Riker Lynch Talks Competing On American Song Contest And Writing His First Feature Film
There’s something buzzing in the air!
Riker Lynch is officially moving forward in NBC’s American Song Contest competition thanks to votes from fans around America. The actor and musician is representing Colorado in the live 8-week event hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson that brings the Eurovision Song Contest format to the United States. I spoke with Lynch about making it to the semi-finals and his upcoming feature film.
Lynch told me about moving into the semi-finals in the competition: “The show is so cool. The caliber of talent and the quality of the songs… I mean everybody is so fantastic on this show. I'm just grateful to be a part of it and […] now i get to do it again. It was sort of last minute for me,” he opened up about how he got involved in the show. “They wanted my brothers. They wanted The Driver Era and they were going back and forth with negotiations. Long story short, [it] didn't end up working out, so instead of just turning down the whole thing my manager was like, ‘What about Riker?’ and they were like, ‘Yes, we love it.’ So I kind of snuck in last minute and I think I got the best deal because I was just ready to go. I didn't have to sit around waiting and not telling anybody. Basically I knew for probably a month before they announced [it].”
When it comes to the song “Feel The Love” that he’s competing with, he worked with songwriters Andreas Carlsson, Jimmy Jansson, and Desmond Child. “They're just such pros. They brought so much to the table and they brought so much to this song that I'm just grateful I got to work with them,” Lynch said, sharing his passion for spreading good vibes. “My stuff's always going to be tropical and and just all about spreading love and positive energy. For me it's just about entertaining people and brightening up their day a little bit, making them feel a little bit better than they did before, because that's what I really believe my purpose in life is. To entertain and to entertain as many people as possible.”
Now that he’s going to the next phase of the competition, he’s ready to take it up a notch. “We really went all out with that first [performance]. We had pyro, we had confetti, we had lasers, we had incredible lights, huge stage design,” he said. “The only thing I can think of is like I might have to like put on a harness and fly around the room. That might be the only way to take it up to the next level.”
In addition to competing on American Song Contest, Lynch is working to make a name for himself in the world of film. “I did a short film last year called Aliens on Halloween that went to Cannes Film Festival. That was really spectacular to be a part of that and to go see a bunch of incredible films and just getting some buzz around me as a filmmaker,” Lynch said. “So I'm working on writing my first feature that I'm going to direct hopefully later this year.”
Lynch opened up more about the feature film he’s working on. “I’m fine-tuning it and starting to attach big actors. I’ve gotten a couple offers and a couple conversations going on to some bigger names that’ll be the lead for the film. I’ll play the best friend and they’ll play the lead,” he shared. “It’s a total buddy comedy. I’m really excited about it. I think it’s hilarious so if people think it’s half as funny as I do I think we’re gonna be in good shape.”
He’ll also be playing bass for the The Driver Era on tour, setting up a summer tour for Riker and the Beachcombers, and continuing to make music while he works on his feature. Don’t miss Riker Lynch representing Colorado on American Song Contest airing Mondays on NBC.
