One of our favorite acts, singer/songwriter Dru Ryan took time out from his hectic schedule to talk about his latest project I Need You to Fight. The album is available on all major streaming platforms.
Tell us about your new project, I Need You to Fight. What inspired it?
Life. Balancing work, performances, demands for justice, struggles I’ve seen others live through, my romantic life, and my personal life contributed to this project. It’s also the desire to set the example for younger generations of my family to see how possible it is to take the intangible, make it tangible, influence the world around the you, and build a brand.
How does this project differ from your previous work?
I own the masters from this project. I didn’t collaborate with other writers for my lyrics. Lyrics and vocals that I performed were written by me. My features wrote their own verses. Shout out to Obed Pagan(So Addicted) as well as Jax the Geenius and GMoney Payroll(Change Jersey Features). Listeners are receiving my authentic passion for music and my pains in life. I’m fully satisfied with this journey through music.
What would you say is your favorite song at this time?
Each song on the project has a special meaning to me. Looking at everyone who’s losing loved ones to COVID and other health issues makes “I Need You to Fight” relevant everyday. Some moments I want to go out and 2 step, some days I want to hit up an ex and “So Addicted” is the vibe. When I think of how Breonna Taylor still hasn’t received justice makes both versions of “Change” a mood. At the end of the day, I’m 35 and still learning, making “So Focused” an underlying background song of every waking moment.
You have incredible instrumentation throughout your songs. How do you select tracks?
When I’m listening to instrumentals, I listen for something that matches the mood I’m in. Once the music matches my writing mood, I go to work and express how I’m feeling in the moment. This way it’s raw emotion, for those songs, and not mass produced or manufactured. The music sets the mood and I tell the story.
In what ways do you prepare for a studio session?
I have an amateur set up at home that I work with. I use that to map vocals for recording at Polygon Studios. I make sure my flash drives have adequate space for nee versions of anything I’m working on. I practice different inflections of lines and delivery before I set foot in the studio. Time is money. If I run out of steam on a certain song mid-session, I work on something else and take all progress I made home to continue later.
How has COVID-19 affected your personal life and music career?
I used to frequent open mics and showcases wherever I could find one to get to. Now, I’m selective with where I perform and how often. Not all venues take COVID precautions seriously, so I travel with personal performance equipment now(sanitization wipes, corded mics, cordless mics, and mic stands), instead of relying on venues to provide the equipment. I work my 9-5 from home instead of driving into the office everyday, so I’m able to invest more into my music instead of paying for gas to go places. Social media is so much more important to building collaborative relationships and organically network. COVID ultimately didn’t stop me from releasing “I Need You to Fight”, so there are still ways to get work done.
What’s can your fans expect from you in the immediate future?
COVID has provided a fresh perspective for me on dating and relationships, so that’ll influence the next EP, which I’m currently writing. I’ll be taking my time to release that, as I intend to put out more videos from “I Need You to Fight” before I release any entire projects. For the immediate future, I’ve been working on covers that’ll be released on my Soundcloud, and I’m always open to suggestions and requests. Thank for sharing space on your platform with me.
BE’N ORIGINAL
Photo by Jewelz @ Revibe FM Entertainment
