As I sit with Matthew Mahfood, who you may know as Rizk (riz-ik), I reflect on the raw and intimate process of music production that I’ve gotten the pleasure of witnessing over this past year. I remember sitting hearing him record the same vocals over and over, aiming for the perfect take. I watched as he altered lyrics, prosody, and masterfully crafted the beat all on his own; layering sounds and pitch to achieve the idea he had in his mind. Today I slip on my professional gear and talk artist to artist about his newest single, ‘Your Way’.
CARIB VOXX: Tell us about your initial interest in music and what led you to choosing this career path. Where did you start? How have you changed?
RIZK: All throughout high school and even a few years into college I had no idea what I wanted to pursue as a career, and the only thing that had been consistent in my life was music. I played drums as a young kid, and eventually started playing bass guitar in performances at school. From there I moved to acoustic guitar and eventually background vocals. I left Jamaica when I was 16 to finish highschool in the states, and was required to take choir class, where I really got to develop my voice. Slowly started to write, and produce just to give it a shot and fell in love with those parts of the process. After years of practice, I’m thankfully at a point where I produce/co-produce and write all of my music, which makes everybody of work that much more personal and dear to me.
CARIB VOXX: For Rizk, where does the song making process start?
RIZK: The song starts with a feeling. Either from a situation I or a friend has experienced, a melody or a lyric. Once it makes me feel, I try to expand on it and build around it. What does this make me feel? Or them feel? Where have I felt this before? Etc.
CARIB VOXX: Tell us about ‘Your Way’. What is the song about? How did you intend your audience to feel?
RIZK: ‘Your Way’ talks about relationships (of any kind) where one person is more invested than the other. One person gives, sacrifices and loves, while the other can remain indecisive or uncommitted with nothing to lose. “On the fence, I mean no offense baby, you and I that’s common sense baby, but who am I to doubt you, when you make it about you?”
I want my listeners to feel a longing for a mutual level of affection; a frustration at the situation being portrayed; but an overall understanding that neither side has any obligation to the other, despite how it may feel. And most of all I hope they can relate.
CARIB VOXX: How/why have you transitioned from Pop/RnB to now more Caribbean-influenced music? What inspired this change other than your roots?
RIZK: I slowly started working my Caribbean influence into my music a while back, mainly with production choices or slight vocal delivery changes. I’d still classify my music as being Pop/Rnb, however now it’s based much more in the context of Afro/Caribbean production and stylings. To be honest, at first I was uncertain of my ability to write with this kind of direction, so it took some time to grow into it. Ultimately It has been so freeing to be able to include even more of myself in my music.
CARIB VOXX: Living away from Jamaica can make it difficult to stay in touch with the evergrowing music and culture. In what ways do you actively keep that connection?
RIZK: Other than a few friends in the Jamaican music industry, my siblings keep me updated on any new music I haven’t heard coming from the Caribbean. With new names, and different stylistic adaptations popping up, it’s always interesting to listen and learn from the wave our music is on.
CARIB VOXX: What was it like working with one of your best friends, Chris Lee?
RIZK: Chris and I have been close friends since high school, so we’ve worked together for quite a few years now. When I started the production for ‘Your Way’ and started writing, I immediately knew Chris would have something to add to the story of the song. I’m honored and really glad that we can continue to work together, and who knows, there might be more collabs on the way soon.
CARIB VOXX: If it’s not music it’s Pokemon or Smash Bros. Video games not only lean on delicately crafted visuals, but also, sound. Do you think your experience with video game sound design has impacted your relationship/understanding of music production? If so, how?
RIZK: Why you louding me up like that. Yes, I am a bit of a gamer. And absolutely. Video games have to cultivate a feeling, a mood, an emotion, tension etc. without the use of lyrics. It’s a lot like scoring movies. By studying those kinds of compositions, I want to continue to learn how to apply some of those techniques in my music. If I have a lyric, how do I emphasize it with the music surrounding it? What choices can I make to lean into the feeling of this lyric? How do I associate a melodic motif with a feeling? What about using silence? It’s all so interesting to explore.
Keep up with Rizk on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and all music streaming platforms. Look out for his upcoming single ‘Closer’ out on September 5th!
