SJM Concerts Present

Jos Rivers

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Born and raised in Staffordshire, Jos Rivers writes songs that capture the sharp, uncomfortable truths of early adulthood. Northern warmth runs through everything she creates – there's a quick wit and self-awareness to her storytelling that turns messier moments into something you can actually laugh about. She mixes bright and buoyant vocals with a conversational delivery, atop sparse instrumentals that leave space for each word to land with effect. A disarmingly honest account of what it actually feels like to be eighteen and figuring it out.

She knew from the age of three that music would be her life. By eight she was competing in singing competitions; by ten she was in her first studio session, learning the mechanics of music-making while most kids were still learning their times tables. Her mother was her biggest champion, the first person to hear every song and the one who'd guide her through if something wasn't working. That kind of honest encouragement early on gave Rivers the confidence to trust her own instincts as her sound developed.

At fourteen, Rivers relocated to London to attend the BRIT School, where she stayed through sixth form. The institution offered total immersion in a community of equally hungry young musicians and for the first time, she was surrounded by exceptional drummers, skilled guitarists, peers who were completely serious about it. Her best friend and current drummer Bella became a creative anchor during those years. She won the Accenture Prize for Best Live Performer and has since played Ronnie Scott’s and KOKO. Artists including Skye Newman, Meghan Trainor and Ren have helped amplify her rise by reposting her viral videos and following her on social media, further cementing her status as an artist to watch.

Now eighteen and freshly signed to RCA, Rivers writes songs she can't stop thinking about until they're finished. She wakes in the middle of the night and reaches for her notes app before anything else. The songs don't shy away from calling things out. "Long Time Coming" confronts the moment you finally admit something's changed, even though you've been avoiding it for weeks. Recently, Rivers found out a friend of a friend had started questioning his own behaviour after following her online, which is exactly the kind of ripple effect she writes for.

"He's A Genius," takes aim at the lads who coast by on charm and get away with their behaviour. "Yeah I would take the piss as well if I were born a boy," she sings, the kind of line that could've come straight from Bridget Jones' diary pages. She calls out the sexism that gets brushed off as banter and the double standards that favour certain people while burying others. Writing vulnerability into the headline and never the footnotes with tracks like "0749", where she captures that pang of embarrassment that comes with going back to someone you know you shouldn't.

Rivers writes from a place most artists her age are still learning to access. A willingness to name what's unfair without apology. She arrives at her debut with a devoted following who found her long before the industry did. Spinning the tales of a girl from up north who has a lot to say about the world we’re all trying to navigate. There's no posturing involved, just someone speaking plainly about her experiences and finding the comedy in how absurd it all is when you say it out loud.

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