Feature'It's lovely to have created a very conscious bond with Liverpool'

With my music I’m just trying to take every moment as it comes. Last year I achieved so many things that I never even dreamt of. I realised how important it is to enjoy the ride and take it for what it is.

I feel really settled as a solo musician and also with Paul Heaton, who I’ve been performing with on some huge stages. On a personal level, I’m really at home in the city of Liverpool now as well, it feels like I have my place in the world.

I’ve always felt that Glasgow and Liverpool are very similar cities, but I feel like Liverpool is the centre of the earth. There are so many amazing people and musicians from all walks of life.

When things started taking off for me during lockdown, I wanted to see beyond the Glasgow horizon and Liverpool was just calling to me. If there’s anywhere in the world you’re going to go for music, I think it should be Liverpool. I’ve quickly found a community here as well.

One of the most important things in my journey, and moving down here, was actually LFC. When I first moved, I didn’t know anybody, but I met so many people just by going to the pub and watching the match.

I was always a fan of Liverpool but obviously being Scottish, Celtic was my team as well. After moving down here, I started to really get into the Reds. It was almost like the team found me and I found them. A lot of the time your football team is inherited through your family but for me, it was a very conscious bond, which is lovely.

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My support feels even more natural with the links between Liverpool FC and Celtic. I think it’s the fact that we’ve shared so many legends over the years. Those icons who have paved the way for both cities within football like Sir Kenny [Dalglish] and more recently Virgil [van Dijk].

The latter was such a legend when I was growing up, even though he was only there for such a short time. He really changed things for us, that was one of the best Celtic eras in my lifetime. It sort of softens the blow of those players leaving because you know they deserve the move.

I try to lean proudly into my Scottish heritage through my songwriting as well. There’s so much history within the country. Even though we’re part of the UK we’re our own place in the same way Liverpool is.

It’s so important to find out your roots and where you came from because it gives you your stamp in the world. If you have your heritage that’s something nobody can take away from you. I think it’s very convenient a lot of the folk and Celtic tunes are class as well.

I’d describe myself as a ‘country-pop prinnie’. There’s a country and folk element in the music, but there is a commercial side to it. It’s whimsical, but I’m cut from working-class cloth so I’m still rough as toast.

I’ve got a bigger body of work coming and on that release, it was important to show every aspect of who I am. There’s quite folky songs on there, but it felt dead important to me to show how proud I am of my roots, which I do on my most recent single The Song Of Old Glencoe. With all the melodies and the strings, it’s a wee glimpse of Rianne Downey.

It’s going to be a busy year. I have more dates coming up singing with Paul Heaton, which has been a beautiful rollercoaster. Last year I got to perform at Glastonbury on the Pyramid Stage with Paul, which was just so euphoric. The adrenaline I felt walking out there was just so crazy, it went by so quickly but I just remember this total high and this buzz.

I realised the other day that I’m the same age as Alexis Mac Allister. He’s won the World Cup and someone said to me the other day that performing on the Pyramid is as close as you can get to it in the musical world!

• Rianne was speaking to Rhys Buchanan for the official Liverpool FC matchday programme. Back issues are available here.