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In her new video for “Runs Deep,” Riley Clemmons is shown singing and dancing, having a wonderful time. Now, it’s not that her life is perfect, her career path is easy, or that – because she’s a Christian – every day is Heaven on Earth.

No, it’s just that, “This faith runs deep down in my bones//And when I'm shaken, it steadies my soul//So come what may, I'll fix my eyes//On the one who's got His eyes on me//'Cause this faith runs deep.”

As she approaches the close of her first decade as a professional in the music industry, Clemmons has achieved notable benchmarks in numbers – over half a billion global streams and somewhere around 100 million YouTube video views; in sales – 2018’s self-titled album debuted at No. 13, while single “Keep On Hoping” broke the Top 20 on Billboard and Mediabase Radio charts, receiving over 5 million streams in its first two months. Her single “Fighting For Me” is RIAA-certified Gold; and in accolades: Riley was nominated as Female Artist of the Year at the 2021 K-LOVE Fan Awards, she has been written about by Rolling Stone and PEOPLE, and performed on NBC’s “Today,” “FOX & Friends,” and at the Grand Ole Opry.

Yet, it’s the Nashville native’s honesty and relatability that makes her both newsworthy and a revelation for fans. Despite her success, Clemmons is the first to admit she hasn’t cornered the market on answers, let alone making it through one’s 20s.

She is one of the new artists that will take the stage at this year’s Kingdom Bound music festival. Clemmons performs as part of the concert lineup on Wednesday, July 29. Visit www.kingdombound.org for tickets or more information.

“I have had the opportunity to hang out in Buffalo a couple of times, and I'm so excited to be back,” Clemmons said in a recent phone interview.

“This is going to be my first time at Kingdom Bound, but y'all have quite the reputation for an incredible festival up in this part. So, I'm so excited to experience it,” she added.

The multihyphenate (composer, performer, producer, recording artist, bread lover) shared more in this edited Q&A.

Riley Clemmons image provided by Kingdom Bound Ministries.

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Q: Riley, in as much as I am familiar with your music, there's not a ton of information on your various social media pages, website, what have you, about you as a person – and I don't know if that's because you're a like a spy or something, or maybe I'm just watching too much Netflix lately. Tell me about the artist behind these songs that we all know and love. What got you into music, and specifically what got you into Christian music?

Riley Clemmons: Now, listen, this is a very loaded subject, and I can easily ask you how much time you have!

I've been doing this for a long time. I'm 25. I'm a born-and-raised Nashvillian. I grew up in a city that was just covered in music and culture. And starting at a young age in the industry, growing up in front of a lot of eyeballs through songs, there is much to be learned. There's much room for error, and there's a lot of room for fun and nuance and excitement, as well. And I would say, to give you the most general blanket statement of the heart behind the artist, honestly, I'm just writing and figuring it out as I go, and trying to be as honest as possible along the way.

And I would say even more so, if you really want to get to know me, if you listen to the new music that's coming in the next few months, that would be the best way. We are absolutely putting it all out there.

I’ve had the blessing – the opportunity – to grow up in a family, in a household, where faith has always been a big part of the conversation; and it's always been something that we've talked about, and I've grown up knowing who Jesus is. But, I've found that, as you explore your 20s, you get enough life under your belt, you go through enough hard times, that you learn what faith really means beyond the periphery.

And so, that's what I'm trying to explore in both my music and who I am at this point in my life, is really just leaning in and trying to figure out how to be the best person I can be; and messing up along the way; and talking about it, so other people feel less alone when they mess up, too.

Q: You could go into any genre. You could sing about any subject you want. To sing about faith, and to sing about your faith, in particular, obviously, that's not something that everyone can do. That's a hard thing. It's a challenge – in a lot of different respects. It would probably be a lot easier for you to just be like a “secular” music star, right? What makes it worth it for you to go down this path and to share with people this message?

Riley Clemmons: Wow. Well … I can't skip over the fact that the industry is the industry, you know? I think that I've been behind the scenes enough years that, as much as the Christian industry is different than the secular world, it's still a business, and there's still money and people in charge and all of that good stuff.

I am loyal to the Christian music industry because I have seen firsthand how it's helped people. It brings me back to ground zero when I get to do signing lines and hear the stories of a song that I wrote from a very specific place – how it met somebody when they were ready to give up; or when they were at their absolute wit’s end; or when they felt desperately alone.

I think it's in those moments that I most have to acknowledge – not even have to – I can't help but acknowledge the fact that that's not me; that is truly, what I believe, the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit working through a very imperfect Nashville kid who loves to write songs; that loves Jesus and grew up knowing him, using what I have to meet people where they're at – and I don't take the credit for that.

