Bio

Richard Steighner studied architecture and psychology but became a beatboxer. Go figure.

He is an award-winning performing artist, writer, and music producer. He co-founded and runs Fusion Records out of Melbourne, Australia producing dozens of artists and songs each year. He tours with Freedom’s Boombox as a singer and cultural ambassador.

Winner of America’s National Harmony Sweepstakes and two-time finalist on NBC’s The SingOff, Richard has directly worked with platinum artists and writers from Sony and Warner in the development of artist brands and promotion as well as hundreds of self-promoted shows and releases. Though his career started as an architect for Quiznos, Richard’s passion for creating music has transformed his life into a multi-faceted performer and talent developer.

Richard has toured 50 countries, written hundreds of songs, produced tracks in over a dozen languages, and toured with The Backstreet Boys, Olly Murs, Anastasia and Lou Bega. He’s also performed studio and televised performances with Flo Rida, Pentatonix, Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds,, and numerous artists through the US, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East.

In addition to a performer and recording artist, Richard is the founder of the hugely successful Hong Kong Music Walk, producer of A Cappella Nights in Colorado, and international speaker and instructor. He is the founder of former design company Kaleid and sponsored by TC Helicon.

His roommate in college though his name was Robert (for over a month) and that gave way to “Robot” as a nickname.

FAQs

Is there a way to balance mental health and music? — Keeping your mind healthy is a crucial part to being a musician. I studied Psychology and still experience all the ups-and-downs of being a human (anxiety, depression, narcissism, self-doubt, delusion, and on and on AND ON). It can be quite a day between reading a mediocre review, signing autographs after a huge show, and then paying your rent bill! I’m lucky to be surrounded by people that understand and support me, but you can strike a balance internally. I encourage you to find that balance. From me, to you: there is no pressure to be a virtuoso/perfect/hilarious/beautiful/all-knowing/etc. I only hope you work on what you can control. Be on time. Bring a good attitude. Know your music. Work efficiently. Stay as healthy as possible. Apologize when you need to, and stand up for your self at all times. And when you fall short, take a minute and then get up again.

How did you get started? — I listened to my friend’s band play “Swallowed” by Bush in grade school. I asked for a guitar for Christmas and proceeded to blast the whole neighborhood with power chords. In college I played with a few bands and got hooked up with an a cappella group (never sang before in my life). I learned beatboxing and never considered music for a career. Until it became one.  I got to compete on the SingOff and that translated to new bands, new songs, world tours. I learned how to record, write, produce, perform. None of it was something I really knew how to do. But I do know how to learn and practice and improve.

How do you practice? — Singing and beatboxing is like any sport. It takes work with incremental and quantum breakthroughs. That means focused practice. I used to causally walk around beatboxing to music on my phone or to the crosswalk beeping. Now I use a metronome. I push and pull the beat; I cover the click; I warm up and sing scales. Then, I record myself and critique it. It only takes 10 minutes in a car to record a voice memo, listen to it, and delete it 🙂

Did you go to school for music? — No, and my only formal training was a year of guitar. I went to the University of Colorado and studied Psychology and Architecture. Music was never something I set out to do. in fact, I was designing restaurants for Quiznos as my first adult job until the SingOff came around.

What’s your real job? — This. This is my real job. Music is beautiful in that you can pursue it as a hobby or go after it just as a doctor would pursue a career in medicine. There is so much that happens behind the scenes/off stage. It is a full time job to be able to stand on stage for an hour. And its rewards are beautiful (and can mean a steady living if you do it right)

Most interesting place you’ve traveled? — Saudi Arabia

Favorite artists? — Boston, Bruce, M83, Kanye, Labrinth, Demi Lovato, Matt Corby, Mos Def, John Mayer, Coldplay, Anderson .Paak, The Roots, Satriani, Dragon Force, Kendrick Lamar, Afro Blue, Angie McMahon, Tash Sultana. This list grows and shrinks by the minute 🙂

What do you want to do with all this? — I want to make people’s lives easier. Music makes you smarter, stronger, kinder, safer, cooler. It gets cut from schools. It gets ridiculed. It gets ignored. But music will not go away, because we all need it. With depression and anxiety and fear and anger and everything we all go through, I can think of no better medicine. The simple answer to this all is that I just love music and people and traveling and producing!