21-year-old singer RYAHN talks about her single “Sad Boy” and the continuous journey of her fondness for music, art and the cycle of life—an inspiration for her music’s themes. RYAHN, who is of African American, Cuban, and Jamaican or Belizean descent, hails from Broward County, Florida and started her musical journey when she very young.
Photo courtesy of RYAHN
“I fell in love with music when I was a child because my parents immersed me in a lot of beautiful and diverse sounds. Music was a big part of our family time,” she says.
The R&B singer explains that her soulful songs come from a vulnerable place. Her biggest influences in music are Prince, The Delphonics, Marvin Gaye and James Brown, just to name a few. “They paved the way for artists like me to emerge in such a beautifully diverse and limitless creative era,” she explains.
A typical day for the songstress consists of her rising from her slumber and grabbing her guitar to play whatever’s on her heart. “I’ll kind of play the tune by ear and probably eat pizza for sure. I’m my happiest when I’m making music or with the people I love.”
According to RYAHN, different songs come in diverse amusing ways. Sometimes, her formula for songwriting starts with playing the guitar. Other times, she acquires a beat from her friends.
“Other times a song will just flow out of me, and I have no idea how it really happens. In those cases, I perceive it as healing and therapy.
The idea of “Sad Boy” emerged from RYAHN’s realization that “love doesn’t last.” In her single, the songstress discusses a certain situation where she was in a zone in her heart—a place where she didn’t want to leave even though she knew it was time.
“To me, the song really speaks to that melancholic truth of life and the moments we cherish. I want people to lose themselves in the song, make memories to it and live in a moment of happiness and love while it plays.”
RYAHN hopes people will feel the love and pain she felt while writing her song. She believes the production of her friend, BENAMIN, helped captured the emotion in the piece.
“I want people to cherish the moment as much as they can and to live as intensely and purposefully as they can with those they care about. Everything else comes and goes but what we do together will last through realms,” she explains
When RYAHN heard the final version of “Sad Boy,” she shed a few tears because she felt so proud of the girl she was a couple of years ago. It’s a reflection of personal growth and moving on from a time of confusion and sadness.
“The lines that hit me the hardest are ‘hallelujah I thank God I ever knew ya’ and ‘the kisses don’t last and the touch, it don’t last, no we won’t even last.’” According to her, these lyrics explain the true emotion she was trying to convey. She cherishes the moment so much that even though it hurts, she still wouldn’t change it.
“The loss I felt was great but very worth it for the amount of beauty I experienced and the things I learned in the process. The overarching theme to “Sad Boy” connects to all generations because we all experience love and loss.”
BENAMIN perfectly orchestrated the tune’s guitar riffs with his percussion and created an awesome alternative rock sound that conveyed the pain and heartache RYAHN felt when she wrote the song
“I realized I had to be able to record at all times while going through the process of making this EP if I wanted to get it done. Besides recording in New York with BENAMIN, I recorded a lot of the vocals at home,” RYAHN says.
RYAHN’s album title is “Light Blue,” and she wants people to feel inspired and hopeful after listening to it. “I want people to know they can accomplish anything they want no matter what social or economic background they come from.”
In five years, RYAHN hopes to see herself on a world tour with a couple of Grammys working with charities and living happily with her family. Her most memorable gig was when she opened the show for Alunageorge at the Bowery Ballroom because it was her “first legit paid gig”! “I’m a fan of her music so that was a dream come true for me.”
RYAHN leaves a message for singers who are just starting: “Find your voice and everything will fall in line. Realize what it is about making music that makes you happy, try to do as much of that as possible and everything should happen for you eventually.”
Featured Image Courtesy of RYAHN
