Riley Burruss visited The Sharpton Sisters to discuss what it was like growing up with her mother, The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss.
The Sharpton Sisters talk to Riley Burruss about the experience of growing up with a celebrity and how it influenced their lives, whether it be throughout childhood, school life, or professional careers.
When asked about what it was like to grow up with a parent in the industry, Riley Burruss said,
“I think it was pretty cool, I feel like when you have a parent, whose grown up with that life, you’re able to learn a lot and have a lot of cool experiences. So, I was able to go to a lot of concerts and meet a lot of cool people…It can be kind of stressful, but looking back on it, I’m glad I was able to experience those things rather than not…”
But fame does not just bring adoration. It also brings criticism. Her thoughts on that were,
“I think it can definitely be stressful, because when you’re young and on TV, you’re exposed to a lot of outside criticism that you wouldn’t be, compared to if you weren’t on TV…just the constant outside criticism…I’m not like my mom, where I’m on the show constantly. So, a lot of people don’t know that much about me, but it’s a lot of assumptions and people using things that they saw from when I was like 10…that’s really hard, especially because most people are much older than me, and it’s different when you have criticism from people your age, but when it’s like an adult talking down on you it feels kind of sad.”
Not only was her mother in the public eye, but Riley Burruss was in the public eye as well, something she discussed with The Sharpton Sisters as they gave an insight into what it meant to go to a private school and be watched by the public.
However, Riley Burruss does admit that there are perks to having a famous parent,
“The biggest thing that is helpful is obviously the connections she’s made and the experiences she can tell me. I can learn so much from her, and I just love being able to call her and give me the whole run down…”
Kandi Burruss’ career also helped inspire and influence the direction Riley Burruss went regarding her interest in entertainment and music. She is enrolled at NYU and is interning at a label.
When discussing her music career, Riley Burruss said,
“Since she [Kandi] was in the music industry, ever since I was younger, I knew I wanted to do something related to the music industry…and I don’t think I would’ve known that without her [Kandi]…Seeing my mom in the studio, collaborating with other artists…I really like R&B and Hip-Hop, but I want to focus on Atlanta music. And of course, 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…I really want to work on AR and developing more artists coming from Atlanta.”
The Sharpton Sisters airs on FOX SOUL every Wednesday at 9:00 pm ET.
