Sinner. Searcher. Seeker. Those are the words that Stevie Rizo used to describe himself and the relationship he shares with God, and he believes many of you can relate to at least one of those three.
A self-described visionary on the journey to revolutionizing Christian music, the New Jersey native got his start at serving the Lord at an early age by way of singing melodies and harmonies of all varieties in his grandparents’ church. From there, he used the foundation of his faith to incorporate into his vision of what modern day R&B music could sound like. Dubbing it simply as “Christian R&B,” Rizo has received a massive following so far that showed in the form of 9 million streams by the end of 2023 — a career milestone, indeed! Some of the standouts that helped make that feat possible include fan-favorite hits like “Esther,” “When We Ride,” and “Unconditional” to name a few.
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The success of “Esther” specifically was seen on social media, landing on Instagram’s popular Top 25 Trending Sounds, a Kingdom Choice Award for “Urban Gospel Singer Single of the Year” and an Avidity Award for “Worship + 808s Artist of The Year.” This all coming from the workings of an independent artist, who just a year prior was simply rejoicing that his 2022 album, From HIM To Hymn, gained an impressive 420,000 streams within the first month of its release.
“I am no different than you — I go through things and I struggle,” he says for those who may think all of the success puts him on a pedestal, going on to elaborate by stating, “The only thing I do is make songs about it; about how God steered me back the right way. As a Christian artist, I don’t want you thinking that I’m better than you, or any different than who you are. I fall short of the glory of God also!”
It’s the beauty in his honesty that keeps us tuning in!
Watch the full “Elev8 Exclusive” above with Stevie Rizo, a trailblazer in the Christian R&B world that knows himself and his calling from God.
Source: Christopher Cavanaugh / Credit: Brandon Coton / iOne Digital
