Riley Green to headline Ridin' Hearts festival in Sydney

For a while you couldn’t open your phone without hearing this country music viral hit – and now one of the stars has landed in Australia to play his first ever shows Down Under.

A country music heart-throb who has drawn comparisons to some of the genre’s greatest legends has landed Down Under for the first time.

American star Riley Green is on a high as he rides his recent viral social media moment ahead of his headline slot at the Ridin’ Hearts festival at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday.

“I didn’t know they made planes that go that far,” Green told Confidential.

“I don’t think I’d been on a plane before I signed my record deal in 2018 … this is by far the furthest I’ve been, but it seems like there are a lot of country music fans here which is really exciting.”

Country music is having a major mainstream moment, and Green and fellow Alabama-born artist Ella Langley have been swept up in the tide with their song You Look Like You Love Me.

American country music star Riley Green pictured at Jolene's in York St. Picture: Rohan Kelly.

The track recently went viral with well over 1.5 million videos between Instagram and TikTok and more than 104 million streams.

He joins peers Dasha, Post Malone and Shaboozey, all of whom have had major social success with country tracks this year.

“For a while you couldn’t open your phone without hearing it,” Green said.

“It was cool to see a song become that big almost overnight.”

American country music star Riley Green pictured at Jolene's in York St Sydney CBD, Picture: Rohan Kelly.

The hit duet, invoking a more traditional talking style of country music, has drawn comparisons to legendary pairs like Johnny Cash and June Carter.

“It’s an honour to be compared to legendary artists like that,” Green, 36, reflected.

“I like older country music but I didn’t know how that would go over – to see traditional country making that kind of a comeback is really motivating.”

Riley Green is headlining Ridin' Hearts festival this weekend. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Green and Langley’s second collaboration — Don’t Mind If I Do — is the title track on his latest album, which dropped last week.

Worst Way is a sultry love song making an early impact – it has already amassed more than 59 million streams.

One fan likened Green to “country’s Marvin Gaye”, while another put it more bluntly: “this is the sexiest song I’ve heard in a long, long time”.

“I have never really written a lot of love songs, but years ago, I wrote a song called When She Comes Home Tonight, it’s still a song I play in my shows,” Green said.

“I kinda leaned into that and tried to write something that was a sexier type song, and it worked,” he laughed.

“I think I’m gonna have to keep writing dirty songs now.”

From deep south USA to Down Under, Green said his worldwide success had been fulfilling and motivating.

“I was pretty small-minded, when I played in northeast Alabama, I just wanted to play in Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee,” Green said.

“Coming all the way out here and getting to play country music and people knowing the words and singing them back to you … it makes you want to go and write more songs and play more shows.”

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Originally published as Riley Green to headline Ridin' Hearts festival in Sydney