FEATURE: Spotlight: Georgie Riot — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Georgie Riot

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I have made a couple of omissions…

as I assumed I had included Georgie Riot in my Spotlight feature. I have included her in other features as I really love and admire what she does and have so much respect for her. Someone who is an incredible D.J. and one of the best in the world in my view, I know this year is one where she wants to reset and focus on her mental health. Or she mentioned in a post how 2025 was a year when she was been managing her mental health and it has been tough. My heart always goes out to her, as she has been open about her mental health and struggles. So many of her fans and those who see her sets will resonate and relate. I am definitely making that a priority too, as my mental health took a battering last year. Georgie Riot has such passion and energy for what she does, though you can imagine the demands and comedown after a D.J. set is quite decompressing and might create emotional and psychological extremes and imbalance. Georgie Riot is an amazing artist too. Her E.P., Without You, saw her collaborate with Tsuki, Grace Van Brunt and others, it is phenomenal. Another omission I made is forgetting to include Georgie Riot in a recent feature, where I highlighted gender inequality for female D.J.s and issues that pervade. I suggested there be a huge festival featuring female D.J.s only. Like a Summer of Love where all these diverse D.J.s can play together, I suggested an interview series, where female D.J.s can be paired together to discuss their careers, favourite tracks and experiences. Of course, Georgie Riot should completely be part of that. She is one of the queens of the scene. A remarkable D.J. who I have been following for a while and will continue to follow. Even if this year is one where she is going to put herself first, I do hope there are some festival dates and new music, as she has a growing and admiring fanbase.

There are some dates in her diary, but I will definitely catch her if she comes to London. This wonderful D.J. and artist deserves massive success and personal happiness. She did write this in her final (and powerful) post of last year: “2025 was a tough year for me. As you all know, managing my mental health and emotions has always been a challenge. I struggle to acknowledge my achievements because of that voice in my head saying it's never enough. I wasn’t planning on doing a 2025 recap post because I felt like I hadn’t done enough, but looking through my photos last night made me realise I've accomplished a lot. I put out music, performed at shows, travelled, and achieved a lot of personal milestones. It’s wild how we set high standards and overlook our actual accomplishments. In today’s world of constant distractions and the habit we’re in of seeking that next dopamine hit, it's crucial to reflect on our experiences and celebrate ourselves. Life's tough, and making it this far is something to be proud of in itself. Thanks for being here with me. Sending love and wishing you all an excellent 2026”. I hope that this year is one of her happiest. I am going to get to some slightly older interviews, as I feel it is beneficial to know more about Georgie Riot. I am dropping in new videos and tracks, so you get a sense of her complete career. I shall start with this biography from Resident Advisor from 2024:

“Georgie Riot is an English DJ, record producer, songwriter, and label owner who broke into the scene in 2020. Known for her creative double drops, fast-paced mixing, and energetic live performances, she has quickly built a strong brand and gained global recognition. Since 2021, Georgie has been producing various styles of drum and bass, from melodic dancefloor to high-energy jump-up. She transitioned from a career as a professional model and booking agent to pursue music full-time, gaining mass attention for her work. Her debut drum and bass single "Take Over," released in August 2022 on UKF, gained over 100,000 streams in under two weeks and was heavily featured on BBC Radio 1. Currently, standing on over 3 million streams on Spotify alone. A dedicated DJ who ditched her career as a professional model and agent for a life in the music industry, this is everything she’s pursued since her first drum & bass rave: from handing out flyers and sneaking into venues underage, to playing drums in a band and studying music technology. Georgie has released music on labels such as Atlantic, UKF, DNB Allstars, Tomorrowland, Bassrush, Rampage, Viper, and her own Riot Records, placing 3rd as "Best Female Producer" in the Drum & Bass Awards 2023. Whilst further performing at major festivals across Europe, such as Tomorrowland, Let It Roll, Rampage, Bassfest, Leeds Festival, NASS, Dreamland, Tokyo World, alongside multiple successful tours across New Zealand, Australia and North America. In September 2022, she launched Riot Records, which was named Beatport's "Label of the Month" in early 2023. Georgie also hosts a monthly radio show called “Causing A Riot” on KOOL FM, hosted by RINSE FM. With a string of sold-out shows and major festival appearances 2025 promises to be an exciting year for Georgie, as she continues to make significant waves in the drum and bass scene. Driven by her experience in male-dominated fields like drumming, music production, sound engineering, and DJing, she is committed to reaching new heights. Advocating for equal support and representation for women in the industry and hope to inspire other women to purse their career within music”.

