Meet Kei Riggins | Musician/Arts and Humanities supporter/Global Citizen

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kei Riggins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kei, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
I love a book set in magical realism, especially since magical realism is so important to many Latin Americans. When I read Mother Tongue by Demetria Martinez, it felt like reading my thoughts and feelings through the main protagonist. A multi generational story dealing with the trauma or war and immigration, being 1st generation in the US and longing for love? Sign me up.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So right now in my life I like to say I’m a singer songwriter. It took a while for me to get here and I definitely have struggled on the way with lots of self doubt, imposter syndrome and overwhelming amounts of procrastination. But that is what I am in my heart. A singer who loves to write and to express myself through my voice using words to portray my emotions about the life I live and the world I witness.

I was blessed to get my two degrees in music, my Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance with a minor in Creative writing and my Masters in Contemporary Performance/Music Production. I made a big switch from singing primarily Opera and Classical music in my bachelors degree to deciding my true passion lived in singing in Spanish. Coming from a Mexican American home and being adopted from a Chilean family, I always felt alive singing in Spanish. I had opportunities to sing more and more in Spanish and was guided to making the decision as well to combine my passion for writing into song writing. In my masters program in Spain I was very focused on writing and singing my own music. It was a bumpy ride as I was trying to find my voice after 25 years of singing classical music primarily and being so one direction. The world was my oyster in regards to where to go musically and I felt that. I explored many different genres but stuck to trying to write lyrics in Spanish and English. I was able to receive lots of critiques and guidance from other incredible musicians.

I had been freelancing as a singer for over a decade at that point but had never performed my own music. This was the first time in my life I had gigs doing my own solo music. It was terrifying but so much fun! I keep this up but also stuck to doing any gig I could get my hands on. This led to fatigue and financial stress. I moved back to California and was performing in San Diego county, Orange County and Los Angeles, still doing whatever recording job/performance gig I could find. 2020 hit and I kept up doing online performances. I would perform with my husband in our music duo, Keishua. But I just realized I wanted to refocus again. I didn’t like the feeling of making music to make money. Putting that financial strain on my art or lack of creativity didn’t feel fair. I could keep getting paid to sing covers but I had wanted to write my own music, right? I wanted to focus on creating the artist I’ve always wanted to be. So I stopped taking any gig. I was forced to find a day job and do other work but that allowed me to focus on writing and creating and performing when I want to. I’ve taken hiatus and wished I was performing more but these last few years writing and creating on my own have helped me realize the artist I want to be.

It still terrifies me creating the artwork I want to create, the music I want to create. It might not be for everyone, not the past audience who knows me as an opera singer, or a girl singing in a duo with her husband playing ukulele, or even the girl singing in a salsa band. I know who I am and who I want to be. I’ve always loved incorporating traditional folk music from Mexico and Chile into my singer songwriter lyrics. I love adding theatrical and emotional moments to the music from my opera and theater background. And mostly importantly my lyrics explore themes of family, identity, faith and self empowerment. I also still love to explore different genres and see where creativity takes me. For now creating has been more comfortable under my new artist’s name, Luci P Rez. I like the name for now as it helps me not worry about who Kei is creating. I can channel that creativity through someone who is me, just another part of me. Not having any more limits is really what I’m looking forward to in my music career.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love where I live in Los Angeles (Atwater Village) because for me it’s a great in-between spot for a lot of different places- Glendale, DTLA, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Echo Park, Noho, etc.

For eating I love some good Korean food, my recent place has been Hangari Kalgusku- Kalgusku is a knife cut noodle soup that is perfect for cold weather which we’ve been having here in Los Angeles. I also love Armenian food and always recommend Elena’s Greek Armenian restaurant- if you want to feel like you’ve been eating at your Auntie’s house than this is the place, the staff is so kind and the portions are huge. Lastly I have to shout out a well known but amazing spot the Village Bakery and Cafe- best baked goods and great morning drinks! I took my abuela there and she loved sitting in the front people watching as we ate their lemon rosemary almond cake.

I work in a job where tourists ask me where to go- I always direct them to Griffith Observatory! Touristy but beautiful. I love to walk down Glendale Blvd in Atwater Village, there’s some great businesses and great places to shop there. I love to also go to Los Feliz and walk around where the theater is if its not too busy. Also love Echo Park! My favorite thrift store is there, Sunday’s Best Vintage. It’s Latine/Queer women owned and the store is very affordable but amazingly curated. I’m always impressed by the amount of Mexican embroidery they have, the jeans selection is insane and they carry a lot of Plus sized clothing which is something a lot of thrift stores are lacking in.

Lastly my favorite places to chill in are probably Atwater Village or Descanso Gardens, it’s a bit North of Glendale but the gardens are so beautiful to walk around and explore. My favorite museum has to be the Getty Villa. That view is unmatched and to be able to walk around the beach afterwards is always a treat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Just want to shout out all those who’ve believed in me, whether it was the many teachers and mentors I’ve had throughout my life, friends and family who pushed me to continue, those that have produced for me, hired me, made opportunities for me, or helped me to create. And to shout out those that have related to my art and my passion for life. Especially want to shout my husband, partner, co collaborator, muse and mi media naranja. You are the reason I believe I have a chance to be living my wildest dreams. I love you.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciprezmusic?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kei-riggins-42a663139/

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciprezmusic

Image Credits
Credits go to Berklee College of Music, Alex Kormey, Jules W. and artist credit to Sandra Riggins