Crafted alongside funk and gospel artist Seramic (Marcus Foster) and mixed by Richard Wilkinson (Adele, Amy Winehouse), Riva Taylor weaves jazz-infused melancholy with contemporary pop elegance into new single ‘Valentine Road’. The result is a hauntingly beautiful reflection on love, illusion, and longing. Riva’s signature rich, emotive and effortlessly expressive vocals guide listeners through a nostalgic yet hopeful journey. The song’s ethereal backing vocals and ghostly imagery mirror the bittersweet nature of love that exists more in fantasy than reality.

Lyrically, Riva Taylor paints love as an unpredictable path, one that can deceive but also offer hope. The song’s inception on Hackney’s actual Valentine Road adds a poetic layer, making it as personal as it is relatable. Inspired by her deep jazz roots and the storytelling prowess of ’60s icons like Joni Mitchell and The Beatles, ‘Valentine’ Road carries a timeless quality while feeling undeniably fresh. Following a stellar year, including international tours and BBC Radio support, Riva now sets the stage for her upcoming EP.

“This is a song that has lived as a file on my laptop since 2021 and ironically, given its ethereal backing vocals and ghostly imagery, is a melody that has haunted me ever since writing it. I repeatedly revisited the demo waiting for the right moment to release it. As soon as I turned up at Marcus’s studio on Valentine Road, I knew what the title of our song would be. It’s written for all those people out there who have been in love with the idea of a relationship that didn’t actually exist. In all it’s honesty, the song presents ‘Valentine Road’ as a long and varied one which always offers hope…”

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