I am going to come to a feature that I have sourced before, about a very powerful and important collaboration between three incredible D.J.s/artists on the song, Dark Days. I want to head back a bit to an interview from UKF. I think I first heard of Georgie Riot around the time of this interview and was checking out her stuff. Right from the off, this is someone that you bond with and root for. So honest and open, it is part of the reason why I have so much admiration for her:

“Georgie Riot had just dipped her toe into the DJ game before covid-19 barged in and remixed all our lives.

Undeterred, she embraced the time off she had from her intense career and threw herself into the thriving streaming culture and learning production. 18 months, countless streams, two high profile mixes for the likes of Kiss and Rinse FM and her debut single later; Georgie’s graduated from lockdown university with a whole host of major league bookings this summer alongside the likes of Chase & Status, Kings Of The Rollers and Netsky and a very bright future beyond…

Her background has been equally bright: a drummer who was brought up by very cool-sounding raver parents who introduced her to club culture at the source, Georgie has also been a model for over 10 years and runs her own modelling agency.

Now applying her same level of energy and ambition to her music, she’s developed a DJ style that flips dynamically between big dancefloor arm-raisers and gully underground face-melters by way of a constant slew of doubles. Her productions showcase a similarly exciting range, too; So far we’ve enjoyed her big bassline bruiser debut single Dance and there’s also been a cheeky jump-up free download on her Soundcloud.

Loads more is expected to land in due course but, already seasoned in one highly competitive industry, Georgie knows how to play the long game. She’s only just warming up…

Your musical mission started with you drumming, didn’t it?

Yeah that’s right. I did music GCSE and learnt the drums. I really wanted to be a rockstar and was in a band but, as I got older, I realised that wasn’t going to be a thing so I did a BTEC in music technology. Music’s always been there, but I didn’t think it would be a reliable source of income so then I went and studied health and social care with a view to becoming a nurse.

Wow, that’s a switch!

Yeah, a bit of a change in direction! But then I had another change and developed my modelling career, which I’d been doing off-and-on since I was 14. I dived into that and did it fulltime, but I always kept coming back to music.

I imagine the modelling industry is very high pressure and probably quite comparable to music. Intense, creative, volatile, competitive.

Totally! I didn’t think they’d be so similar. I thought the music scene would be more relaxed but they’re very similar. A lot of self-doubt, stress and competition. You’ve got to get through it, though, haven’t you?

You do. The self-doubt is universal.

Yeah. But I feel like with modelling it’s less of a talent. You’ve still got to know what you’re doing, but in modelling I didn’t feel I had a chance to showcase what I want to do or be that creative. But with music I can do that.

Had you thought about DJing before?

When I was in school, back with the drumming, I had a few ideas about it. But I have to thank my mum. She always wanted me to be a DJ and, when I was a kid, my dad got me this tiny little toy DJ controller. But as I got older, I just thought it wouldn’t be possible. It wasn’t until I met my boyfriend, who is an artist himself under the name Tsuki. He gave me a kick up the arse and said ‘Why can’t you do it?’ I’d always say ‘No it’ll just be for a bit of fun, even if I do it, no one will want to listen.’ He said ‘Just do it’. I needed that kick!

There was something Sabrina said in a recent interview about commenters on streams and how they won’t be there on the dancefloor. It’s a shame people who’ve put themselves out there online get that negativity…

Yeah there’s definitely that element. I mean most people are very supportive, but you do get the odd hateful comment. When I put out my first tune Dance, I posted about it on Instagram and within three minutes of posting I had someone commenting something nasty about it. People say things and I just ignore them. You can’t let it get to you.

It’s the difference between internet life and real life. You did a really awesome honest post about that recently with a picture of you with no make-up and one with make-up.

Thanks, I want to post more of those. It’s too easy for me to post modelling image or things from sets and being on shoot where I look good and it’s important to make the effort to post real things as well. Everything online is edited, everything is filtered and we have to portray the reality too.

Especially for younger people looking up to you.

