Hollywood Love Story (2018): Season 1, Episode 1 - Riiottt - full transcript

♪♪

Paris:
I've lived in LA my whole life,

so I've seen a lot
of people move here.

They want to be a musician.

They want to sing,
think they're going to be

the next Britney Spears
or Rihanna.

But it's not as easy
as it looks.

You got to want it bad.

You have to work hard
because nothing comes for free.

First and foremost, I'm a fairy.

My name is Riiottt,
and I'm living in LA.



I'm from New York City.

And I'm a music artist
here to save the world.

I moved to LA literally with
a freaking suitcase

of random clothes,

a bag with my platforms,
a bunch of wigs,

and 80 bucks in my pocket.

I knew that this is where
I was supposed to be.

My music is...

undescribable.

When I'm in a room,
something happens.

It's some type of magical energy
that just spews out of me.

My music is going
to change the world.

I'm going to be the next
Michael Jackson.

♪♪



♪♪

♪♪

When your life pleases the Lord,

he will make sure your enemies
are at peace with you.

Don't be discouraged.

God will help you walk
in greatness

all the days of your life.

Just my energy itself,
I know how potent it is,

and I know how magical it is,

and I feel like I definitely
help heal people for sure.

♪♪

I definitely think the stylists
of these celebrities are,

like, stealing my style.

When I saw that picture of Kylie
at Coachella, my heart stopped.

That... bitch
stole my hair.

Like, I'm sorry,
she stole my hair.

You want to copy my hairstyle,
that's fine.

Just let me set that tone first.

I'm on Instagram all day.

I pose probably twice a day
because I want people to see,

like, me, like, in action.

♪♪

My living situation
at the moment

is definitely a bit rocky.

I'm living in a two-bedroom
apartment in Silver Lake.

It's five other people, five
other energies to deal with.

Well, my bedroom
is divided by curtains,

but I'm, like,
literally in the hallway.

Flash:
Riiottt is my real friend.

We've been friends for
a long time, like, since, like,

Myspace times,
we've been friends.

But she was a little more punk
when I first met her

because she got her name
from Paramore,

their first album, "Riot!"

And that was her name from then.

Like, she never cared.

She will wear crazy hair,
platforms.

And, where we're from, that's
not a thing to be in the hood

and be Gothic.

That was us.
That's how we were.

What's up with your music?

Are you -
What are you about to jive?

Doing anything?
- Yeah.

I'm definitely working
on an EP for sure.

I'm going to probably do a listening party.
Did you book anything?

Yeah, I'm going to probably
book some shit soon.

Hey, guys.
I have some big news coming up.

I have a lot of new music,
new shows,

and more treats for you guys.

Definitely stay tuned,

and I can't wait to drop all it!

[ Chuckles ]

My dreams in life, I would say
I want to inspire people.

That's, like, number one.

But I need lavish.

I need cars in my driveway.

I need sold-out arenas.

I need tours.

I need fur everywhere,
neon colors.

My first vehicle that I'm going
to purchase is a G-Wagen,

but I want it to be neon green.

I don't think about failure
at all because it's impossible.

Impossible, literally.
It's not even a thought.

I never think about that,
never, honestly.

And there's no way
I'm going to fail.

♪♪

When I make money,
it's normally photo shoots.

- Riiottt, are you ready?
- Oh.

- Yeah.
- You are?

♪♪

Social media is sort of
like a portfolio of, like,

self-representation.

Getting some good ones.

It's very powerful.

I feel like myself
and a lot of people

are trying to figure
out the balance

between Instagram and real life.

What is real life anymore?

♪♪

Paris: Pushing through even though
I want to bust out in tears.

♪♪

I'm dying my hair
because I got to...

This is my color.
I have to.

I don't know if it's from me
wanting attention when I was

younger, but I'm just loud.

I'm a riot.

I don't have a car, so I waste
all my money on Ubers.

Uber saved my life.

Dealing with housing and work
and juggling

studio time is super hard.

I'm not going to lie.
I'm just -

The only thing that's getting
me by is faith and prayer.

I don't budget.
I just spend money.

But that's why I'm always broke.

