INTERVIEW: SEAN RIDDLE IS TIRED OF MAKING EXHAUSTION LOOK BEAUTIFUL

The Submerge artist talks emotional awareness, intimacy, North Chicago, and learning how to stop shrinking himself for other people.

Interview by Malik Ardent

By the time the interview starts, Sean Riddle has already apologized twice for “rambling,” which feels funny considering how intentional he is with every thought.

The studio feels lived in. Warm lighting. Rain sliding down the windows. Old soul records floating quietly through the speakers while incense burns somewhere near the back of the room. Sean leans into the couch comfortably, dressed in layered black streetwear, speaking with the kind of calm that usually comes from somebody who has spent a lot of time learning themselves privately before discussing it publicly.

That same energy exists all over Submerge.

The upcoming project is reflective, emotionally sharp, and deeply personal without sounding like it is asking for sympathy. The writing feels honest in a way that is difficult to fake — less interested in dramatizing pain and more interested in understanding it.

Listening to the album feels less like hearing somebody fall apart and more like hearing somebody slowly stop hiding from themselves.

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UNISON:

You seem like somebody whose mind is always moving. Does music help quiet that, or does it make things louder?

Sean Riddle:

Honestly, both.

Music gives my thoughts somewhere to live outside of me for a minute, which helps. But writing also forces me to sit with things I would normally distract myself from.

There are emotions you can outrun when you stay busy enough. Then you sit down to create and suddenly everything you avoided starts introducing itself properly.

Sometimes songwriting feels therapeutic. Other times it feels like your subconscious cornered you in a room and decided it finally wants to talk.

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UNISON:

Did making Submerge change the way you see yourself?

Sean Riddle:

Completely.

I realized how much of my identity had become tied to endurance. Being dependable. Being emotionally available. Being the person everybody could lean on.

And for a long time, I thought that made me emotionally healthy. But eventually I had to ask myself whether I actually felt cared for too, or if I had just become comfortable surviving on emotional leftovers.

That was a difficult realization.

I think a lot of people confuse resilience with self-neglect because the two can look very similar from the outside.

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UNISON:

Your music feels incredibly observant. Almost like you are studying people while simultaneously trying to understand yourself.

Sean Riddle:

That is probably true.
[Laughs]

I observe people constantly, but not in a judgmental way. More from curiosity. I pay attention to emotional habits. Contradictions. The things people reveal unintentionally.

Growing up in North Chicago sharpened that instinct a lot. You learn early that people rarely communicate everything directly. Sometimes what somebody avoids saying tells you more than their actual words do.

That awareness followed me into adulthood and definitely into my relationships.

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UNISON:

There is a line on the album about feeling “emotionally perceived but not emotionally held.” What does that mean to you?

Sean Riddle:

I think some people know how to witness vulnerability, but not necessarily sustain intimacy around it.

There is a difference between somebody understanding you intellectually and somebody creating emotional safety for you consistently.

A lot of people admire sensitivity until they realize sensitivity comes with depth, unpredictability, and complexity too.

That realization changed the way I approach connection now. I no longer confuse attention with care.

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UNISON:

How has your understanding of intimacy changed over time?

Sean Riddle:

I used to think intensity meant depth.

If something felt emotionally overwhelming or consuming, I interpreted that as passion. But now I think intimacy is much quieter than that.

Real intimacy feels safe. It feels reciprocal. It feels like being able to fully relax around somebody without constantly monitoring yourself emotionally.

I think many people are so accustomed to emotional survival that peace initially feels unfamiliar to them.

That was true for me too.

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UNISON:

Your great-grandmother seems to have shaped your emotional world a lot.

Sean Riddle:

Very deeply.

She has always had a grounding presence about her. Extremely intuitive. Extremely observant. The kind of person who makes you slow down naturally without needing to force anything.

Being around her taught me that care is not always loud. Sometimes it is simply consistency. Presence. Intentionality.

That stayed with me creatively and personally.

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UNISON:

And your mother influenced you differently?

Sean Riddle:

Definitely.

As I got older, I started understanding people beyond the role they played in my life personally. Adulthood brings pressure, disappointment, survival, adaptation. Sometimes people are carrying emotional weight they never fully learned how to process themselves.

That perspective gave me more compassion over time.

I think maturity is realizing people can impact you deeply while still being human and imperfect themselves.

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UNISON:

The album feels spiritual without being attached to organized religion.

Sean Riddle:

That was intentional.

Spirituality for me is connected to intuition, awareness, and emotional energy. I pay attention to how environments affect me internally. I pay attention to how certain people leave me feeling afterward.

I think the body notices truth long before the mind fully explains it. Sometimes your spirit recognizes something your logic is still trying to negotiate with.

I trust that instinct much more now than I used to.

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UNISON:

You speak very calmly about experiences that clearly affected you deeply.

Sean Riddle:

I think people misunderstand calmness sometimes.

Calm does not necessarily mean untouched. Sometimes it just means somebody has already spent a long time processing privately before speaking publicly.

There are experiences on this album that genuinely changed me. But I no longer feel the need to make pain louder in order for it to matter.

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UNISON:

Has your definition of success changed recently?

Sean Riddle:

Absolutely.

I still care about artistry and legacy, of course. But success means something more personal to me now too. Emotional peace. Proper rest. Stability. Healthy relationships. Creative freedom. Feeling connected to myself outside of productivity.

For a long time, I measured my value through output and emotional usefulness.

Now I think fulfillment requires balance, otherwise eventually you disappear inside what everybody else needs from you.

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UNISON:

Last question. What do you hope people understand about Sean Riddle after hearing Submerge?

Sean Riddle:

That sensitivity is not weakness.

I feel things deeply. I notice things deeply. But there is strength in that too.

This album is not about falling apart. It is about finally becoming honest enough to stop pretending life has not shaped you.