Yeah. I’m always very conscious of what I post anyway. Before the DJing, most of my followers were friends and models I know through the industry who have become friends anyway. Now there are a lot more people I don’t know following me and that does leave you feeling exposed. Because of this I’ll overthink everything I post to the point my boyfriend is like ‘You’re overthinking! Just post it!’ Even down to what I wear. Someone commented on my top on the stream. It was a general crop top and a girl posted something nasty about me. Which always confuses me because you’d think fellow women would be supportive. So since then I’ve thought too much about what I wear. Do I have to wear baggy clothes all the time now because people will say something? It never ends. So I try not to think too much or too little”.

I do wonder to come to a 2023 interview with Georgie Riot, Something Something and Ruth Royall. 1 More Thing chatted with these queens about Dark Days. A track with a vital message, I do hope that they work together on an E.P. or other tracks. Like Georgie Riot, Something Something and Ruth Royall and phenomenal D.J.s and artists that are among our absolute best. Let’s get them back together again soon:

“Georgie Riot, Something Something, Ruth Royall… When it comes to UK new-gen collaborations, it really don’t get much more on-point right now. Complete with a song that packs an important message and you’ve got something much more meaningful and powerful than many current bangers put together.

The track in question is Dark Days, a commanding dancefloor missive that reminds us that violence against women, and those who identify as women, is still tragically rife. Urgent and heavyweight, Georgie Riot and Something Something’s beats carry Ruth’s poignant message with clarity.

“The intention of the track was to spark conversations,” says Ruth. “I feel like we’ve done that and I’m proud that three women have been able to put out such a powerful message together.”

Released on Georgie’s Riot Records – first exclusively on Spotify earlier this month, now fully available from today August 18 – it’s their first collaboration together but not likely to be their last. We found out more about it…

Proper powerhouse collabo!! How did Dark Days come about?

Georgie Riot: I started the track over a year ago now, it didn’t have a name and it was very different to what we ended up with! I sent a rough instrumental to Ruth and she hopped on board and began writing and recording vocals. The first draft of Dark Days was born.

Ruth Royall: It was a proper buzz when Georgie got in touch. I’ve been a fan of hers for a while so when she reached out and asked to collab I was super keen. I first sent back my first draft to Georgie, I was actually worried it was a bit much. That in itself is a conversation, women often feel too much, too loud for speaking their mind, but Georgie immediately put my mind at ease. She loved the subject and felt it was an important thing to speak about. She then brought Something Something on board, another lady I’ve been a big fan of. It was then that the trio was born!

It’s absolutely gutting you’ve had to address such an awful topic as the message. What was it that led you to deciding this would be the message of the track?

Ruth Royall: The song was a bit of a word vomit. The words just kind of came out, my friend had recently had an awful experience at a club in Bristol so I think it was on my mind. I myself had a pretty horrific experience of sexual assault as a child which has very much shaped my adult experience and sense of fear in certain situations. Myself and most women I know can relate on some level, which sucks and shouldn’t be the case. This song highlights violence against women and also the fact that it’s still there. One very short experience can change your whole life, it did for me.

That’s awful. I worry society is getting worse in many grubby, self-serving ways. The fact you still have to call out any type of predatory or abusive behaviour this day in age backs up this feeling.

Ruth Royall: I disagree. I think it’s getting better in lots of ways, I think it’s easier to call this stuff out and be heard. Yes there are still lots of situations where we feel unsafe but the general sense of having back up is better than it ever used to be.

Georgie Riot: It’s a shame that most women, and those identifying as women, still feel unsafe and often uncomfortable in both the music scene and life in general. I feel there is still a long way to go to make things safer, equal and fairer. It’s not something that one song or one article can change, and it’s not something that will happen overnight, it’s so much bigger than that, and this is why we feel strongly about spreading the message of unity.

Ruth Royall: I think what I wanted to get at in this song is how the fear of violence and the act of violence can stay with you forever. Victims of sexual assault carry trauma with them for the rest of their lives and the highest percent of these people are often women or female identifying. I don’t know a single women who hasn’t walked home with their keys between their fingers because they feel unsafe. It may actually be getting safer but the fear doesn’t go away.

IN THIS PHOTO: Ruth Royall

How can we moved forward?