I think that it's so easy to categorize music and to try to fit it in these little boxes of genres. But more so than anything, I think music – good music – stems from honesty and authenticity. And the most honest parts of my lives are the parts of it that are drenched in my faith, and what that means to figure it out as I go.

And so, I think, quite naturally, my music has Jesus all over it, and it's not as on purpose as you might think.

Q: Explain that a little bit more – that's an interesting thing you just said.

Riley Clemmons: It's one thing to walk into a room and say, “OK, we’ve got to write a song about Jesus today, because I'm a Christian artist, and that's what you do, and that's how you get your songs played.” I think it's another thing when you walk into a studio and you write songs about Jesus because it's what's happening in your life at the moment, and it's the most natural extension of creativity and honesty.

And that's really been what, especially in this season, I've tried to focus more on doing. And I think part of that comes from abandoning commercialism (laughs) and what it means to strictly write to be commercial and successful; because again, it goes back to the industry and the business, and it's a whole to-do, but that's something that I'm leaning into – and I feel that the Lord is calling me to – as I write and create at 25 years old. I think you'll hear that in the new music, too.

Riley Clemmons image courtesy of Merge Public Relations.

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Q: You alluded to this a little bit with some of the last two answers: You mentioned the challenges of working your way through your 20s, and certainly in your music and in your social media messages, you talk a lot about people enduring and holding on because there are better days and better times ahead. And when we talk about Christian music versus other types of music and genres, I mean, the fact that it fulfills you more as a person, and the fact that, I'm sure, like you said, when you talk to fans and you hear about what your music has done for them, how it's helped them – I'm guessing that's something you probably wouldn't get if you had gone into another genre of music. Does that also really sort of cement it for you and make it more worthwhile at the end of the day, when you know personally that this is what you need to be doing, but also, like you said, when you hear from the fans how much it's helped them and how much it's impacted their lives?

Riley Clemmons: Absolutely. Since the beginning of time, people have made music as a means to connect and share in experiences. And I look back to the Psalms – one of my favorite books of the entire Bible – and I'm consistently reading Psalms, inspired by the Psalms – whether it's David or the other Psalmists – reading about the humanity that is absolutely covered; the desperation; the moments that David wanted to give up; the moments that he was standing on top of the mountain thanking Jesus. It was the scope of what it means to be human, and what it means to fall and get back up, and have faith against all odds, and feel like your faith is gone. It's all of those moments. And I'm inspired, as an artist, to create from those places in the most honest way I can, to encourage other people to not give up.

I've gone through seasons of life where I really did want to give up, and I didn't see things getting better. And I'm so grateful that, in that time, I had my faith; I had my relationship with Jesus. Though, some days, admittedly, the last thing I wanted to do was talk to Jesus. It was always the thing that helped the most.

And so, I think that living through those moments and putting them into music – being able to encourage people through my imperfections (laughs) and my journey of figuring it out – is something that I'm so grateful for – and something that I'm really honored to get to do.

I question some days why God has given me the opportunity to do it, but I'm grateful for it; and the fact that Christian music, specifically, opens up those conversations is something that is life-changing. I've seen it change people's lives – not just through my own music, but through other artists’ music, as well. So, it's a big inspiration for me, and it's one of the driving forces of why I keep doing it.

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Q: You mentioned new music, and of course, you recently put out “Runs Deep,” which is very, very cool. Tell me about the new music, and what is the plan to work it into your set and into your live show?

Riley Clemmons: Oh, man, if you’re coming to Kingdom Bound, you're going to hear “Runs Deep” in the live show. It is a fun one, too. Anytime I go around and ask the band guys what their favorite to play live is, they always say “Runs Deep.” It's such a culmination of my early influences mixed in with some more modern influences. It feels like home in a very special way.

So, it's a very fun moment in the set. It gets people up and out of their seats and doing their little bit of cardio at the festival. I love playing that one live!

Q: I have not seen you perform live – I'm looking forward to it. But just judging from some of the videos I've seen, it seems like there's a lot of fun – it seems like you have a fun set, a very fun show. Is it as much fun for you as it is for the audience?

Riley Clemmons: Of course, and it's different every time, too. We switch it up, depending on who's there, always, and depending on the audience. And that's live entertainment, and I adore it.

We have such a good time, but we also get real and talk honestly in the set, too. We try to pack it all in there. It's a full experience.

Visit www.rileyclemmons.com.

See also >> Q&A: Kingdom Bound 'Counting My Blessings' to have Seph Schlueter part of concert lineup