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Montana-based singer/songwriter Riddy Arman's traditional country and folk music comes from the unique perspective of a female farmhand. With a new documentary and an upcoming tour, Arman speaks to GRAMMY.com about singing in "crooked time."
With the release of an album documentary by filmmaker Keenan O’Reilly, and a new set of shows this summer, singer/songwriter Riddy Arman is enjoying an extended run of momentum ignited by her powerful debut album. It’s no wonder: Arman’s 2021 self-titled collection contains one gut-wrenching gem after another, her voice like a cello, narrating weary, leathery, patient stories drawn from a sparse Western landscape.
After listening to the mesmerizing record several times, I noticed that on some verses, Arman’s vocals come in a beat late. It’s subtle, but halting, like a horse switching its lead, and I thought it contributed to the deliberate pace — and tone — of her songs. When I got to ask her about it recently, she laughed and said, "yeah, some people I make music with tease me about my crooked time."
I wasn’t immediately familiar with the phrase "crooked time," which describes extra or missing notes in verses or measures, deviations from the expected beat pattern. Crooked time is typically associated with old-time North American or Irish music, bluegrass or anything with a fiddle.
Rooted in traditions, in other words, but a deviation from the expected. There may be no better way to describe Riddy Arman. It’s not merely her playful vocal stylings. Her songs are grounded in familiar soundscapes — Western, folk, original country — and are told through the knowing voice of a working ranch hand. Yet, as a woman making music that reasons with horse manure, or pushing pairs of cows up a draw, she is the exception not the rule.
"When you see someone onstage in Wranglers, a western shirt, and a hat that has real dust on it, you’re not usually looking at a woman," says Connie Collingsworth, Co-Founder of LaHonda Records, the label Riddy calls home.
For the listener, it makes for a crooked experience where a familiar sound is told through a new and unexpected perspective. Consider the song, "Barbed Wire," which iterates on the lonesome cowboy trope. Arman’s man is separated from his lover, and the only relief from his pain is fencing, the most tedious, monotonous and despised work on a ranch. We don’t know what’s keeping the lovers apart, but you get the sense it’s his pride:
"There's one thing he wants and can't seem to find/ So he sits atop his horse as his dog trails beside/ Seeking freedom from his mind under sunny desert skies/ The wind will dry his tears that fall as if he's never cried," Arman sings. In that interpretation, the famed cowboy stubbornness and stoicism are cautionary tale rather than celebration.
While women have long found success in country music, the specific trail Arman has traveled had not been blazed yet. She knew of no female role model who wrote old-time folk and country songs in between shifts on the ranch. But her confidence to even try was instilled in those very settings. "Women working in ag, working in the West, they’re held in as high regard as men if they can do the work," Arman told GRAMMY.com. She knew she could do the work – whether it was on a ranch or writing her own music.
Arman met Colter Wall after his show in New Orleans,along with his manager and the other co-founder of LaHonda Records, Travis Blankenship. A short time later, after Collingsworth and Blankenship listened to her songs and offered Arman a spot on the label. In addition to her music, the two were drawn to her playfulness and self-possession — a combination of qualities they figured, and hoped, would bring surprises.
My favorite surprise on her album is a simple lyrical one. The opening track, "Spirits, Angels, or Lies" is a beautiful telling of her father’s passing, and an invitation to consider what might happen at death. But in the final line of the chorus, and song, Arman strays from the story of her dad, and what happens in the final moments of one’s life, and zooms out to say, "We never know what someone sees with their own eyes." The line lands as a timely plea from a guarded, broken world crying out for empathy, and an understanding of other people’s perspectives.
It was songwriting like that which drew the attention of Los Angeles-based filmmaker O'Reilly. "I listened to two verses of 'Spirits, Angels, Or Lies' and I called out to my wife to come listen. Anyone who hears the first lines of a Riddy song knows she’s legit," he says.
O'Reilly was so moved by Arman's music that he called LaHonda Records and asked if he could make a film and music video — on his own dime. Collingsworth recalls the phone call and still shakes her head about their good fortune. "We’re just so lucky to have people like Keenan who want to support our artists," she says. O'Reilly and a crew spent five days with Arman in western Montana where she lives and does ranch work. He was impressed with what he called her " raw humanity ," and his reverence for her comes across in the beautiful film he and LaHonda jointly released on July 12.
