Riley Burruss revealed new details on just how much music is truly in her blood, as she opened up to producers about her many hobbies and interests during the Next Gen NYC After Show.
“I like piano. I like the drums. I like going to the studio,” she admitted. “I rap for fun sometimes. I mean, the list goes on and on.”
With The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kandi Burruss as her mother, it’s no surprise Riley has a love for music. The Grammy-award winning songwriter is also in the girl group Xscape, which has sold more than 9 million records worldwide.
However, Riley shared that her passions don’t end with music. “I paint too,” she listed to producers, and later added, “I like learning languages. I know Korean, Spanish and English, and I know a little bit of Portugese, but not really.”
“I mean, the list goes on and on,” she concluded.
How Riley Burruss is exploring a career in the music industry
Riley has expressed her desires to follow in the footsteps of her musical mother during Next Gen NYC Season 2, and gave an update on her career plans earlier in the season.
“I really like being corporate,” Riley explained on the Next Gen NYC After Show. “I really like going to the record labels, and working there, and doing a 9 to 5. I find that very fun.”
Riley has also made moves to sing her own songs just like her mother. Back in 2017, she released the track “Better Late Than Never,” and during the Next Gen NYC After Show, she gave producers a taste of her rapping.
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Riley graduated from New York University in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in music business, and previously expressed her desire to work specifically with artists that also call Atlanta home.
“Atlanta’s always going to be at the top in the music industry, but I just want to focus on bringing it to the ‘top-top,’ kind of like the early 2000s vibe,” she said during a 2023 interview on the show The Sharpton Sisters.
What does Riley Burruss do for a living?
Riley shared she was applying to law school at Columbia University on Next Gen NYC Season 2. “DJ-ing is a passion. School is really my future. I really want to study to be an entertainment lawyer,” she said at the time. “I love music, I love law, and I love to argue, so, sounds perfect.”
However, Riley then revealed on the Next Gen NYC After Show that law school was currently on pause, and clarified, “I want to do more with DJ-ing, eventually.”
Details on Kandi Burruss’ music career
Kandi rose to fame in the 1990s as she was not only part of the group Xscape, but also writing songs for others. She won her 2000 Grammy award for co-writing TLC’s mega hit “No Scrubs,” and also wrote tracks for Destiny’s Child, including “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Bug a Boo.” Kandi also has writing credits on NSYNC’s song “It Makes Me Ill,” Ariana Grande’s hit “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored,” and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.” She’s worked with other artists, including P!nk, Usher, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Boyz II Men and even Whitney Houston.
Kandi has also now expanded her music career to Broadway, and in June 2021 announced she joined the team producing Thoughts of a Colored Man. During a February 2026 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen she shared that performing in & Juliet on Broadway was helping her amid her divorce from Todd Tucker.
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“My favorite part is because every day the whole show feels like joy,” she admitted of being on a Broadway stage. “So to be going through a time in my life that feels crazy, every day I have to dance and sing and have fun, and we sing hits from the top to the bottom so the whole audience is into it the entire time.”
Get more of Kandi’s thoughts on her life and career as she celebrated turning 50.