Ruth Royall: Give space. I had an amazing experience when I was out in New Zealand. I was touring with an all-male touring group (fairly common in D&B), they were the loveliest and most gentle men may I add. We were out for a drink with the promoter of one of the shows and his lovely partner.

We had all had a few beers and got on to the subject of violence against women, intense I know for a few beers down the pub! I started getting quite impassioned and my voice started raising as I spoke on the subject. I realised after a few minutes of gesticulating that the whole table was silent and listening, they were respectful of my lived experience, they didn’t interrupt or give their opinion and I realised I didn’t need to shout. I felt like I was being listened to and this made a massive difference. Stuff like this helps, it gives victims who carry trauma and who often feel like they are being ‘too much’ or ‘dramatic’ when they talk about their experience space.

Is the track raising awareness or funds for a particular charity or can we highlight one as part of your message?

Georgie Riot: The track is to raise awareness for women in the scene, and most importantly the important message of promoting unity. Dark Days can be interpreted and related to in many ways, and I think everyone will interpret this song in a different way. As well as the important message of feeling unsafe or unheard, the track also is relatable in that we all have dark days.

We all have days where we feel sad. Whether that’s in regards to our careers as musicians, our relationships with others, or just life in general – everyone has those days where we don’t feel good, and it’s so important to stick together, to just be as kind as possible, especially in this day-and-age where it is so easy to make others feel bad about themselves now that social media exists! I know that Dark Days has a different meaning for each of us – myself, Steffi and Ruth.

Amen to that. What happens next? Are the three of you getting on more tracks in the future?

Georgie Riot: I hope so, it would be great to work on something together again in the future because we worked so well as a team!

Ruth Royall: I hope so! I love the girls work and they are both a dream to collaborate with.

Something Something: This is my favourite collab so far, from workflow to just getting each other and what our visions for this song were. It was absolutely amazing working with the girls and hopefully we will get together again”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Georgie Riot with Something Something (left)

I am going to end with another interview soon. Sticking in 2023, Beat Portal shone a light on Riot Records. In a busy year, this was another incredible events and moment from someone who I think is going to have a very settled 2026. I do think that her career highs are just around the corner. Anyone who has not encountered the work of Georgie Riot needs to look at her videos and tracks on streaming and YouTube. I hope there are one or two interviews with her this year:

“Originally from the UK’s West Midlands musical region (which in previous eras was better known for rock and metal), Georgie Riot is something of a juggernaut and a force of nature. This hyper-active, hyper-powered drum ‘n’ bass DJ has been turning heads for a minute, but her label Riot Records has finally hit its stride. A producer and curator as well as a fast-rising DJ, Georgie broke into the scene in 2021 and has been making heavy, seismic waves across the globe ever since.

While best known for her creative double drops, fast pace mixing and energetic live performances, Georgie has been producing all kinds of drum ‘n’ bass since the start of 2021, from melodic and uplifting dance floor to high-impact, energetic jump-up jungle. And that’s where Riot Records comes in, with her own productions and those of her production peers, who include OHKAY, Toddlah, Captain Bass, German producer Feed The Fire and more. And while the label has only been around for a couple of years (the first release was the upper-cutting, jump-up Gouki collaboration – “Street Fighter II”), this is clearly the beginning of a beautiful friendship with further releases in the bank and plenty on the proverbial horizon. Over to Georgie with the overall label ethos: “As an artist I’ve been releasing a lot of dance floor myself, but as many know I play a lot of jump-up in my live sets and I know a lot of fans who come to see me play live have been eagerly waiting for me to drop some heavier music of my own and I’ve been teasing a lot of heavier tracks of my own on social media for some time. So now the time has finally come”.

The last couple of years have been really busy for Georgie Riot. 2024 was a packed one, as EDM Identity explored in their interviews. She spoke with them ahead of a big U.S. tour, how Riot Records was going, and her thoughts on the current Drum and Bass scene. I do hope that Georgie Riot has some more dates ahead in the U.S., as it seems there is a lot of love over there for her:

“The past few years have been huge for Georgie Riot as she’s established herself in the scene and grown her faithful following by dropping off some fantastic releases. Her tunes have landed on labels like UKF, DNB Allstars, Atlantic Records, Bassrush Records, and Tomorrowland Music, but where she’s really flexed her production skills has been on her imprint, Riot Records.