"I made the film and the video for 'Both of My Hands' because I want to look back in 40 years and be proud that I played a role in supporting music that stood the test of time," he says, alluding to not only Riddy but the cohort of talented artists making traditional folk and country music right now, and who are ushering in a surging revival.
Arman recently announced that she and her fiancé are expecting a baby at the end of the year. She canceled some of her upcoming shows but promised her fans that she would be "here in Montana, writing y’all a new album."
The reference to a new record suddenly reminded that she just has the one out so far. Given the richness of the songs on her first album, and her old-soul presence, it feels like more. But it was also a joyful reminder that Riddy Arman is just getting started.
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Megan Thee Stallion opens up about anxiety and being shot on her second album, 'Traumazine,' which was released with a single day's notice on Aug. 12.
Megan Thee Stallion took to her Instagram on Aug. 5 to define a word she created: traumazine .
"The chemical release in the brain when it is forced to deal with painful emotions caused by traumatic events and experiences," she explained in the post. "See synonyms: self-realization."
On Aug. 11, Megan announced that her second album is called Traumazine and it would be released the next day. On Twitter, the Houston rapper, 27, made it seem like she had wanted to keep the release day a secret, but leaks prompted her to talk about it.
"From my cover art, pieces of my track list and me even hearing a part of a song I haven't dropped yet leaking (and we ALL know who the only ppl who had access to all these PRIVATE links are..) I might as well…lol," she wrote .
The album straddles rap and pop through collaborations with guests like Jhené Aiko , Dua Lipa , Latto, Rico Nasty and Future , offering listeners a rare glimpse inside the mind behind her body of work. Here are five key details to know about Megan Thee Stallion's new album, Traumazine .
Megan briefly references a July 2020 incident in which rapper Tory Lanez allegedly shot her in the foot. According to CBS News , Lanez has been charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.
"I feel like Biggie, 'Who Shot Ya?'/ But everybody know who shot me, bitch/ So now, let's stop speaking on the topic," Megan raps in "Who Me (feat. Pooh Shiesty)."
On July 28, a lawyer for Lanez asked that his Sept. 14 trial date be delayed ; he's due back in court on Aug. 12.
Megan's Biggie lyric in "Who Me" is not the only reference to the late rapper on Traumazine. She samples the Isley Brothers ' 1983 hit "Between The Sheets," which was also used for Notorious B.I.G. 's "Big Poppa," on "Consistency (feat. Jhené Aiko )."
The rapper also calls herself "Biggie-Biggie black" on "Not Nice" and interpolates Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s "Get Money," which was written in part by Christopher Wallace, on "Plan B."
"Excuse me while I get into my feelings for a second. Usually I keep it in, but today I gotta tell it," Megan raps on "Anxiety," offering a rare look into her personal feelings. "Bad bitches have bad days too," she shares.
On "Flip Flop," she admits that, " Behind this smile, I'm fightin' these tears/'Cause a bitch be sad as f—/Ever since my mama died, 2019/ I don't really know who I can trust."
In the wake of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, Megan fights for reproductive rights on Traumazine . She references emergency contraception on "Plan B" and asserts her bodily autonomy on "Gift & a Curse."
"My motherf—kin' body, my choice," she spits on "Gift & a Curse." "Ain't no lil' dick takin' my voice."
Just as Beyoncé did on her new album, Renaissance , Megan pays homage to ball culture on Traumazine with the upbeat and boastful song "Her." Megan served looks and fierce commentary as a judge for two seasons on Legendary , the HBO Max competition series that pits houses of voguers against each other.
Traumazine is the last album that Megan owed to 1501 Certified Entertainment, her record label with which she has been engaged in a legal battle for earnings. She shared her frustrations with dealing with 1501 on social media while encouraging her fans to support the album.
"Y'all know I always have problems with dropping my music under this label, all these games and having to go to court just to put out my art has been so stressful," she tweeted on August 10. "Thank you hotties for rocking with me through the bulls—. WE ALMOST OUT LETS STAY FOCUSED AND RUN THIS LAST ONE UP."
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As Miranda Lambert took the stage to accept her Best Country Album trophy 'Platinum,' she made sure to honor the producers, co-writers and musicians who brought the album to life.