I don't know how to save money.

Like, that's why I was like,
"I need to be rich,"

because I can't save money.

♪♪

Woman: Baby!
[ Cheering ]

Come upstairs.
Man: Let's create at the Kanga House.

Riiottt: I record all
of my music at the Kanga House.

The Kanga House is
an amazing creative space.

They provide me with
studio equipment,

production, engineering,
pretty much

basically whatever I need to,
like, get a song completed.

LA is a city that's
filled with people

who come from various
parts of the country

to pursue their
big dreams, right?

So Riiottt is the prime example
of just, like,

a great girl who just
has great music

and a great craft
to give to the world.

Anthony is amazing.

He's, like, the head
honcho of the house.

When I first met him,
it was nothing

but good vibes, good energy.

He welcomed me with open arms.

What Anthony tells me,
I'm rolling.

He tells me, I'm just chilling.
That's what we do.

The way Kanga works
is it's like...

Imagine Instagram
meets Amazon, right?

So it's social media
that meets e-commerce.

Instead of tagging people in
photos, you're tagging products.

And then, if people buy those
products from your photos,

you get paid 10% of the sale.

So, for instance, I could take
a picture of myself

in this outfit.

And I could tag my hat.

I could tag my shirt.

And if you happen to like
my shirt or my hat,

you can then go,
and you can purchase it

right then
and there in three clicks,

and I get paid
a percentage of the sale.

I love him.
He's, like - he's amazing.

So, for someone like Riiottt,
specifically a young artist

that's coming up in the game,

she has a very unique style

that her fans want
to look like her,

feel like her too, in a good way

because they feel
attached to her.

Just being at Kanga alone,
I've met, like,

so many different
creative people.

It's a good networking
environment.

Riiottt was like,
"Samiere, I hear how you sing.

I know that you do
vocal coaching

and artist development,
et cetera."

So she was like, "Can you just
come sit on a couple of sessions

and just get a feel for, like,

the vocals and
breathe techniques?"

I was like, "Hell, yeah."

♪ Living in a space station ♪

♪ In my space station ♪

♪ Living in a space station ♪

♪ In my space sta, sta, sta ♪

♪ Living in... ♪
Aah!

Wait, I wanna do it again.

So, when you're singing,
I want you to breathe more.

♪ Living in my ♪

♪ In my space station ♪

I... up.
- No, that was good.

Azera: When I engineer
Riiottt's vocals,

I try to, like, you know,
bring it out of Earth almost.

I try to, like, make
the listener feel like

they're in a different world,
so to speak, like...

What is going on on -
What is this?

This T-shirt?
This is Anthony's T-shirt.

We got a pair of boobs
right here,

and it looks like
she's rolling up...

Looks like a fat joint.

So I think the contrast between
the whole thing is kind of cool

because it's not just
a pair of boobs on a shirt.

It's, like, deeper than
that, you know?

He took the photo.

- He took the photo?
- Yeah.

- Wow.
- Like, of the - this photo.

That's amazing.
I love it.

I love it.
- Yeah, you should talk to him.

We do things for the art.

We think about the money
afterwards.

No, we have not made
the amount of money

back that we've invested
in the app,

but we have started making
money from the first day.

Move your elbows on that.

And so I thought, "Let's offer
creators this space

where they can come,
free of inhibition,

and they can get all
of that creativity out."

Riiottt: So, I'm currently living
at my apartment in Silver Lake.

It's a tight situation.

I mean, it's pretty
stressful for me.

I'm praying and hoping that,
soon, my situation will change

because I can just, like, be in,
like, a creative space,

and I could just record my music
all day, just focus on that.

I feel like
I'm appreciated here.

Like, people in New York, like,
they looked at me as if, like,

they didn't know
whether they should like me.

Macaroni and cheese, roast beef,
shrimp and zucchini.

But there's still
salmon and rice.

Flash: Hollywood is not fake,
but it's just not as honest.

The way that everyone moves in
New York is a little more real.

LA, in general, is the perfect
place for Riiottt because,

anywhere else, I don't think
they would take her as serious.

