Ryan Neal

 

Detroit-based singer/musician

/producer Ryan Neal fuses

hip-hop-inspired production with

soulful vocals, slinky guitar lines,

vibey electric piano and funky bass

riffs to create a sound that is both

 nostalgic and fresh.

 

Neal grew up in a home that

 encouraged creativity, and began

 playing guitar shortly after watching

 the movie School of Rock as a

teenager.

 

“I remember coming home from

 elementary school and watching

TRL (Total Request Live) with my

sisters every single day. This was a

huge contrast to my parent’s music

 which consisted of the Beach Boys,

 Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and

 countless other popular artists from

 the 50s through the 70s,” says Neal.

 

These influences slowly began

taking shape and he started writing

 songs in his late teens at Michigan

 State University. After college,

Neal moved to Nashville, TN and

began kicking around the scene as

an aspiring solo artist. However, it

wasn’t until he moved back to

Michigan and embarked on a

three-month journey to Nova Scotia,

 Canada, where he found his roots

as an artist.

 

“I rented a beautiful house in the

middle of the woods on a secluded

 lake near the ocean for dirt cheap,”

Neal said. “It was surreal. I lived a life

 of complete seclusion – writing

music, learning production,

kayaking, fishing and living off the

grid.”

 

After returning home, Neal was able

 to synthesize everything he’d

learned up until that point and began

 a quest of writing, producing and

 recording his debut EP at home in

 Michigan. As a musician, Neal is

 comfortable on many instruments

and uses whatever is at hand for

 inspiration when crafting a song.

 

“A handful of safety pins and a

container of garlic salt can be just

as useful as a guitar when you know

 what to do with them,” says Neal.

 

In December 2018, Neal released

his debut single, “Hang Tight”, which

 features a mid-tempo funk groove,

 jazz-flavored chords, Latin

percussion and a catchy vocal hook

that propels the song forward and

keeps you humming along

afterwards. “Hang Tight” is just a

sample of what’s to come off his

debut EP, Up My Sleeve, which is set

 to release in late January/early

 February 2019.

 

He desires to keep writing music,

 producing for others and playing live

 as much as possible in 2019. Keep

your eye out for this Detroit artist

that’s striving to merge the soul of

 Motown with the funk of the 70s

and polish of modern production.