Riese – 9th Life (2025)
Based in New York City, singer-songwriter Riese has released a couple of singles since her 2022 release of ‘hero complex’, but a lot has been going on in that time. Enduring three years of cancer treatment (including two relapses) after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 22. She continued to write songs during treatment and completed a successful Kickstarter campaign in January 2025. Now, having recorded her debut EP, Riese has released her second single from it, ‘9th Life’.
Unlike the acoustic melancholy of her first single, ‘Aftermath’, 9th Life is a synth-driven piece of sparkling pop that reflects on a life confined, not so much by the fear of illness, but by the fear of not getting better. “2 years 4 walls and it’s all that I know,” she sings. “Feels like I’m losing myself hearing get well soon.” She goes on to describe watching her “world flash by”, knowing that she’s young but doesn’t “feel alive.” In the chorus, she sums it up: “I must be on my 9th life/ Running out of daylight/ I can count the minutes coming down like it’s a landslide.” Knowing that this isn’t a metaphor or a magnification of teen angst gives the words weight.
On her Kickstarter page, Riese wrote of the songs she wrote during this period that “…most have stayed hidden on my hard drive because sharing them feels so vulnerable to me. But writing them got me through cancer treatment, and I’m really proud of them.”
But what really makes the song work is the musical contrast. During the opening verse and chorus, a warm sustain holds the melody while being tickled by a twisting staccato line. The beat kicks on the second verse as if the line “I’m starting to think that it’s time to let go” – a supposed inducement to give up is actually an encouragement to dance.
‘9th Life’ is a joyful pop song that finds strength in the heart of uncertainty. As she sings in the bridge, “How many chances can one girl have? I’m gonna live like I’m on my last.”
Find out more about Riese on her Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
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