Well, here in LA,
people are like, [Gasps]

"You're so cool. Like, wow.
Like, I want to be your friend."

Even if it's fake,
you're still like...

They're still reaching out.
It's just, like, it's cool.

Okay. I'm going to stand up.
- Go ahead.

I got to get the power up.

I'm having a listening party,

and I would love
for everybody to come.

And I'm going to play
my songs on my EP.

Is anybody down to come?

Woman: Nah, I couldn't.
I got something to do.

We going to just drink,
have fun, dance...

I got something to do that day.
...shake ass, twerk.

Flash: The roommate dynamic,
it's, like, no one is, like, fake.

No one hides how they feel.

Everyone is just like,
"I didn't like that."

And no one kind of hides it.

It's just, like,
that's just what it is.

Would you guys be, like,
willing to, like, help me

promote the party,
like, on social media?

- Instagram.
- No.

- Instagram?
- Nah.

Riiottt's my real friend, so if
she ever asks me a question,

I'm going to tell her the truth.

I'm going to be honest.

And she might like it.
And she might not like it.

But I'm not going to lie because
that's not what friends do.

Cheers to positivity, love,

being in control of your mind.
- Creativity.

You don't want to surround
yourself with yes-men.

You're not going to get anywhere

because everything
is going to be a yes.

I'd rather have somebody
tell me my shit is wack

then tell me my shit is cool

and then walk out of the room
and say my shit was wack.

Just tell me, man.
- Cheers.

- Cheers.
- Cheers. I love you guys.

Wait.
Do you guys love me?

- Love you.
- Cheers.

Wait, I - Hello?
Do you guys love me?

- Yeah. What?
- Yes.

Then tell me straight up
that you love me.

I love you, Riiottt,
even though you're crazy.

Flash: Every idea
is not always a yes.

And sometimes it could be a no.

Or it could be a,
"Yes, but let's tweak it,"

you know, like, and I'm always
going to be honest and tell her.

[ Thunder rumbles ]

Paris:
I've always loved music.

When I was a little girl,
I looked up to Madonna so much.

And she was a huge
inspiration to me.

My mom and Michael Jackson
grew up with each other

and were best friends
since they were 13.

He was literally one of a kind,
no one like him.

I miss him.

I feel really lucky
with everything

that happened with me and music.

But now I see a lot of kids
moving here to become musicians.

It's a tough business.

A lot of people come and go,

just people who are
in the industry.

Maybe they have, like,
a year, a few years.

I've seen a lot of people
crash and burn.

Well, I'm going to get ready
for my show tonight.

And... everybody
should follow me.

April?

April is a really
good friend of mine.

She's just there for me.

[ Laughs ] Wow.

I met Riiottt probably a year
ago through a mutual friend.

I actually had a situation
where I had

to leave the house
I was staying,

and her roommates
were giving her, like, a week

to leave the house
that she was at.

We slept in a car together
quite a few times, got blankets,

cracked the windows, wake up,
found somewhere to shower

and started our day,
like, all over again.

We were in it with each other.

Riiottt: I'm doing
this paid gig tonight.

It's at this club called Union.

And I'm expecting greatness.

There's nothing like that
feeling of expressing yourself

in front of thousands of people.

Should we leave at 7:00,
hon?

It's seven?
We got to move.

It just, honestly, I know
this might sound cocky,

but I don't listen
to my music often

because it gives me anxiety
because it's so good to me.

And I feel like, "Wow."

You know what I mean?
That was really cocky.

But I really don't care.

- The Union is right here.
- Okay.

We got to go through the back.

I'm worried about this show
because I'm afraid

people won't show up.

And I don't want to perform for
two people in the audience again

like I've been doing
my whole life.

If I don't get the energy
back that I'm giving,

then I'm going to walk off stage
and leave out the building,

and that's going to be that.

The fan base was kind of,
like, low, which was weird

because we expected, like,
more of her friends to show up.

Riiottt was pretty anxious
that night.

Could have went better.

I feel like stuff
was a little bit disorganized.

You know, they didn't
even have a DJ for her.

Like, her housemates said they
would be there to support her,

but what can I say about that?

I feel like maybe she just felt,
like, alone,

maybe like her friends
didn't believe in her

as much as she did.

I'm, like, hassling
with the audience.

Like, I'm pretty much begging
them to come to the front.

Thank you so much.

There's nobody really here.
I brought my friends out.

This is pretty embarrassing
on my part.

♪♪

I don't know.
People were just...

They didn't
really know what to expect.

They just see a girl
with green hair on stage.

♪♪

Listen, you guys...

[ Sighs ]

♪♪

People, like, they kind of
don't hang out with you

if you don't have clout.

They don't hang out with you if
you're not, like, on the scene.

It's a Hollywood thing... LA,
and everybody is okay with it

because that's just
how things are, apparently.

Riiottt: To not be here on my big
night, yo, that's just -

It's not -
It's not - It's not right.

Everybody, yo, everybody
in the house, bro,

since I've been there, I've been
to everybody's... set.

So for you to not be here
on my big night, it's not fair.

Like, it hurt.

I couldn't get there.
I literally couldn't get there.

I was trying so hard,
but I couldn't get there.

I was waiting for someone
to bring me the money

so I could get my car there,
and I just couldn't get there.

I'm looking at this picture.

I can feel the exact
feeling I felt

at this very moment,
peace and love.

Feelings of me growing in all that I'm doing...
Paris: Feelings of me growing in all that I'm doing,

and also just not
giving a flying...

what anyone has to say
about me anymore.

Love it.

Riiottt: Who wants to stay
stagnant in life? No one.

Evolution is key.
God is the source.

Amen.

♪♪

Swizzymack: Yeah, I played
empty shows before.

You know, I played
these festivals,

and I've played empty shows.

It's - It's a build-up,
you know.

You got to start somewhere.

And, with those experiences, you
get to build into your artistry.

Because I'm not going to keep
putting out the same music,

and I'm not going to keep
growing the same way

if I keep getting
the same reaction to it.

If I change my music,
and I get a better reaction,

then maybe that's
the way I should go.

You know, I think
she learns from that too.

I want her to go
to Japan so bad.

I feel like, if she goes to
Japan, she's just going to blow.

She has the look,
the sound, the attitude.

I think that Japan is definitely
better for her than Hollywood.

Okay, you guys. I'm finally
moving out of my apartment.

And I can't believe it.

Now I got to focus
on myself and my energy.

I just have so many clothes.

Like...

I mean, I knew
I had a lot of clothes.

But, like, damn.

I remember when I literally used
to have no clothes, like, none.

I was wearing the same
shit every day.

And I'm thankful
because I remember

when I didn't have shit.

I love them all to death,

but I feel like, um...

I feel like it's about
that time, you know?

I feel like I've outgrown them
in someone ways.

Today, I'm off to Kanga.

This is my suitcase.

[ Grunts ]

Just an update for you guys,
I am packing my shit.

I'm getting the... out.

It's time to go start
a new chapter in my life.

Just to be honest,

my phone bill is $500.
[ Chuckles ]

My rent is due.

I have zero dollars
in my account.

I have to understand that this
life is not necessarily my life.

I'm living for God.

And I don't necessarily
have to, like, worry

about how I'm going to eat,

how I'm going to have
clothes in my bag,

how I'm going to pay my rent

because I didn't ask
to come in this world.

He put me here for a reason,

so that means that He's going
to provide my every need.

That's why I have to,
like, remind myself

constantly to just,
like, stay in faith

and know that whatever
is meant to be will be.

It's only for your greater good.

♪♪

Paris: In this town, a lot of people
will tell you how great you are.

And maybe they're right.

Maybe you are great.
- Whew.

Hello.
Is anybody home?

Hello?

Paris: Or maybe people like you
for a different reason

than the one they want them
to like you for.

Hello?

Hi.
- Hey.

Riiottt, you're home.

So be careful who you trust.

And never stop believing
in yourself.

♪ Dark bird flies
above the land of dreams ♪

♪ Silent flight about
the shadowed streams ♪

♪ Land of crystal waters pour ♪

♪ Flows unto
the blackened shores ♪

♪ Purple-feathered,
onyxed eyes ♪