Before the 57th GRAMMYs took place in February 2015, Miranda Lambert had already received many GRAMMY nominations — and in 2011, she even won Best Country Vocal Performance for her song "The House That Built Me."
However, she'd never won Best Country Album — though her projects Four the Record and Revolution had both scored nominations — until 2015, when she earned the trophy for her fifth studio album, Platinum .
In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind , take a look back at Lambert's heartfelt acceptance speech as she accepted her award. As soon as she took the stage, she made sure to voice some recognition for her fellow nominees — Dierks Bentley , Eric Church , Lee Ann Womack and Brandy Clark — who were all watching from the audience.
"I love every album in this category. I'm so thankful for this," Lambert said as she held her GRAMMY. "I poured my heart and soul into this record."
Many supporters helped propel Lambert on toward the making of her Platinum album — her then-husband Blake Shelton was lovingly looking on from his seat in the audience, for one — and she made a point of thanking her collaborators.
" Frank Liddell , Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf are amazing producers," she continued. "And all the musicians who played on this, and all the writers, and all the people that make it happen and get it to the people, get it to the fans. Thank you so much for this amazing night."
Lambert won her second Best Country Album GRAMMY in 2021, for her 2019 LP Wildcard . To date, Miranda Lambert has won 3 GRAMMYs and has received 23 GRAMMY nominations overall.
Press play above to watch Lambert's full acceptance speech, and keep checking GRAMMY.com for more episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.
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Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
After a two-year hiatus, BLACKPINK are on the brink of releasing a new single, "Pink Venom," and a highly anticipated sophomore effort, 'Born Pink.' Here’s everything you need to know about the quartet’s forthcoming full-length album, out Sept. 16.
It’s been two years since BLACKPINK released their debut studio album, The Album , which featured the Top 40 hits" How You Like That " and" Lovesick Girls " as well as guest appearances from Selena Gomez and Cardi B . The record-breaking album quickly solidified the quartet as K-pop superstars, and they became known as the" biggest girl group in the world ."
As COVID-19 prevented BLACKPINK from embarking on a promotional tour, the innovative foursome decided to bring the show to fans at home, with a livestream pay-per-view concert that was critically lauded and commercially successful .
Shortly after the promo tour wound down, the group went on a hiatus to regroup and pursue other projects. Lisa and Rosé dropped solo albums, while Jennie and Jisoo pursued acting careers — Jennie will star in the Weeknd’s upcoming HBO Max series," The Idol ," and Jisoo played a college student in the Korean TV drama," Snowdrop ."
Now, the girls are back together and ready to kick off their comeback with Born Pink , out Sept. 16 through YG Entertainment. Here’s everything GRAMMY.com knows about BLACKPINK’s sophomore album.
Fans can pre-order physical copies of the album, including a limited-edition pink vinyl, via the group’s website, which is also offering an exclusive box set — available in black and pink — which comes with a CD, folded poster, sticker, poster book, photo cards and more.
YG Entertainment, the group’s record label, thrilled fans when they announced the quartet’s new album and world tour on July 6. A few weeks later, BLACKPINK shared a series of promo pics on Instagram and dropped a trailer on YouTube with their forthcoming schedule.
The 30-second trailer has racked up more than 20 million views since, which comes as no surprise — the girl group recently became the most-followed musical act of all time on YouTube, where they have more than 75 million subscribers.
Since their debut in 2016, BLACKPINK has forged a strong connection with their loyal fanbase — affectionately known as Blinks — through live streams and interviews where they sometimes offer playful spoilers about the lyrics, visuals and choreography in their upcoming new releases.
And like any great fanbase, Blinks have taken these clues and created theories and predictions that they share via YouTube, Reddit, Discord, and other online communities. Alongside speculation that the album will explore heartbreak, some fans believe that Jisoo’s name will finally be mentioned in the lyrics of a Born Pink track. (Lisa, Rosé and Jennie’s names appear in "Ice Cream," "BOOMBAYAH" and Lisa’s debut solo single, " LALISA ," respectively.)
In July, the girl group partnered with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile for the mobile game’s first-ever virtual concert, which featured a performance of " Ready for Love ," an unreleased song that the quartet is seen recording in their 2020 Netflix documentary, BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky . The song’s inclusion in the documentary sent fans into a frenzy, and they began speculating about the group’s next era.
