- Biography
With blunt and empowered honesty, soul-quaking vocals, and the sassy spirit of a vintage pinup model, River sings straight from the heart. The Stockholm singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist infuses a lifetime obsession with soul, experiences gained on a globetrotting whirlwind, and rare mystique into a simmering signature style. She conjures up this energy on a series of singles for EMI Sweden / Universal Music AB and her forthcoming 2021 debut EP. “I try to create a universe where I can freely express myself,” she explains. “I’m all about traditional jazz and blues, but I love the attitude of hiphop as well. Stylistically, I’m inspired by the classic Playboy aesthetic and Bettie Page. The visuals and the music come together to tell a story.” That story begins in Sweden. Born Elsa Sommarström, River’s parents introduced her to Elvis Presley. “I was smitten by the way he sang and how we moved,” she smiles. “He made me fall in love with music .” Growing up in a creative household, dad played bass in a popular Swedish band and worked as a journalist. So, she studied her father’s CD and vinyl collections and quietly sang— unbeknownst to her family. After her dad passed away, wanderlust took over, and she embarked on an international sojourn for the next five years. Between short trips back to Stockholm, she intermittently lived in Germany, Asia, Australia, San Francisco, and New York before settling in San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico. Along the way, she embraced her voice, busking and performing standards from Etta James and Aretha Franklin in jazz clubs around Mexico for almost two years. Finally, she returned to Gothenburg with a fully conceptualized vision. “Travel was a way for me to let go of other people’s expectations—or at least what I thought they expected of me,” she states. “I was able to restart and find myself. I decided to move back to Sweden, because I knew I was going to do music for the rest of my life. I had my own songs, and I was ready to pursue this.” Upon returning to Europe, she adopted the moniker River since her last name Sommarström translates to “Summer Stream” in English. “I was thinking of my life and career as a river,” she elaborates. “It always finds a new path as it flows.” Taking the first step on this path, she independently dropped “One” in 2020 and caught the attention of EMI Sweden, landing a deal with the label. Now, River really begins to blossom. In the end, River represents everything Elsa always wanted to be, and she might just be everything you want from a new hero too… “River is whoever the fuck she wants to be without apology,” she leaves off. “She’s the one person who doesn’t give a damn what anybody thinks. I leave everything behind when I’m in the studio, on stage, writing songs, and creating visuals as River. She’s an extended part—but still me.”
