You're Nearer New Single Out Now!

Listen now wherever you stream your music.

Listen

About

Riley Skinner is an electro-folk musician and singer-songwriter newly based in Minneapolis. Her intriguing melodies, textured layers of sound, and intimate lyrics blend a nostalgic 90s angst with modern folk sensibilities. Skinner's music asks the listener to join her in being vulnerable, being gentle, being honest, and being brave.

Skinner studied composition at Bennington College in Vermont where she found inspiration in her mentors, collaborators, and the haunting environment of New England. She recently moved from Seattle to Minneapolis and now performs primarily in the Midwest. 

In addition to creating music for her solo project and her duo, Heddwen, Skinner enjoys collaborating with dancers and visual artists to create customized soundscapes for performances, videos, and installations.  

Videos

Music

You're Nearer

Riley Skinner & Nick Bhalla

Buy track
I discovered this song while flipping through a fake book just before I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter. It felt like a perfect, beautiful, simple encapsulation of what love and closeness feel like. Right Read more
I discovered this song while flipping through a fake book just before I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter. It felt like a perfect, beautiful, simple encapsulation of what love and closeness feel like. Right away, I knew I wanted to record it with my friend Nick on piano and release it for my wife's birthday. We recorded this live at Soft Cult Studios on tape! Old school, baby! I hope you'll enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it
0:00/???
  1. You're Nearer

You Go a Long Way (Undone)

Riley Skinner

Buy track
I released this song on my album, Surrender, with a full band sound, but I equally love to play it acoustically. I hope you'll enjoy this softer version, I wanted to share both sides of things. This is the first song I Read more
I released this song on my album, Surrender, with a full band sound, but I equally love to play it acoustically. I hope you'll enjoy this softer version, I wanted to share both sides of things. This is the first song I wrote after moving to Minnesota, and it's a love letter to this place and the people I've met here who have made me feel at home. I loved working on this with two of my friends -- Andy Ulseth and Nick Baker.
0:00/???
  1. You Go a Long Way (Undone)

a day at the museum

Riley Skinner

Buy album
This is the quarantine project that I made to help me escape from my home. Part 1 takes us into the museum, where a marble statue becomes an object of love. Part 2 questions who has the right and the privilege to display Read more
This is the quarantine project that I made to help me escape from my home. Part 1 takes us into the museum, where a marble statue becomes an object of love. Part 2 questions who has the right and the privilege to display objects and who has the right and the privilege to view them. Part 3 is from the perspective of the painted. I hope you will enjoy all three parts as a complete set.

This concept EP is dedicated to Colleen Burns, who gave me a ton of input on this project from day one, and who was forced to listen to this piece way too many times. You will always be my beautiful statue and my muse.
0:00/???
  1. 1
    a day at the museum (full experience) 12:48
    0:00/12:48
  2. 2
    part 1 6:25
    0:00/6:25
  3. 3
    part 2 3:15
    0:00/3:15
  4. 4
    part 3 3:18
    0:00/3:18

Surrender

Riley Skinner

Buy album
Most of the songs on this album are about queer identity and intimacy expressed through the metaphor of nature. As queer people, we are so often told that who we are and how we love is unnatural, and that is simply not Read more
Most of the songs on this album are about queer identity and intimacy expressed through the metaphor of nature. As queer people, we are so often told that who we are and how we love is unnatural, and that is simply not true. With that comes a lot of baggage that has to be sorted. Embracing myself fully as a queer person has been an act of surrendering fully to who I am. It’s meant allowing myself to fall apart and feel out of control, but also to embrace that place of chaos and find some ease and joy there. Writing the songs on this album was deeply cathartic for me, and I hope that in sharing as vulnerably and authentically as I can that you will surrender to this music as well.
0:00/???
  1. 1
    Dirty 4:20
    0:00/4:20
  2. 2
    Friend 3:24
    0:00/3:24
  3. 3
    Swallow Song 3:57
    0:00/3:57
  4. 4
    Wrong Side of the Tracks 3:35
    0:00/3:35
  5. 5
    You Go a Long Way 4:18
    0:00/4:18
  6. 6
    Carnal Otherness 4:21
    0:00/4:21
  7. 7
    Keeper 3:11
    0:00/3:11
  8. 8
    Guarded 3:09
    0:00/3:09
  9. 9
    Surrender 6:13
    0:00/6:13

Offerings

✨ Email me for current rates or a quote for a particular project: rileymaeskinner@gmail.com ✨

Session Work
Need some killer harmonies on your latest album? Or someone to help you craft better lyrics? Want help arranging background elements such as voices or strings? I also adore working with dancers doing live improvisation or custom soundscapes for the art they are making. I'm here to help make the magic happen, so let's talk! Past and current collaborators include Larsen Gardens, Andy Ulseth, Jaspar Lepak, Rebecca Nakaba, and Corina Dalzell. 

Private Lessons 
I have a decade of experience working with students of all ages and currently offer private lessons (online or in person) in composition, songwriting, arranging, voice, piano, and ukulele. 

Tarot Readings 
Yup, I do these too! My perspective is intuitive and empowering. I'd love to read for you! 

Art & Embroidery
Let me draw you a little picture, or embroider a portrait of your pet, or... well the possibilities are endless. 
 

Ways to support me:

Buy something!

I've got t-shirts, CDs, art prints, lyric cards, and all kinds of goodies in my shop. All the proceeds go towards my next creative project and come with a digital download of a song. Mostly, I love the idea of something I made being somewhere with you. Make my dreams come true! 💫

Let's go shopping!

Send a tip!

Never expected but always appreciated, tips help me keep making new music and art to share with the world. A great way to pay it forward if you primarily listen to music on streaming platforms, or just want to make my day! ✨

Enter the amount you wish to donate

$

The minimum tip is $1.00

In cart Not available Out of stock

Drop me a line: