Draft Article - a lot of soul, a lot of passion and hell of a lot of fun.

At six o’clock in the morning the last thing you would normally expect to see when you walk into a coffee shop is a bright-eyed nineteen-year-old waiting eagerly for you to arrive. But alas in the heart of the bustle of London, the teenage singer/songwriter River Valentine is sitting casually sipping a cappuccino, blissfully unaware of the attention she seems to be getting. After all, she’s on the rise of fame since her latest song release, faith and order.

As we settle into our interview, River surprises me through her easy manner- something rather uncommon with many teenage celebrities I have encountered before- and graciously orders me a coffee of my own. As we discuss her growing fame she shy fully tells me that she honestly never expected this kind of reception to the industry, mostly due to her less-than-glamorous start in countryside pubs on karaoke night. ‘Like anyone, music is my passion, but doing it for a living is something I never even dreamed of as I knew to achieve it is so hard. I’m just so ecstatic that I’ve had the chance to play to so many people and share my words and lyrics’. And River has also been honoured, at a young age of nineteen, to headline many of this year’s biggest festivals- from Glastonbury to Reading. ‘I’m looking forward to the energy that they’ll bring, bigger crowds give me more energy onstage and of course, seeing the other bands and enjoying the festivals themselves will be out of this world!’ exclaimed the singer, ‘Plus I’ve heard I’ll be playing near a few of my own favourite artists, which will be phenomenal.’

And like her album name [something soulful, nothing shallow] states, River tries to keep her herself as real as possible through both her music and her life. ‘I try to keep myself grounded and not get too big-headed, though it can be quite difficult when a whole new world has been opened up to you. Though you’ll never see my falling around drunk and flashing my knickers; that’s just not my style!’ And true to her word, as of yet none of River’s dirty secrets have hit the newspapers- ‘They don’t exist!’ the dark haired singer assured us, ‘I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t want to tell the world about my life so far- they can have me for who I am; a bit musical, a bit mad and very much loving how my life is right now!’