Strike a Pose (Blame It on Fame #1)

2. Riley

Riley

“ Are you nervous?” my manager, Tracy, asks. I’m minutes away from walking onstage in Times Square. This is by far the biggest show I’ve ever played, with over a million people watching in person and millions more tuning in on TV.

“More excited than nervous.” I smile. “It’s crazy how far I’ve come in the past year.”

“It is. Just think, last year, you only had an EP. Today, you’ve had a Billboard Number One song and a Top Ten album.”

“It’s surreal.” I nod. This is only my second time in New York City, and I’m performing in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. It’s enough to make me pinch myself to prove I’m not dreaming.

I never would have even dreamed that this would be my career. When I was a boy, I dreamt of being a mechanic, like my old man. Growing up in rural North Carolina, most men went into trades of some kind. But, despite money being tight, my parents prioritized my and my sister’s education, scrimping and saving enough money to put us through college. Then, my dream shifted toward business in ‘the big city’—Charlotte. All of a sudden, one of my songs went viral on the internet, and I had a record deal with one of the most prestigious labels in the industry.

“Well, it’s a good thing you enjoy playing live. You’re going to be doing a lot of it next year,” Tracy says, referencing my eighty-one-night North American tour beginning in a couple of weeks.

“Oh, I love it. It’s exhilarating. And the fact that so many people want to come see me play is just…amazing.”

“I’ve missed working with new stars.” Tracy sighs. “You’re so awestruck by everything.”

“Riley?” a stage manager calls. “You’re up.”

“That’s my cue.” I grin at Tracy as I walk onstage.

The crowd somehow gets even louder as the lights find me.

“Hey, everyone.” I beam out at the sea of people flooding Times Square. “Thank y’all for coming out tonight. I still can’t believe I’m here.” I chuckle into the mic and am met with encouraging whoops from the crowd. I hear the drums start up behind me, and I begin strumming along on my guitar. “This is for my parents back home,” I squeeze in before jumping into the first verse.

To my surprise, it sounds like every last audience member is singing along with me. The cameras are circling, and I throw them a wink, earning me a collective squeal from the crowd. This stage is exhilarating, and I easily get lost in the music. The song goes by in what seems like mere seconds, and before I know it, I’m singing the closing lines.

“RILEY! RILEY! RILEY!” the crowd chants for me. There’s truly no better feeling than hearing a crowd cheering your name, especially a crowd this size. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled as wide as I’m smiling now, looking out over the sea of people cheering for me .

“Thank you all, and Happy New Year!” I yell into the mic as I watch the aerial camera hanging in front of me zip backward along its line.

“That was Riley Coleman, performing his number one song, ‘Moonlight and You.’” I hear a host saying as I’m ushered off the stage so they can reset it for the next performer.