Riccie Oriach is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter born and raised in the Dominican Republic. His love for music started at a very young age by performing in bands with friends that played mostly punk and rock. He performed shows in his house as young as 14 and played in many concerts throughout the country as a teen. These experiences helped him develop a home studio grooming many local artists. In an interview with Remezcla, Oriach said, “Working on other people’s music helped me figure out my own tastes.” The first time Oriach played the song “Prima Tecata” was during a birthday party where he had the opportunity to wing it with a guitar and his lyrics.
On “Viaje Al Infintito,”a six-song album released in November, Oriach did an amazing job showing the world true Caribbean music — especially that of the Dominican culture. The album has a mixture of folk, reggae, merengue and even cumbia. A Dominican blog, Discolai, called Oriach the “lost child of Rita Indiana and Luis Días,” other influential Dominican singer-songwriters that are very famous in the genre.
The album’s name translates to “Trip to Infinity.” The album includes songs like “El Mosquitero” (The Mosquito net) in which he talks about a family heirloom — a mosquito net which his grandma left behind after leaving the country. The moment he took off the mosquito net, he caught dengue, so in his song he talks about how this mosquito net had protective powers.
One of his most famous songs, “Prima Tecata” (My Cousin the Drug User), is also on this album. It is basically a description of street life in the Dominican Republic. He has other songs more inclined to a romantic side like “Una Flor” (A Flower) and “La Dueña” (The Owner). Another one of his great songs is called “La Guayaba” (Guava) in which he talks about an old love impossible to forget.
Each of Oriach songs tells a story; he can be called a folklore storyteller. His songs tend to tell a story that Hispanics, particularly Dominicans, can relate to. In his songs Oriach has the ability to connect with who Dominicans, and Hispanics in general, truly are. Every word used is 100 percent relatable for Dominicans since it’s not only sung in Spanish but it is filled with Dominican slang. He truly is what Dominicans call “un orgullo dominicano” — Dominican pride. The world will be able to see and get to know life in the Dominican Republic by listening to this amazing artist.
