Getting to Know Richy Nix

BY CASSIA COLLINS July 24 09

Richy Nix is definitely not someone who fears the improbable. A very driven singer, songwriter and producer, Richy puts himself out there and hopes for the best in all situations. One of the many talented musicians in and around Windsor, Richy has lived here all his life. He is a former student of École secondaire L’Essor, and his French background seems to be something he’s proud of.

So how does someone like him find his start in music? His friend, Derek Santarossa, should be the one to thank for helping Richy get his start. While playing around with Acid Rap and Horrorcore beats at Derek’s house, Richy began to write his own lyrics and record some tracks. Richy worked with Derek on a few projects, and then continued on to become a part of a band called Facing Friendly Fire, which lasted four years.

Although Facing Friendly Fire is no longer around, Richy is still going: singing, rapping, and producing the music he is so comfortable with. Richy Nix has been around for the last seven years, only recently with the addition of a live band. The band members include: Alex Antic, a very good friend of Richy’s who played with him in Facing Friendly Fire, on guitar; Bryen Allaire, also a former member of Facing Friendly Fire, on drums; Joe Di Maio on bass; and finally Bobby Stanton on keys.

Richy himself writes all the songs for the band. He is a very personal lyricist and writes about all kinds of experiences. "I turn any type of negative energy, like sadness, depression, anger, or anxiety into a song. So it could be like something about the world that’s bothering me or it could be something personal in my life, but that’s what inspires me to write. Women inspire me as well," says Richy; however, when asked if there was a particular lady in his life, he said there was not.

Major influences on Richy’s music include artists like Dr. Dre, Eminem, As I Lay Dying, Protest the Hero, Devil Wears Prada, August Burns Red, and Parkway Drive. With so many influences, describing Richy’s music can be somewhat of a challenge. Mostly, it’s fair to describe his music as rock, rap, and alternative. Richy is also lucky because his parents are supportive of his music.

"At first they didn’t understand it but now they see the bigger picture and they try to support as much as they can," says Richy. He also mentions that his father is one of his personal heroes.

Along with his past albums Love and No Romance, Richy is working on a new album and will hopefully soon be recording for release. He is also working on a limited street edition, produced by himself to be released within the next few weeks. Beyond the studio, Richy Nix can be seen live in many places, and his favourite bars to play are Alvin’s in Detroit and the Chubby Pickle in Windsor.

With so much going on, it’s easy to see how Richy’s song “In My Head” made it to the radio. As Richy firmly believes in earning your own successes, he explains that he didn’t use any favours or know the right people to help him get onto 89X. In fact, he says that he didn’t meet anybody at the station until after he’d been played.

"I had my fans e-mail them [89X] and request me even though I wasn’t on the station. So they were getting requests for someone they weren’t playing. That made them pay attention to me and eventually they just kept playing me because they kept getting requests,” Richy comments.

When asked how it felt to hear his song on the radio, Richy says, "It felt rewarding, like all my hard work started to pay off." He does work very hard, as this is his passion and he says that he cannot see himself doing anything else. The near future will very probably hold great things for Richy Nix and he will appreciate what praise he gets for that as he leaves the interview with a final statement.

"I love my friends, fans, and family. They should always come first; I look at them all the same. Everybody should live by these codes: love, loyalty, and respect."

For more information about Richy Nix's upcoming events and songs, visit his MySpace page: www.myspace.com/richynix