Meet Riana Hisako of XNK, Pinktastic Plastixx, and more!
Meet Riana Hisako of XNK, Pinktastic Plastixx, and more!
Meet Riana Hisako of XNK, Pinktastic Plastixx, and more!I had the chance to sit down with Riana Hisako, she is a talented member of a couple of bands including XNK, Pinktastic Plastixx, as well as a member of Lina Cooper’s band. She had the opportunity to perform at the second annual Women Rock LA with Jules and the Howl in March. She is definitely a musician to keep your eye on. Check out her interview below.
Who inspired you to make music?
My grandmother was a concert pianist. When I was maybe 2 or 3 years old, she lived with us while receiving chemotherapy treatments. On days when she felt well enough, we would sing songs from The Sound of Music together at the piano. She instantly recognized that I had a musical ear, and encouraged my parents to help me nurture it. I started classical piano lessons not too long after!
What is your creative process like?
I’ll usually listen to a song/idea on a loop and familiarize myself with any melody/harmony/song structure. Once I’ve spent some time analyzing the various elements of a song, I’ll determine what I can add to it— whether that’s holding one note for a while to add a “texture”, a little riff that will keep the groove going, or a more extravagant keyboard line. Once I have something solid, I’ll send what I’ve written to my bandmates, and we will bounce more ideas off of each other, or leave my part as is. I think my classical background gives me a unique, creative edge, when it comes to creating or arranging for modern styles.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
Don’t ever let anyone get in the way of your dreams or tell you that they’re impossible.
Countless times as a child and teenager, my piano teachers told me that I “wasn’t good enough”, or “quit while you’re ahead, you won’t make it”. Those words, though devastating to hear at the time, fueled hours and hours of meaningful practice. I diligently worked on my technique, musicality, and expression to become better. I became a resilient, more versatile musician from it.
Use the nay-sayers and criticism as your inspiration to improve your craft. Prove them wrong. You are brilliant, even when the world tells you otherwise.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar. That song is tricky to learn as an instrumentalist! But a blast to play on stage. Such a classic!
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
“Say yes to every opportunity, because you don’t know where it’ll lead to next.”
I was told this in 2017, at the admitted student’s event for Berklee College of Music, held at the GRAMMY Museum. Though I wasn’t much more than a solo piano performer at the time, this advice stuck with me. I
began following this advice when I started playing my first gigs, and I found it to be very true. You never know who you will meet through your next opportunity. Some of the best opportunities will come to you through chance encounters. There is such power in putting yourself out there and playing in various settings with different musicians. I wouldn’t be where I am today, had I not taken this advice!
That being said — it’s completely okay to say “no” to some opportunities, too. It’s SO important to protect your work/life/music balance!
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
Probably how tough it is to make a living off of music. Unless you’re one of those big-name artists, have a crazy large budget, or have notable connections— it is rough out there, and often times musicians spend tons of money on their craft, for very little return, if any. There is nothing romantic about the “broke musician lifestyle”. It’s unfair, and back in the older days, it was easier for fans to directly support artists by buying their CDs/records. Streaming platforms have majorly skewed an important form of income for musicians. Far too many venues are “pay-to-play”, where you can pay hundreds, if not thousands, to play on a decent stage, to a crowd that is primarily whoever you invited out and could make it. It is disheartening to see how at almost every corner of the industry, there’s someone looking to take advantage or make an extra $ off of you. I would really love to see musicians get paid well for the hard work that we do and get rid of the “pay to play” system. Our hard work and talent deserve better than this!
What’s next for you?
Well, now that we’re in the warmer months— LOTS of gigs! And all of my original bands are in the process of writing, recording, or releasing new music. It’s been really exciting— specifically, my band XNK has been writing and recording an experimental, never-been-done-before project. I can’t share too much, but this project combines my classical piano background with our hard rock band sound. Pinktastic Plastixx is releasing our newest song, Pink is Punk on May 30th. It was recorded and produced by Brian Judd, who has worked with Green Day! Lastly, I recently joined a Michael Jackson tribute band, “MJ ROXTAR”, and we have our first show on June 16 at The Three Clubs. There are so many exciting things happening right now — not even sure what’s coming after this; but I know it’ll be amazing no matter what!
(Interview and Photos by Denise Johnson)
Riana Hisako on Instagram
Pinktastic Plastixx on Instagram
XNK on Instagram
