Ren Richards is a Nashville based indie singer songwriter whose work lives at the crossroads of truth, resilience, and emotional clarity. She began writing during one of the darkest seasons of her life, using music as a place to heal and make sense of the past, and that practice has grown into a deliberate, daily devotion to her craft. Her songs carry the depth of lived experience — warm, vulnerable, and unfiltered — shaped by a visual world of deep greens, dusky blues, and wide open spaces. Today, Ren creates to connect, to reclaim her own story, and to offer listeners the same thing music once gave her: a reminder that none of us are moving through this life alone.
SNQLX: Your journey has been anything but linear, but you’ve carved a life rooted in truth and resilience. How do you describe this chapter of your story to someone hearing it for the first time?
REN: I think it is just that, truth and resilience. Trusting my truth, knowing the path of the artist is my calling no matter what may try to deter me. Knowing what a privilege it is. Checking in with myself and being honest that it is still my one true love, even after all these years of following it. Sticking it out, even when I don’t know what the next week, month, or year may look like, but still knowing the “why” of what I’m doing.
SNQLX: There’s a sense of reclamation in the way you talk about your past. What part of your story did music help you take back?
REN: Music is like therapy for me. The more I write about my past, the more I process it, heal it, and own that it’s made me who I am today.
SNQLX: Your songwriting feels like a conversation between who you were and who you’re becoming. What does starting a song usually feel like for you?
REN: It all depends on the day and how tuned in I am. I try to write something every day. Some days I am already in the thick of what I’m feeling, so I catch the truth real quick. Other days I can be all over the place mentally, so it can feel scattered, almost like there’s a lot of static and the feeling is unclear.
SNQLX: You describe your work as emotionally honest — not filtered, not polished. What’s the hardest emotion to translate into melody?
REN: Probably, joy.
SNQLX: When you imagine your music visually, what kind of world does it live in — colors, landscapes, textures?
REN: It can change with each song or season, but right now I’ve been picturing being in the woods surrounded by dark greens, blues, and black.
SNQLX: If someone walked into a room designed around the emotional tone of your songs, what would they see?
REN: This can also change from song to song, but the music I’ve been working on, I’d say the room would have a high ceiling, big windows, a fireplace, and a wall full of books.
SNQLX: Who helped shape your internal compass as an artist, whether musically or personally?
REN: Me, along with a few of my favorite collaborators. It can be easy to get caught up in the noise, in what’s popular or trending, and sometimes that can cloud your judgment as an artist, especially if you’re not making something that falls into the category of trendy. Over the years, through ups and downs, I’ve learned to hone my inner voice as an artist and how to trust it, but it can be hard to do that on your own sometimes. That is where having trusted collaborators or friends around who know you, see you, and believe in what you’re doing can be exactly what one needs to remember who they are and trust the artist within.
SNQLX: What’s something you’ve learned about your creative process that surprised even you?
REN: Brainstorming and coming up with ideas for visuals for my releases. When I first started out in music years ago with my band, I remember having no inspiration for music videos or photos, and now with my solo releases I’ve enjoyed coming up with concepts more than I ever thought I would. It’s been so much fun!
SNQLX: Your story spans survival, rediscovery, and now artistic freedom. What part of the journey do you hold closest when you write?
REN: The whole reason I started writing was because I fell into a deep depression and needed an outlet. It was a therapy when therapy wasn’t really talked about as much. I’ll forever hold that close because it kickstarted what has become my greatest love.
SNQLX: What does support — real support, not performative — look like to you as an independent artist navigating so much on your own?
REN: When people show up to my shows, buy my music, add my songs to their playlists, leave comments or send messages about how my songs have helped them. It makes me feel supported and appreciated as an artist.
SNQLX: What headspace is your upcoming work coming from?
REN: Showing up as authentically as I can as an artist and storyteller.
SNQLX: What do you hope someone takes away after listening, even if they never share it with you?
REN: Something that makes them feel less alone in whatever they are feeling.
SNQLX: What’s a part of your personality that your listeners don’t usually get to see?
REN: What a goof I am. My music tends to lean more serious, and that’s how I find myself showing up in the world more.
SNQLX: What’s something soft or joyful that keeps you grounded?
REN: My cat, Arugula. She is the sweetest baby ever and I can’t help but become a mush over her.
SNQLX: As you move into this next era, what promises are you making to yourself?
REN: To hold gratitude daily, trust my voice and my stories, and to have courage.
SNQLX: What’s the boldest dream you’re quietly nurturing right now?
REN: I’m going to keep that to myself but I can say that it’s pretty major.
As Ren Richards moves into this next chapter, she does so with a steady sense of gratitude and a growing trust in her own voice. The songs she’s making now are shaped by presence, care, and a willingness to listen closely to what’s true in the moment. There’s more ahead than she’s ready to put into words just yet, but you can feel it quietly taking form in her music. At its heart, Ren’s work offers connection — a small, honest reminder that none of us are ever as alone as we might think.
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