The tracklist for Born Pink has yet to be released, so it’s unclear if "Ready for You" will appear on the album, but the song is listed on Genius .
On Aug 8., BLACKPINK commemorated the sixth anniversary of their formation with messages of gratitude and love on Instagram . As an anniversary gift to fans, they announced the Aug. 19 release of "Pink Venom," their second single of 2022. Fans can digitally pre-order the highly anticipated song on BLACKPINK’s official website or pre-save it on streaming services.
After announcing "Pink Venom," the group shared a set of concept teaser photos on Instagram, in which they appear in blush pink costumes posed in front of broken glass arranged in the shape of spider webs. The promo blitz continued the following day with the release of "Pink Venom" teaser concept videos for each member, giving fans a sneak peek of the quartet’s costuming for the upcoming visual.
The singer-songwriter behind Beyoncé ’s "Halo" discussed his collaboration with the foursome in a recent interview with "Good Morning America ": "I think one or two of my songs have made the album," he said. "From what I’ve been told, and the stuff that I did with them, I can just say is very true to their sound."
This isn’t Tedder ’s first time working with the K-pop sensations — he helped write and produce " Bet You Wanna ," a hit track from The Album featuring a verse from GRAMMY-winning rapper, Cardi B.
In mid-October, BLACKPINK will set off on a global tour in support of Born Pink and their label says it will be the biggest the world has ever seen.
"On top of new music and large-scale projects, BLACKPINK will also go on the largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group by the end of the year to expand their rapport with fans worldwide," YG Entertainment stated in a press release. The Born Pink World Tour kicks off in Seoul and will touch down in 26 cities, including Los Angeles, Bangkok, London and Auckland, with more to be added at a later date.
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One of 88rising's most promising rising acts, NIKI has gone from self-made YouTube artist to a history-making star. On her second album 'Nicole,' the singer reintroduces herself while paying homage to her roots.
Growing up, Indonesian singer NIKI didn't see many mainstream artists that she could relate to. But that didn't stop her from pursuing her dreams.
Born Nicole Zefanya, NIKI taught herself to play guitar and write songs, eventually winning a contest to open for Taylor Swift at age 15. She first posted her music to YouTube in 2014, quickly garnering more than 40,000 followers. Fast forward eight years, and the now 23-year-old NIKI boasts over a billion streams, is headlining her own tour, and recently became the first Indonesian artist to perform at Coachella — cementing herself as a star.
Now based in the U.S. and signed to Asian-American management company 88rising, NIKI is working to change the entertainment landscape for her fellow aspiring young artists who had to pave their own way. Not only does her sound evolve with each new project — blending pop, alternative and R&B — but NIKI has full creative control, writing, recording and producing her own music.
NIKI's self-made journey has amounted to her self-titled album, Nicole . Due Aug. 12, the project feels like a journey from her upbringing to now, thanks to autobiographical songs like "Before" and "High School in Jakarta." Plus, the album is made up of re-recordings of her YouTube clips, showing both her growth and the prowess she's had as a songwriter since the start.
Ahead of the release of Nicole, GRAMMY.com spoke to NIKI via Zoom to discuss her inspirations, hopes and next steps of her career.
You wrote the song "Oceans & Engines" when you were 17. There's a lot of other songs on Nicole that you recorded years ago. Why did you want to re-record them for this album?
During the pandemic, I sat with myself and did a deep dive of all of these songs and kind of did an audit of my life, essentially, and my music. And I had this realization that I still very much relate and resonate with all of this old music. It represented me in a way that the music I put out thus far has not, in a way. I wanted to show my fans that side of me that I think has been hidden for a while.
"Before" and "Oceans & Engines" were the first two singles from the album. Why did they feel like the right songs to release first?
Essentially, I'm telling the story in reverse chronology. So "Before" is the end, and "Oceans & Engines" is sort of the middle of the story. "High School," is the last one that's not out yet. It's sort of like the start of everything. I'm just trying to piece together a timeline through the music.
I can tell that you're a really good songwriter. What goes into your process when you're writing a song?
Usually, I will start with a lyric bank — it's a note in my Notes app that I keep adding to whenever I have a thought or a lyric idea. And usually I parse through that note, and start singing random melodies with whatever lyric I choose from that note. It normally starts with me freestyling melodies while I play guitar or while I have Logic open.
