MUSIC
From Issue #20
Kyle Riabko
Young Man, Old Soul
by Surya Bhattacharya
“I don’t come from an extremely talented musical family, but I come
from an extremely supportive one,” says the cute 16-year-old Kyle
Riabko, a Saskatchewan native who hasn’t exactly lived at home the
past two years, thanks to hectic touring and his cache of enormous
musical talent.
“If I wanted to be an astronaut, I’d be talking to you
from Mars,” he says to emphasize how supportive his family has been
throughout his budding musical career.
Although he missed his
graduation in April, Kyle is not disappointed because his head is a
different place, “It’s about playing real music. It’s about the moment
and making of the music, and I hope to continue doing this,” says
Kyle.
With Before I Speak, his first full-length album, Kyle has
showcased old school soul like no other. But what gets him — what
really gets him — is seeing some of his friends battling depression.
“I have a few friends who have depression, and people don’t know
about it. Then there’s medication that screws up things further,” says
Kyle.
He wants to advocate fixing it somehow, but for now, hopes
parents learn to deal with it better and not treat it as a disease.
“There’s no way to describe it to someone who hasn’t had it, and I
want to make it less of a taboo and make it more visible,” says Kyle
who brings it back full circle to his family, “ I almost feel guilty that I
grew up in a nurturing family.”
Photo courtesy of Sony Music Canada.
