - Marigold
Produced by: Robyn Fenty
Length: 04:55
This album sonically is really about trying out a bunch of new sounds while remaining true to myself. Like "October", this song was inspired by a poem my manager wrote. My personal favorite from the album, this song is whimsically playful, complete with layered falsettos and 60's inspired brazillian bossa nova.
Grant Gustin@Rihanna Self produced???? No wonder it's the single
@Rihanna A song I know, and a song I love
@Rihanna Kevin Parker!!!