Draft:Rival (producer)

Valentin Rieff (born 25 May 1997), professionally known as Rival, is a German record producer and songwriter.

Early life and education
Born on May 25th, 1997, in Trier, Germany, Rieff's early years were marked by a passion for music. That passion led him to learn several instruments including the drums, the trumpet, and the piano.

Through his classical formation, he gained the musical knowledge that led him to start producing music and that still influences his style to this day.

Since 2019, Rieff studies at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, in Düsseldorf.

Early career and debut as Rival (2015-2017)
Rival's journey in the music scene began in 2015, when he started sharing his music on YouTube under the alias "VRmusic". By 2017, he rebranded himself as Rival and made his debut on Spotify with the single "Lonely Moments".

He later-on embarked on a significant collaboration with fellow artist Cadmium, resulting in their first joint project, "My Illusion".

In May of that year, Rival and Cadmium debuted on the platform Frequency with their song "Daily", featuring Jon Becker.

Debut on NCS and rising recognition (2018-2021)
On April 4, 2018, Rival and Cadmium released their song "Seasons" on the British label NoCopyrightSounds, with vocals from the singer-songwriter Harley Bird. Rival's association with NCS continued, leading to notable songs including "Control", with Unknown Brain, "Walls", or "Be Gone".

During these years, Rival also released several songs with Cadmium, such as "Heartbeat", "Willow Tree" and "In Your Head".

Artistic growth and first live set (2022-present)
In April 2022, Rieff took a stand for the environmental cause by releasing the song "Feel Like Home". He used this song in order to raise awareness, and donated all the streaming revenue to the German association NABU.

Rival's musical style also became more orchestral, as he started including live-recorded instruments in his productions, as he did in his song "Feel Like Home", which features the violinist Lea Brückner.

In June 2022, Rival released his first single on the label Monstercat, "Oblivion", featuring Philip Strand. In 2023, his song "Blood Moon", featuring Egzod and Dayce William, was released on the label Ophelia Records, as a part of the album Advent, Volume VII. On September 1, 2023, Rival released the song "Odd One Out", with Whales and Salvo, on Black Tiger Sex Machine's label, Kannibalen Records.

On September 8, 2023, Rival introduced his first ever recorded live set on his YouTube channel, where he DJed, played the piano and the drums, while being accompanied by a guitarist.

On October 25, 2023, Rival had his solo debut on the label Ophelia Records, with the song "Eternity", featuring the vocalists RUNN and Luma.

Remixes
Category:Living people Category:Music producers Category:Musicians