By Kelsey McAndrew
Alt-rock act Ria Rua has been defying the music scene ever since she appeared a couple of years ago with her rebellious songwriting. Originally aspiring to be a film composer, Ria has now found her love for songwriting and performing live, with the release of her debut album, SCAPEG.O.A.T., out today. I had the pleasure of chatting to Ria via Zoom about her life as a musician, and how excited she is to step into this brand-new era with her debut record.
Having released her first EP back in April 2022, the Irish singer-songwriter is steadily excited to release a larger collection of songs: “You know, you put so much work into it, from just practicing as a young kid, to now actually being a singer/songwriter… it feels like a massive thing, and I’m just so excited,” Ria shared. With her first beginnings in an orchestra, she has since progressed from a session drummer to a fully-fledged (alt) rock-star. It has been a long journey, but Ria, sat in her car chatting to me before the album releases, told me she was “over the moon” that everything was working out.
When I asked about SCAPEG.O.A.T. – more specifically, the tracks on the album – she’s adamant to pick a song she’s most excited for her fans to hear: “Oh my god, that’s such a hard question! I think the track that is going to be out with the album – Mad as Hell – is a real fun song, but it also has a serious meaning to it. It’s clearly like, she’s mad, but she’s also having a bit of fun.”
Renowned for her fearless songwriting, I was interested to ask Ria about how she sees the record, and what impact she hopes it makes. “This is like a protest album,” she tells me. “It’s like me as a neurodiverse, queer woman who sees the world through this ‘lens’ and is angry about the state of the place.”
Reflecting on the title, one of the main take-aways is that the record is designed to stand out and confront the elites. Only last year, Ria Rua took the decision to remove all of her songs from Spotify, and in the only track uploaded to her page, which is fully in spoken word, Ria says: “[Spotify] is full of bots, and it’s just not a viable platform anymore.” All of her music is instead distributed via platforms like Apple Music, Deezer and indie platforms like Bandcamp.
The whole message behind the album, to tackle power and corruption, is so powerful, and, in my opinion, it’s something we need to see more of in music. This is true art – it’s someone who isn’t afraid to write about the things that truly matter.
“I think one of the biggest things at the moment is financial trouble, because the working class… we’re not gonna be able to do it anymore,” she says. A few days after our interview, it was announced that Ireland would allow artists to apply for long-term income support after a previous trial. It’s a definite step forward, but it doesn’t completely fix the issue, and the UK is yet to follow. “If you’re not on board now, what’s gonna happen?!” Ria says.
Much like the tracks on the album, the artwork is just as bold, and contains – you guessed it – a goat on it! Talking me through the cover, Ria said: “The ruling class are – you know – using people as scapegoats instead of taking ownership of what they’ve done. It just kind of came to me like, you know what I mean, I need a goat!” she laughed.
We had a wholesome discussion about the goat which was named Snowy, and she told me that her childhood teddy bear was coincidentally named the same. This was quite a full circle moment for Ria, and I must say it adds a such sweet aspect to the story of artwork, especially that of a debut.
Ria’s biggest idols, the ones she dreams to collaborate with? “Garbage! Shirley Manson is so cool, and Butch Vig is like iconic. The other is Nine Inch Nails, I would die, die, for Nine Inch Nails, and yeah that would just be the dream.”
“One of the main reasons why I started writing was because I wanted to be a film composer. I wanted to be like Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails.”
“I think my favourite song (from the album) to play live, is probably Ass Movin… it’s like, marching.”
“When I was a kid, I was in this crazy orchestra – like a marching band – but instead of normal instruments it was an accordion orchestra.”
“The track is heavy and sort of brings its own feeling with it. The backing of marching in it is definitely unique, but it’s nothing I’m opposed to as it works really, really well.”
Whilst I’ve never experienced it live, I’m sure a live performance of it would be a life changing experience.
Ria adds: “it’s kind of a cool reaction from the crowd, and then there’s a drum solo bit at the end, so yeah, people tend to love that one and it’s just like lots of bashing, and it’s normally the last song that we do so it’s nice to go out with a bang”.
Gearing up for her performances at the end of this month and leading into March, Ria will play her album live in Dublin, Galway, London, Cork and Belfast.
“It’s a cliché, but it really is the dream. I’ve played music my whole life, and to write these songs about stuff that’s pretty traumatic and to still have people who want to hear [them] and pay to [watch a show] … that’s such a crazy feeling.”
Ria has played numerous times live before, including at Vicar Street in Dublin, but this will be her first time as an artist who has an album out in the world, and I can’t even begin to think of how exciting this must be for her.
Ria Rua’s music, to me, reflects meaning and purpose. I always wonder what the world would be like without music. I can’t even begin to paint a picture in my head. “it’s just magical, I can’t really explain it. In some ways it’s just like the connection between the world and like frequencies I suppose.”
“Being able to express yourself is just incredible, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for art, or if it wasn’t for music. It’s a hundred percent saved my life.”
Ria Rua’s debut album is available to stream everywhere now… just not on Spotify.
Text Copyright 2026 © Kelsey McAndrew/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Casey Brockbank 
Kate Davies