Q&A: Loviet Makes Her Riot Fest Debut With Unapologetic New Era
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
Photo Credit: Alina Pawl-Castanon
LOVIET MAKES MUSIC FOR THE GIRLS — On Friday, September 19, Toronto/Nova Scotian indie-rock artist Loviet made her long-awaited Riot Fest debut, stepping onto the Chicago stage with the bold confidence of an artist hitting her stride. For Loviet, the performance marked the beginning of a new chapter, coinciding with the release of her fiery new single “STIFFY.”
For an artist who has spent the past year self-producing new music with bandmate Ryan Perry after stepping back from collaborations, this return to the spotlight felt like a celebration and a declaration. Riot Fest’s lineup has long been a proving ground for rising voices in rock, and Loviet’s set was a powerful introduction to the unapologetic, high-voltage sound she’s honing for her next era.
That sound comes alive in “STIFFY,” a guitar-driven, shiny rock track steeped in the big-studio energy of the early aughts. Drawing inspiration from bands like Kings of Leon, Jimmy Eat World, and The Killers, Loviet has created a song that captures the nostalgia of her formative years while making it completely her own.
Even its title embodies her defiant approach. Lifted from the lyric “ya got a stiff upper lip,” the phrase doubles as a cheeky provocation. For Loviet, “STIFFY” became a vehicle to push back against “too-cool, care-less culture” while also flipping the script on rock’s traditionally masculine bravado:
“This title felt perfect because of all of the different interpretations you can take from it. I wear all my feelings on my sleeve and have a big problem with the too-cool, ‘care less’ culture that we’re all trying to navigate. I feel this song harnesses that tension between a breaking point and the false projection of having it all together. On the other hand, this song has a big d*** energy and aims to imply I’m packing just as much punch as my male counterparts while combating the common kink of dudes getting off on powerful, strong women.”
On stage, Loviet was raw yet magnetic, leading with vulnerability one moment and explosive energy the next. With “STIFFY” kicking open the door and her Riot Fest debut in the books, Loviet isn’t just stepping into a new chapter — she’s charging headfirst into it. Her set proved she’s more than ready to hold her own alongside rock’s heavy-hitters. If Riot Fest was the introduction, the real story is what comes next.
Luna had the chance to catch up with Loviet backstage following her Riot Fest debut, where she opened up about stepping into a new era of music, the energy of her first Riot Fest experience, and the intentional ways she creates safe spaces for women in her shows and community. With the adrenaline of the performance still fresh, she reflected on how these elements all intersect — her music, her presence, and her drive to create spaces where women can feel seen, empowered and celebrated.
Photo Credit: Alina Pawl-Castanon
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
LOVIET: It depends on the day of the week. Whatever is pissing me off or making me feel good that day, and just doing music's always been my life. It was nice to come back and do something that I've been doing my whole life, which was rock music. We had a lot of fun doing pop, but as our readers probably know, classic girl move, classic fucking girl push, is get the girl that might be cute and could be on the Taylor Swift opening tour. That was fun for a while, and we enjoyed it, but we always did rock music, so it was really nice to get back to doing something that we like doing and on stage. I feel like we finally brought the band and the live show to a meeting point.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
LOVIET: We just want people to have fun. I think that we've really enjoyed letting people be themselves at our shows. We want everybody to have fun and feel safe and happy. I always do a little moment for the girlies. The boysies come second. We just want to have a safe space for girls to rock again. I think that's the bottom line. We want that to happen again and girls being on the top of that food chain.
LUNA: You just released your newest single “STIFFY” and it’s your first release since 2023 — a huge congratulations is in order! Can you talk about the inspiration behind the single and what themes or emotions you explore?
LOVIET: This song is so angsty. I think we all need one of those. We all, especially as like gals, we need to have that angsty, fuck you. It’s sort of like crashing out. Because once you do it, you look back and you're like, do I need to do that? Do I need to get that crazy? This song is me needing to do that. I needed to. It was proper. I'm really glad it's well overdue, and I'm really happy this is one of the heavier songs. We’re really, really proud. It was healing to put out. It’s so fresh and I feel so supported.
LUNA: Taking time away from releasing music to self-produce feels like a big artistic step. How has this period reshaped your creative vision?
LOVIET: It's been so fun to just remember all the years that I was in rooms and telling people what I wanted and being made to doubt that vision and to be feeling like no one's listening, and just realizing that you don't need to fucking ask. I didn't need to ask. Most of that time I didn't need to ask. I could have just done it myself. I could have just done it. At the end of the day, I don't think I had a bad experience doing the other things I was doing. I mean, I had a bad experience. Let's be real. Those things made me the person I am right now to make these things. And I learned a lot, so I'm really happy with where I'm at. The Nighttime Is All In The Timing record and the Little Heaven record, those recordings made me grow into production, because I've done it when I was younger, but I didn't have the balls, quite literally, “STIFFY” is here.
LUNA: Was there a particular moment during writing or recording “STIFFY” when you felt like you’d fully tapped into the energy you wanted?
LOVIET: This moment, I think because, even still, I was nervous to do it, and I think having my band mates’ support in your group and your team, and my manager was affirming. That song came from so much anger and such a dark place and it was cool for it to turn out to be this banger. This is fun and it feels cool and it feels affirming. Although the record’s got lots of different influences from an era in my life that I think I was coming out of a place of a lot of things, it was healing to create.
LUNA: What’s the atmosphere like at Riot Fest, both on stage and off? How does it compare to other shows you’ve played?
LOVIET: Amazing. I love Chicago, and this festival feels very much on brand. It’s nice to be in a place where everybody is like you and connects with what you're doing. I'm very lucky. So appreciate it.
LUNA: You’ve been back on some major stages recently — how do you personally prepare for a big performance? Do you have any pre-show rituals or regimens that help you get into the right mindset before hitting the stage?
LOVIET: I'm a non ritual girlie. My only ritual is if I could have my friends and my girlfriend, then I’m set. I'm not even just saying that just to say it, but because we're girls, and we're here in this fucking situation, because we can. I have many shows where I'm just with the guys or I’m by myself. The difference between when I have my friends and my girlfriends here is like night and day, and I'm so grateful for that.
LUNA: How did you prepare for your Riot Fest set? From building the setlist to rehearsals to mentally getting ready — what’s gone into making this moment feel truly yours?
LOVIET: We just do what we always do. Honestly, there's been nothing different. This is what we do on every stage. And we had a quote once that was saying, like we play a dive like an arena. And that's my calling card, because it feels very, very accurate. We just play every show as big as we can.
LUNA: What’s fueling your fire right now — musically or personally — that’s pushing you into this next chapter?
LOVIET: I feel like there's like years behind me that I can look at now, and I can really understand better, and it just feels to me to go a little harder.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
LOVIET: More touring. More releasing.