Has that process changed over the years?
Absolutely. I think I'm also completely generalizing when I say that it normally starts like that. It's changed for sure. I'm a much better producer than I was when I was 17. It started with GarageBand and a really cheap mic. Honestly I still absolutely prefer cheap mics.
Do you have any musical inspirations or any songwriters that you look up to?
Taylor Swift was pretty formative. Lyrically, I looked up to her a lot. Now, I look up to people like Phoebe Bridgers , musically and sonically.
I also have been listening to a lot of Beck . That's not something that I was conscious of until recently — I guess I've been like, unconsciously or passively listening to Beck over the years. But he's awesome.
I also grew up with a lot of R&B as well, which is a different end of the spectrum. I grew up with a lot of different influences.
So how would you describe the sound or genre of this album?
I would say organic alt, nostalgic pop.
I feel like we got a good sense of your upbringing from this album, especially songs like "High School in Jakarta," "Before," etc. Is this kind of nostalgia intentional?
Yes, absolutely. It's paying tribute to younger me that put up music — I sort of feel like I owe it to her to publish these songs.
So what do you think this album really tells listeners about you?
That I feel too much. I am a serial feeler. I just love feeling things, is what I've discovered about myself over the years. I have no problem feeling sad, feeling angry, feeling whatever. I have friends that are confused by that.
It makes me feel alive to be in touch with my emotions. The best way I know how to externalize all of it is through writing and music. And so that's kind of what I did with this record.
Is there a song that has a really interesting or memorable story?
"Oceans & Engines" was done as I was taking a nap. I was at the producer's house. We were working on the song, and I just was so incredibly sleepy that day, I fell asleep.
He worked on it for three hours. It was done when I woke up, and I was like, "It's perfect. I have no notes." I call it my Sleeping Beauty song. [ Laughs .]
How does this album differ from your debut album, Moonchild ?
I think Moonchild was a very important step towards me figuring out what I liked musically. What's great about being with 88rising is that they have never really dictated what my sound should be. I always had free rein and control over what I wanted musically.
I started so young. I was 18, and I didn't really know what I wanted. I knew what I liked, and what I like changed, and kept changing over the years. I'm not saying that I've landed on [a] style forever.
Moonchild was more exploratory, I would say. This one feels a little bit more settled. I feel like I have a better idea of who I am and who I want to be now.
How did growing up in Jakarta affect your artistry?
Jakarta was always extremely, uh, Indonesia. I think generally, everyone was so warm, and so friendly and alive. Nobody was jaded. Now living in the States, and coming back home every now and then, it's so interesting to be immersed in the spirit of truly just being happy to be alive.
I grew up in church, with my mom singing. Every Saturday, our house was the place where they would rehearse for Sunday service. So I always was around music.
It absolutely formed my tendencies, my sensibilities, my taste, what I gravitate to. Even the melodies in church formed what I like and gravitate to. That's a recent thing I discovered about myself.
I read that representation is important to you. Did you have any Asian or Indonesian people you looked up to growing up?
It's kind of a loaded answer, but yes and no. There were definitely artists that my mother listened to, that my family listened to, that I liked and admired growing up.
But also, in terms of what, I guess, I defined as success was being on the international stage. So, transparently, as an Asian person, I didn't really see much of myself growing up.
I think now is a really electric time for Asians in general. It's been really exciting to be a part of it and see it transformed [from] how it was literally only like 15 to 20 years ago.
Who are some Asian artists you're digging now?
I obviously love BLACKPINK. They're just awesome. They're like the Asian Spice Girls.
I've been listening to a lot of Indonesian artists as well. I think music has developed so much from back then, with the internet and people learning from one another through, like, globalization and YouTube. The music has just transformed.
All that to say, I really love this artist in Indonesia. His name is Tulus. He makes amazing music. And there's this girl named Nadin Amizah, who makes really beautiful music as well. Constantly shouting them out because they're awesome.
With all that you've accomplished already, are there any goals you're still looking to achieve? Or anything you're looking forward to doing?
Honestly, [the] tour is a big goal. I really am curious to see what it's like to tour for months on end. I've always seen other artists that I look up to do that, and just feel so connected to the fans and feel so connected to themselves through that experience.
So yeah, touring — and adding a second garden bed in my backyard.
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