Nashville musician Jobi Riccio discusses her career takeoff, debut album and upcoming show in Music City

Nashville musician and singer-songwriter Jobi Riccio has had an astounding year. She released her debut album, won the John Prine Songwriter Fellowship Award and made her National Television debut on CBS.

On Friday, Riccio will take to the stage at The American Legion Post 82 in East Nashville to celebrate the release of her debut album, "Whiplash."

Ahead of Friday's performance, Riccio sat down with The Tennessean to discuss her pivotal year and new music.

Jobi Riccio's name may sound familiar because the national music and arts scenes are rallying behind her.

The New York Times and Billboard, among others, have sung her praises. Riccio performed at the Rhode Island Newport Folk Festival this summer, where she won the John Prine Songwriter Fellowship Award, a prestigious honor also won by Leith Ross in 2022.

And on Aug. 30, songwriting royalty and "Cover Me Up" performer Jason Isbell posted on social media, "Today I heard ‘For Me It’s You’ by @JobiRiccio on the radio so I went and listened to some other songs and she’s GOOD. I’m impressed."

Now, Riccio has a slot opening for Isbell on his upcoming tour in La Vista, NE in May. She said, "Gosh, I've literally dedicated like two months or more of my life to listening to exclusively Jason Isbell. He definitely provided a lot of inspiration for me on this record."

Riccio continued, "To know that he is in my corner in any way, is like, totally, like..." Riccio trailed off, unable to put into words her admiration for Isbell and his craftmanship.

Watching her career takeoff has been emotional for Riccio. "I think that it's really overwhelming, honestly, and it feels amazing. I think that I feel it most for my past self. That's when I can feel it the most deeply, when I think about the person who wrote these songs," she said.

Riccio's album "Whiplash," which released Sept. 8, is an 11-track indie singer-songwriter Americana-folk record that combines expert lyrical storytelling and emotive guitar.

For those who may not be familiar with Riccio's sound, her inspirations range from country twang performers like Dolly Parton, LeAnn Rimes and Willie Nelson to Sheryl Crow and also indie-alternative bands like Big Thief. Listeners can hear the range of inspirations in Riccio's voice, which is infused with its own gentle, yet powerful, folk-country sound.

Riccio considers her new album a coming-of-age story that follows through lines of her learning to be kinder to herself, relying less on others for happiness and cultivating contentment from within herself.

"This is about overcoming the growing pains of being a child and then a teenager and then an adult," she said.

"This is very much a reflection on all of the personal growth that I feel like I have gone through and I think a lot of people in general go through," Riccio continued, "My hope is that it's a relatable record to people in my age group and younger, and also people who have also been through this stage of life and remember what it's like."

The album holds nostalgia in tracks like "Homesick," where she longingly sings, "But deep in my coat pockets / I find that old familiar feeling / Homesick, Homesick."

There's also a warmth to her poetic reminiscing, like in "Summer," where Riccio croons, "Summer is beautiful, I wanna go / On a long yellow drive to the end of the road / Where the sun sets like butter slippin' down warm toast."

Riccio will be celebrating all of these new tracks, which she has crafted over the past couple years, at her Friday show in Nashville.

Ahead of her biggest headlining show to date, Riccio is nervous but excited. "I feel like it's such a special, iconically Nashville space, the Inglewood American Legion Post 82. That was one of the first places I ever went in Nashville that made me really fall in love with it," she said. She's eager to take to the stage with her bandmates and opener Baerd, noting it will feel like a family reunion.

To grab tickets for Riccio's show and learn more about her music, fans can visit jobiriccio.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville musician Jobi Riccio discusses her big year ahead of Nashville show