Singer Ryan Beatty caused a Twitter frenzy yesterday when he announced his much-anticipated EP will be released in just two weeks on July 24. Fans of the 16-year-old YouTube breakout star and Teen Choice nominee have been tweeting nonstop for months in hopes of getting any information regarding Ryan's new music. Friends, the wait is finally over!
I caught up with Ryan to get you all the deets about 'Because of You' and the message behind it. Check out our interview below!
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|Related: Past Interview: Ryan sticks to his roots while recording debut album|
Ology: So it's official! Your EP is coming out July 24. What has been the response so far?
Ryan Beatty: Well, it’s been an amazing response. It was trending this morning and it’s been trending all day. I was really excited about that and really shocked to see all the support that people have given. It’s truly amazing and it’s such a blessing. When I saw it this morning, I just tweeted it out, and I didn’t expect anything, you know, people freaking out. But this tweeting was making my day. People were so excited about it, and I was so excited about it as well, I’m not going to lie.
What's the significance behind the EP title 'Because of You'?
The title itself, it’s because of my fans that I’m here. I know everyone kind of says that – "because of my fans" – but I literally and truly mean it’s because of my fans. Without them, I would not be sitting here and be doing the things I do and getting to work on new music and get to live my dream, so it’s because of them that I’m doing all this. So this EP is really dedicated to them and dedicated to what they’ve done for me.
What can you tell us about it? Do we know how many songs or anything like that?
Well, you know, I’m excited because I’ve had a single out, but it’s my first work of music. More like 5 or 6 songs. We’re still debating on whether 5 or 6. I want 6 so I can give the fans more, but we’re still trying to decide that. But I’m really excited for people to hear these songs because we’ve been working really hard on them.
Did you get to choose the ones you wanted? How involved were you in the process?
Well, probably too involved! (laughs) I mean, there were times where I did a song and I would be calling my manager every day like, "Look, I like these songs," and he’s like, "Dude, it’s 1 in the morning, why are you calling me about this?" I’m so involved in this whole thing because it means so much to me and I’ve taken this on as my life, pretty much. I want to be as involved as much as possible. You know, choosing the songs, I helped make all these decisions.
What kind of story does the EP tell? What kind of subjects are addressed in the songs?
Well, there are a few love songs, but there are also some different songs. There’s one, "Hey L.A." and it’s written about the first time I ever came to L.A. and my experience about that. I loved it. The first time I ever came to L.A. was one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had, so I wrote it about that. Also, it kind of has a different meaning to it too because my family, we just moved. So it’s kind of like a new chapter in my life.
So all the songs are very personal to you?
Yes, definitely! I got to help co-write all of them. So within this whole process, I definitely know I’m growing as an artist, but I’m growing as a songwriter. I got to see these songs get produced and be in there while they were getting produced, so I was very hands-on with the whole thing, and I think that’s one thing that I really appreciate about my team, letting me do that. People will get to hear my writing style as well.
Will you have a lead single? Where are you in deciding what it will be?
Yeah, I will. "Every Little Thing" did really well, and I was excited about that, but we’re still deciding on the single. I don’t want to make any announcement yet about that because I’m not entirely sure. But there will be a new single and a new video as well.
What can you tell us about the little sneak peek you posted on Twitter?
The video kind of captures... it’s so short so it’s kind of hard to like take all of it in, but I was in the studio with John Fields, who produced a lot of the songs on the EP and hopefully he’ll be producing a lot of the songs on the album because he’s one of my favorite producers. We were in the studio, and it was just kind of a snippet of ["Hey L.A."]. I didn’t really get permission to put that out, but I wanted to put it out anyway because I just wanted to show my fans. But my team was cool about it. They weren’t mad at all. I was like,"They’re going to kill me for this" (laughs).
You have another show coming up at the Roxy, right? Are the fans going to be able to hear all your new stuff?
Yeah, I’m excited for the Roxy show because it’s kind of like a celebration for my release of the EP, and it’s cool because it’s like a week before the EP release. So fans who actually go to the show, they get to hear some of the songs that are going to be on the EP that I’ve never sang live before, so it’s kind of like a premiere, and I’m so excited. I’m going to do a few new covers my fans have been super requesting that I haven’t covered yet, so I think they’re going to love that as well. I’m excited though, because this is my first show where I have a ton of original songs. So it’s more of like a real show, rather than a cover show.
Is that nerve-wrecking for you at all?
No, it’s more of an exciting thing, I guess you could say. I’ve been waiting to do this my whole life, and now that I finally have this opportunity, it feels amazing and it’s all because of my fans and that’s why I also named the title.
Are you working on a full-length album?
Well, after this EP – even during the release of the EP – I’ll still be working on my album and hopefully it’ll be out later this year. So I’m really looking forward to that, but I’m excited to release this EP because it’s kind of like a snippet of what’s going to be on my upcoming album.
Are fans going to be shocked by the style or is it going to be very Ryan Beatty?
Oh, it will be 100% Ryan Beatty. Every song that you hear on the EP and the album, it’s going to be my complete style that I’ve always imagined myself to have.
Now, I have to ask you about your Teen Choice Award nomination. Where were you when you found out?
I was in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it was like 11:30 and I’d just woken up because the time difference. It was actually like 9:00 in California, so I was tired and my phone was buzzing. I was like, "What the heck is going on?" So I checked my phone and I had like 25 text messages and like 5 missed calls. I was like "What’s happening? I don’t understand." I got a call from my sister, so I answered it, and she was like, "You’re nominated for a Teen Choice Award." And I said, "No way. There’s no way this is happening!" I was super excited and I didn’t know what to do, honestly. I was just so shocked, and I really just couldn’t believe it. So I just went on Twitter and saw the tweets where people were so excited. It was really cool because all of my fans were celebrating, and I was like "Wow, they’re genuinely excited about this. As excited as I am." So it felt amazing! We were all celebrating.
You’re competing against some of your friends - people you know are really talented. So that has to be flattering.
Yeah, you know, it’s kind of hard to go against your friends, but they all deserve it. Karmin, I just got to do a cover with them, and they’re so hardworking and they deserve it. Especially Cimorelli as well. I got to do a cover with them last year, and they’re so talented and they really deserve to be nominated. So it’s not something that’s like a competition. We’re all really excited about it and supporting each other while we’re still against each other. There are no fights about it or anything. It’s all love, and we’re all excited for each other.
Did you even think about how you would react if you won?
Oh, I don’t even want to know (laughs). I don’t what I would do! Honestly, it would be the craziest thing ever. I mean, even to be nominated, it’s still a shock. It’s something I’m looking forward to telling my kids when I’m older. Like, "Yeah, I was nominated for a Teen Choice Award." They’re going to be like "No way!"
At 16 years old, that’s pretty impressive!
Thank you!
Obviously, this year has been crazy for you. So many cool things have happened. Your fans wanted to know - is there a particular moment that sticks out for you?
I think my favorite moment of this year... well, going to China was pretty cool. That’s one of my, I’d say, Top 5. But one of the cool things I got to do was I got to go to "Backstage at the Grammy's," and got to see people running the show. It was the day before the Grammy’s and I got to meet all these crazy talented people. Like I got to meet the Beach Boys – that was insane. It was the craziest thing ever, and I got to see all of these people, so it was one of those things where I was so excited. It’s always been one of my dreams to go to the Grammy’s, so going to that was amazing.
How excited are you for 'Because of You'? Let us know in the comments!
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