ABOUT
Rebecca Riedtmann is a British singer-songwriter from Surrey whose music moves between Americana, folk, country, blues and melodic pop-rock.
Over the years, Rebecca built a substantial body of original work through recording, collaboration and extensive live performance, appearing at festivals including Black Deer and the Isle of Wight Festival, on BBC One, and at venues including The Half Moon, The Bedford, The Brunswick and The Sound Lounge.
Her songwriting combines strong melody with emotionally direct lyrics, moving from intimate acoustic arrangements to a fuller roots-driven sound. Americana UK described her voice as “rich, strong, clear and resonant.”
SONGWRITING
Rebecca has been writing songs since her teens. For her, songwriting has never really felt optional — as she once put it, it's something she “couldn't NOT do.”
Songs can begin with a melody, a lyric, an idea or something that simply needs saying. Some are written alone; others have grown through collaboration with musicians and songwriters, bringing different ideas and perspectives into the process.
Her writing has always drawn on real life, changing as life itself has changed. Motherhood became another source of inspiration, finding its way into songs including Muscari's Always You. Other songs have grown from relationships, loss, family and the people and experiences that have mattered along the way.
Once written and recorded, songs can take on lives of their own — meaning something quite different to the listener than they did to the person who wrote them.
That idea also runs through Not All Who Wander Have Lost Their Way, a lyric from the album track Georgia: taking the long way round — or even going around twice — doesn't mean you're lost if it's the path that feels right.
ALONG THE WAY
Rebecca performed extensively across the UK, from intimate acoustic shows to full-band performances and festival stages. Highlights included Black Deer Festival, the Isle of Wight Festival, The Half Moon, The Bedford, The Brunswick and The Sound Lounge, alongside an appearance on BBC One.
Her music also found its way onto radio, with sessions and interviews including BBC Radio Kent, Radio Brockley's Alpha Sessions, Surrey Hills Radio and Russell Hill's Country Music Show.
In 2018, Rebecca released her debut album, Not All Who Wander Have Lost Their Way. The album received 8/10 from Americana UK, alongside coverage from FATEA and Laurel Canyon Music, and her music was selected for Caffè Nero's international in-store playlist, reaching around 700 cafés across eight countries.
Alongside her solo work, Rebecca has collaborated with other musicians and songwriters over the years, including Les Huitson, Paul Cox and Matt Carr, as well as exploring a darker, more alternative side of her writing through The Fitcher Bird.
MUSIC THAT INSPIRES
Rebecca's musical tastes have always ranged far beyond the genres most closely associated with her own work. The artists that inspire her aren't necessarily artists she sounds like — some have influenced her songwriting, while others are simply voices, records and musical worlds she loves.
She has long been drawn to the intimate, distinctive songwriting of Frazey Ford, Catherine MacLellan and Gillian Welch, as well as the roots and old-time energy of Old Crow Medicine Show. At the other end of her record collection sit the darker, more alternative sounds of Marika Hackman, Portishead and Garbage.
Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac have been longstanding favourites, while the harmonies and melodic songwriting of The Hollies and The Beach Boys are another part of the mix.
It's an eclectic collection of music rather than a description of Rebecca's own sound — connected by the songs, voices, harmonies and atmosphere that have caught her ear over the years.