Riley Thomas
Riley Thomas has been writing and performing since the age of 14, when he joined a rock band in his hometown of Plant City, Florida.
As the lead singer he quickly realized music was his calling, after hoping for a career in professional baseball before.
“I think music has always been in my blood — even when I tried to not write I always did, so I know I have to,” Thomas said.
Before pursuing a solo career, Thomas toured with the popular christian band Among the Thirsty, who signed a major record deal shortly after he and the group arrived in Nashville. During this time, Thomas co-produced an album, wrote songs and played guitar for the band.
After two years, he left the group and transitioned into tour management for the acclaimed country band The Swon Brothers. While working with them, the band joined world tours with legends; Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, and others. Which helped inspire Thomas in continuing to write and perform his own music.
This and years of diverse writing helped create a path to Thomas signing a publishing deal with Plaid Flag Music in 2015.
“Signing him was one of our easiest decisions,” said Plaid Flag co-creative director and Thomas’s longtime friend Kendall Warren. “He’s an amazing writer and an even better person.”
As part of his publishing deal, he has spent much of the last two years lending his songwriting ability to many other pop and country artists in Los Angles and Nashville.
“Sometimes I have something to say and I’m not always the person meant to say it,” Thomas said. “I love co-writing songs and hearing other artists become the identity behind it. It’s one of the things that ultimately inspired me to have my own voice in music.”
Thomas is now focusing on his dream of becoming a writer/artist himself. His unique hybrid of guitar-driven pop and country stands out with his stellar baritone voice and ability to write catchy hooks while still telling unforgettable stories. This sound was born from the music he grew up with — his mom raised him on pop radio while his dad listened to classic country.
“The world has a lot of good music, and can still use more. So I’m looking for my place in it,” Thomas said. “I wanna write songs that the girls can dance to, and music that can get anybody through the hard times.”
Thomas’s hard work will be paying off soon — stay tuned for the release of his debut album early 2020.