Senior Soriya Ritchie loves to sing, but not necessarily in front of people. Like many other people, she is a bit scared of showing her skills in front of a crowd. In August of 2021, she started the Instagram account @riyas.tunes and began posting her videos as a way to overcome this fear and share music. 

Ritchie has recorded and posted many covers of songs since she started, and plays along with the ukulele and guitar, which are two more of her many talents. Ritchie says she loves playing both, but would rather play the Ukulele because it allows her to take the song more places. 

Throughout the year that this account has been around, Ritchie has been affected by sharing her thoughts and feelings through music with people, and it has eased her fear of public singing as well.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Courtesy of Soriya Ritchie

Megan Reynolds, Soriya Ritchie, and Lizzie Gubler singing "We're Gonna Be Friends" by The Plain White Stripes

 “I still get shaky whenever I perform by myself in front of people but all the nice comments boost my self confidence,” Ritchie said.

The rewards of this endeavor to share music has had many positive outcomes other than overcoming fears. For example, it has allowed Ritchie to express what she is feeling through song.

 “Usually the songs I cover mean something to me or someone else I know. It’s a nice way of connecting with people.” 

Some of her favorite covers she has posted include “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman, “Moon Rises” by Liana Flores, and “We’re Gonna Be Friends” by The Plain White Stripes.

“We’re Gonna Be Friends” was sung with Seniors Lizzie Gubler and Megan Reynolds and was accompanied by Ritchie playing the guitar. This was the first time Ritchie had recorded a song with two other people, so they did have some speed bumps. 

“It took a lot of practice to get it right. We had to keep retaking it so it did take a pretty long time to record,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie’s main goal of spreading music has obviously been accomplished, even with the speed bumps she has experienced. Sophomore Carlee Stuart loves Ritchie’s posts, and appreciates the beautiful music that has been shared. She is glad that Ritchie made the compromise of sharing her talents on social media. 

Stuart said, “I don’t know Soriya that well, but she has such a beautiful voice and I love hearing her music. You can tell a lot about how amazing she is from the music she plays and sings.”