Ryan Nealon is a young up and coming artist making his name known out of Los Angeles, California! As an unsigned artist, Nealon has over 100,000 streams, plays, and views combined! His most recent singles “Closer” and “City” has garnered nothing but absolute success for the gifted artist Ryan Nealon.
Ryan’s new release “Sleepwalking” feat. Kylie Rothfield is an impressive track and a change in pace for the young, bright artist. Not the first time we’ve seen Ryan Nealon do a collaboration, but Kylie Rothfield’s vocals math perfectly well with Ryan’s on “Sleepwalking”. The set-up has that ambient pop-rock warmth, and the vocal has character, but this long-form melody, these lyrics, and the way the concept develops, all genuinely leans in enough of a new direction to give the whole thing a refreshing edge.“Sleepwalking” a great song, smooth vocals help add a real hint of soul, then just occasionally a moment of pop creeps in from the distance, but all in all, you can feel the live element. The voice in particular sounds upfront and honest laid bare and lost in the performance. There’s even a touch of something a little jazz-like during the instrumental breakaway. “Sleepwalking” features great songwriting, a pleasure to listen through and a breath of fresh air right now in the music scene!
Listen to “Sleepwalking” ft. Kylie Rothfield here and read more with Ryan Nealon below!
Welcome back, Ryan Nealon! It’s such a pleasure to be featuring your new single “Sleepwalking” with Kylie Rothfield. How did this collaboration come about?
Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I had a blast making this song and performing it with Kylie. Basically, I wrote this track in a cabin a year ago, and knew immediately that I wanted it to be a duet, and Kylie is one hell of a singer and an artist so I knew I wanted it to be featuring her. Outside of music, Kylie’s also my best friend, so it was super cool getting to work on this song with her—she also co-produced the track!
How long have you been making music Ryan, and what’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as an artist in recent years?
I’ve been making music honestly since I can remember. My music career technically started when 5-year old Ryan sang Dixie Chicks songs to my grandma and the other old folks in the Alzheimer’s Facility she was staying at, but officially speaking I’ve been releasing and performing my music since 2013. The biggest lesson I’ve learned thus far would definitely be patience. As an artist, we tend to want things yesterday, and I had so many dark periods in my life where I felt like other people were holding me back and I wasn’t able to rise as fast as I had hoped. This definitely put a fire under my ass though and made me push even harder, so I guess to sum it up, be patient and when you fall down just keep getting back up, and grow from your mistakes.
Tell us what “Sleepwalking” means to you? How did the overall creation/recording process for this particular song go?
"Sleepwalking" is about pursuing someone who isn't good for you, but you want to pursue them anyway. This song is inspired by a relationship I had in the past--we would never give enough effort, but we would give JUST enough to not want to leave. It was almost like the relationship was a black hole that kept pulling us in, and we felt like we couldn't escape. Ultimately, I wanted to write something that portrayed the dark side of dating, especially when you fall in love with someone knowing how toxic you both are for each other. The making of this release took a village and was definitely a group effort. This track was written by myself and Bret Paddock, and was produced by Kylie, and multi-award winning producer Zack Djurich (Kanye West, NAS, Teyana Taylor). Zack also mixed/mastered the track at his studio in North Hollywood, CA.
What would you say is the most useful piece of criticism you’ve received thus far within your career? Do you typically take criticism to your advantage?
I think the best piece of criticism I got was to not take myself so seriously. I was losing a lot of the joy I got while creating music because I was so scared and worried about the logistics behind each release. How much press the song will get, how many streams, etc., and although I still definitely focus on that, I’m able to see through both the business and the fun perspective. I absolutely take all the criticism I can get. You’re never too old or too experienced to stop learning and growing.
Thank you so much for chatting with us once again! We know that your music is known for rooting itself in innovation and a sense of modernity. Where do you search for and/or end up finding your inspiration for such contemporary stylings?
I find myself listening to a lot of experimental music. Some of my favorite artists at the moment are Bon Iver, Lianne La Havas, and Emily King, and although this single is definitely rooted in an alternative/pop genre, I take a lot of inspiration from these artists. They demonstrate how you can be classified as one thing, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t branch out and take from other styles. I also listen to a lot of orchestral music, and one of my favorite composers is Joe Hisaishi. Hisaishi’s compositions have really helped me think outside the box when it comes to my music, and it goes to show that although I’m making “pop” music, I still want to make something artistic and something with depth.
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