The 39-year-old grew up in a violent sect in western France with his mother and four siblings, a time in his life he still can’t publicly speak about in detail. Speaking to Classic FM he explained: “Sometimes I can’t find the words to express myself, but music is the deepest connection to emotions. A good example of this from my new album is the piece, Nocturne”. RIOPY is a self-taught pianist and composer, an incredible feat for a musician signed to a major classical label – but an even greater testament to his skill and drive when you take into account his past. In the rural French sect he grew up in, the ‘guru’ leader of the community banned all music and television. However, on a chance visit to a doctor, RIOPY found himself in a castle full of pianos. At age 18, RIOPY ran away from the cult, and after short stints in Paris and Los Angeles, a string of circumstances led him to the UK. Here he began working in the famed Reading music shop, Hickies, and a customer heard RIOPY playing on one of the pianos, and helped him gain a scholarship to study music at Oxford Brookes University.