If you're lucky, you probably recognise Ryan Charles from a WA school tour he did this year.
Here he talks about finding his sound, his biggest influences and why he has worked so darn hard on his music.
1. Ryan! We are loving 5 am in Toronto, tell us how that song came about:
Not a lot of people realise, but it's actually a remix of an unreleased Drake song that I've always loved. Really it was just a nice musical canvas for me to vent what was on my heart at the time.
2. How would you describe your sound?:
Dark, Vulnerable, intense & passionate.
Musically I'm definitely still trying to find myself exactly, but I'd say a blend of UK hip hop and alternative RnB.
3. Who would you say are your greatest musical influences and who is on repeat for you at the moment?:
Without a doubt, my biggest overall influence would be Micheal Jackson! What I loved most about him was his incredible showmanship and attention to detail. But over the years I've had a broad range of musical influences from Haley Williams (Paramore) to Drake, Underoath to Allen Stone, The Script to Brian Mcknight. But over the last couple of years the atmospheric, textured 'Toronto sound' pioneered by 'The Weeknd' has been on constant repeat.
4. You perform to quite a wide range of audiences, what do you love most about performing?:
Performing! To be totally honest, I think I am actually more passionate about performing than actually singing/rapping! I guess because I have never been the greatest singer or rapper, I've always had to constantly strive to make up for it with good performances. But I love it, I love the creative process of thinking up new and original ways to engage a crowd, or to further connect them to a song. It literally is my biggest passion!
5. When did you decide that music was something you wanted to pursue and what have you done to develop your skills?:
Interestingly enough, I didn't even study music at school. I knew I was always a decent singer from a young age, but for whatever reason it took me until I was 19 to finally take it seriously. I dropped my business degree and for one whole year I spent a fortune on singing lessons and theory books and eventually got accepted into the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. I've also always been heavily involved in church worship teams, which has certainly developed my skills.
6. Tell us a little about how your life experiences influence your song writing and art:
I'm a firm believer that true art will always be a reflection of your own life experiences. Unfortunately today we are constantly bombarded with music that is the complete opposite. Our musical idols sing about money we will never have, cars we will never see and women we will never meet and for some reason we all just seem to sing along, ha!
I guess for me as an artist, I've always wanted my music to be relatable and to mean something to real people going through real lives.
7. Do you have any advice for others wanting to pursue music like you?:
As cheesy and over said as this sounds, if you actually want to do music, JUST DO IT! You have no idea how much you can grow and develop if you actually put the time and the effort in. But be warned, the journey of developing yourself into a great artist is not glamorous at all. It's late nights, thousands of hours and practice with no crowds.
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