Richie Campbell (singer)


Ricardo Dias de Lima Ventura da Costa, more commonly known by his stagename Richie Campbell, is a Portuguese R&B, dancehall and reggae singer. He is considered a leading figure in the Portuguese music scene.

Early life and career beginnings

Richie Campbell was born Ricardo Dias de Lima Ventura da Costa, in the city of Lisbon. His musical career started with the band Stepacide; during that time he was also part of the project No Joke Sound System. He eventually left both projects so he could focus on his solo career. In 2010 he made his debut with the mixtape My Path, along with the homonymous EP Richie Campbell. In 2011, he became the first artist to fill Campo Pequeno without being signed to any recording label.

''Focused'' and international projection

The release of his debut album Focused in 2012 gave the artist international projection, with the track "That's How We Roll" standing out and being nominated at the 2013 Portuguese Golden Globes, in the "Best Music" category. The Focused Tour started in 2012; his last concert in Lisbon was recorded live at Campo Pequeno and released in CD and DVD in 2014.
On 4 May 2015, Campbell released his second studio album album In the 876 without prior announcement. In the 876 was recorded in Kingston and Lisbon, its name being a reference to the Jamaican phone indicative.
In May 2016 Campbell released "Do You No Wrong", as part of the upcoming mixtape Lisboa. The single was certified platinum and was nominated for a Portuguese Golden Globe, in the "Best Music" category. Since then, Campbell has smoothly transitioned from reggae to R&B and dancehall as a reflex of Lisbon's growing music culture. That was a year of reinvention to Campbell, marked by the collaboration with the kizomba artist Nelson Freitas in “Break of Dawn”, the release of a remix of Rihanna's hit “Work”, and the success of “Do You Know Wrong”.
Lisboa, produced by Lhast, was released in December 2017 as a tribute to the city and its sound. "Heaven", co-produced by Campbell, "Midnight in Lisbon", "Water" and "Slowly" were the singles from the mixtape. Following this release, Campbell had his first gig at the Altice Arena, the country's biggest venue, in early 2018.
Lisboa was the most streamed album of 2018, in Portugal, and was the album with more certified singles.

Artistry

Richie Campbell's earlier career predominantly focused on reggae, and he became the biggest name in the genre to come out of Portugal. In an early interview, Campbell named Tarrus Riley and Garnett Silk as inspirations for his work. In recent years, the artist has taken a step back from the genre, having explained that "Reggae is not in its best phase and, as a consumer, I'm not indifferent to that". The recording of Lisboa was a period of transition for Campbell, that saw him starting to incorporate elements from dancehall and R&B in his work.

Discography

Albums