Releases are only one part of the equation for Georgie Riot. Appearances at festivals like Rampage Open Air and Shambhala further solidified her ascent in the scene, not to mention her shows elsewhere in Europe. And finally, after years of US fans craving to catch her live, they will get their chance to catch this DnB phenom take the stage when she heads to Raleigh, Baltimore, and Atlanta’s Jungle Bells for a quick four-stop tour.

This year is marking an extra special occasion as you’ll close it out with your first-ever run of shows on US soil! What excites you the most about finally making it to the States?

I’m so excited for this US tour. I’m excited to try some proper American food; I heard you guys do it the best! I’m super excited about my shows – Raleigh, Baltimore, and two Atlanta shows. Really gassed for Jungle Bells, that’ll be a wicked end to the run of shows! This tour has been such a long time coming. I’ve had so many people on socials asking when I’m coming to the US, and I’m so happy we’re finally making it happen. I actually got my visa in December 2023, and the tour was supposed to be Q1 2024, but the first run of shows didn’t end up happening, so we went for the end of the year instead.

It can be a pretty long process for artists from outside the US to obtain their visas, get booked, and finally take the stage. Can you share your experience with others who have aspirations to make it here?

The visa process wasn’t too bad, it was just a lot of collecting documents, filling out forms and putting together a portfolio to prove who you and why you should be allowed to perform in the US. That was the first step anyway. Then you pay the fee, I think was just over £3000, submit your application and wait to be offered an interview.

I then had to travel to London to the US embassy for my interview, which was interesting. They ask a couple of questions and check you out. I remember the last question they asked fully threw me off… The interviewer said, “Explain to me what makes you extraordinary?” – I just stood there for a couple of seconds trying to think of a decent enough answer; it was kind of funny! I must have done something right, though, because here we are now! I’m grateful for my fab US agent, Stu, at Corson. He’s working really hard to get the next tour booked, too.

Let’s talk about your label, Riot Records. There are already some remarkable releases on the imprint. Can you speak to the growth that the label has experienced over the past two years?

Starting my own label has been great. It’s been two years now, and I’m loving every second of it. It’s refreshing to see how much raw talent is out there. I love listening to demos and supporting artists as they build their careers. It feels like a little musical family!

We’re dropping a killer jump-up album on December 6. It’s called Venom: Vol 1 and it features 10 tracks from various artists, fresh new talent as well as some established names. I’m really excited about this album, it’s had excellent reviews, with support from Andy C, Macky Gee, A.M.C, Koven, and loads more, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

As someone who has been involved in many different aspects of the drum and bass scene, what are your thoughts on its current state?

Okay, so this is a delicate question. There are two ways of looking at this. From one perception, the drum and bass scene is thriving; there’s so much new talent, tons of new sounds, and more new acts are breaking through and building a fan base.

Looking at the other side of things, I’d say that in the UK, there are some issues; there are many similar-sounding songs lacking originality, and there are many big labels and events companies taking over the scene and, in a way, gatekeeping. There are too many lineups with all the same acts at each show. It seems that promoters are scared or unwilling to take a chance on different artists. Something seriously needs to change, in my opinion.

Finally, what goals do you hope to achieve in 2025?

Primarily, I want to work on my mental health. I think, firstly, I need to get that in check so I can reach my full potential with my career. I touched on this briefly earlier on, but I’ve been struggling for a long time with depression and anxiety, and recently, I’ve been diagnosed with body dysmorphia. I’ve been struggling with all of this for the best part of 10 years, but in the past two years, it’s become really difficult, and it’s impacting my creativity and passion for music and just life in general, really. I want to get back to feeling 100% to put my all into music.

Apologies for oversharing, but I feel it’s time to be more transparent with my fans. At the end of the day, it’s all well and good for me to sit here talking about all the great things that are happening, but it’s only one small part of me. What’s going on behind closed doors is more real, and I know this will resonate with a lot of people”.

I shall wrap things up there. A truly wonderful human who is one of our greatest D.J.s and one we should e very proud of, this year is going to be a great one. Even if she will not want to push herself too much, I feel Georgie Riot is going to have some incredible times. Label owner, artist, D.J. and prouder, there are few as multitalented and incredible as her. This superstar is going to have…