Aspiring musician on his way

Mahurangi student Riley Popham is already on his way to carving out a career in the music industry.

A song recorded by 12-year-old Mahurangi College student Riley Popham will be released nationally after making the top 10 in a secondary schools competition.

Riley came seventh in the Who Loves Who competition run by music trust Play It Strange for his rendition of the Split Enz song One Step Ahead.

He recorded the song at the family’s Baddeleys Beach home and played all the instruments himself – his father Steve has bought a full band set up, including drums, bass and a growing collection of guitars to support Riley’s precocious talent.

He started playing guitar about two years ago and is now teaching friends, writing his own music and was recently a regional finalist in the solo section of Rockquest.

He has also started a band, Son of Anonymous, with other Mahurangi students.

On top of that, he regularly busks in Warkworth and Matakana, performing a repertoire of about 60 songs.

“I want to keep competing in Rockquest every year and get better and better and then, hopefully, make an album,” Riley says. “There aren’t many people who are really into music at Mahurangi College, but now I’ve found a group of people who are all into the same stuff, like Led Zeppelin.”

Riley has been raised on a healthy diet of his father’s record collection – Steve used to play in bands and worked in the music industry for 20 years.

There were 39 entries in the Play It Strange competition. Levi Gould from Kaipara College was the winner – one of seven finalists from the college.