- At 18, Jean-Philippe Rio-Py escaped a brutal cult that wrecked his childhood.
- He suffered hardship in his 20s and early 30s, but was determined to develop his musical talent.
- It led to huge success, and his journey included getting a gift piano from Coldplay's Chris Martin.
This story is based on an interview with Jean-Philippe Rio-Py (known professionally as RIOPY), 42, a British/French musician who has composed music for meditation apps and the trailers for award-winning films, including "The Danish Girl "and "The Shape of Water." The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I grew up in France, inside a cult that my mother joined in her early 20s, not long after I was born.
It was a torturous environment with dogma and indoctrination. You got beaten up to "take the evil" out of you.
There were times when I was forced to sit in a chair and not move a muscle for an entire day. Our heads were shaved. The cult was led by a guru who literally had a throne. At one point, my family and I lived in the tower of a moldy old castle.
I wasn't allowed to watch TV, read, or listen to music. The one thing I turned to for escapism was a piano. I taught myself to play from an early age.
I played the piano for a living after college
I remember the vibration. I always say it was like a drop of water splashing everywhere, filling my heart with love. I'd play one note and discover a whole melody.
The piano was sold, almost as a punishment. After my younger brother was given a guitar, I'd sneak it out to play in the middle of the night.
I had a dental appointment on my 18th birthday in 2001, and the dentist said my body showed signs of extreme stress. It was frightening. So much so that I decided to leave that very day.
I moved to Los Angeles right after graduating from high school, where I cleaned toilets in exchange for a bed in a shared hostel. I was homeless. It was an aimless existence.
But I didn't stay in the US for long. In 2003, at 20, I moved to Paris, where I began playing the piano in bars and clubs. I also tried to get gigs in restaurants and hotels. Music was the only way I found peace.
I got a music scholarship
I moved to the UK within a year and worked in a music shop. I battled with my mental health, sinking into a deep depression.
A concerned customer asked me about my life and took me under his wing. He was an academic and helped me get a music scholarship at Oxford Brookes University, where I met my now-wife, Sabra.
I began performing in pubs and concert rooms. At one point, they included the Royal Opera House in London. Serendipitously, in 2011, I played at a Vanity Fair party attended by Chris Martin from Coldplay.
He said that he loved my music. He asked me to sit at his table and talk, but I was too shy a person. Not put off, he walked across the room and gave me a big hug.
He asked my manager if he could help me in any way. My manager made a joke and said, "Well, he could do with a piano." So he bought me a Boston piano, designed by Steinway & Sons.
I still had no money and had nowhere to put it. One night, Chris invited me to his gig and spoke to me at the after-party. "How's the piano?" he asked. "It's amazing," I replied. I was too embarrassed to tell him that it was still in storage, where it stayed for two years.
Thankfully, my creative and commercial work took off over the following six years, during which I traveled the world.
I had a series of meetings with record labels, and was thrilled to be signed by Warner Classics in 2017. I recorded my first album on Chris's piano, and it was released the following year. I now have four albums under my belt. The fifth album, "Be Love", is scheduled for release on January 16, 2026.
I enjoyed composing for film trailers and commercials. I have made music for meditation apps. My experience as a child and mental health struggles have made me want to bring others peace.
When people often ask me what I'm most proud of, it's being a husband and a father of three. Music has helped heal my trauma, but my family is everything to me.
