Meet Ryan Sheker
Recently I came across an artist, Ryan Sheker, during Amplified Studios’ open mic night! Here is an interview with him.
WHAT INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY, AND WHEN DID YOU START YOUR MUSIC CAREER?
“I play guitar and sing as well as dabble in other instruments, but I have always been more of a writer. So the pen and pad and voice recorder are my real instruments.”
WHAT GOT YOU/HOW DID YOU GET INTO SONGWRITING?
“I taught myself guitar in my late teens to put music to the lyrics I was writing.”
WHAT DO YOU USE TO GET INSPIRATION FOR YOUR SONGS?
“I put off any pursuit of music for 15 years until I had a bit of mid-life clarity. Writing had always brought me joy, but I was more concerned with fitting societal expectations.”
“Also, had issues with never feeling like I was good enough, comfortable enough financially, or fit enough for people to take me seriously. Essentially I was taking myself too seriously and suffering in the process.”
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO SONGWRITERS LOOKING TO IMPROVE?
“So about a year ago I really started writing and the more I did, the easier it became. Biggest thing to become a better writer: 1. Start 2. Write about what you know 3. do it for you, not for others 4(most importantly) understand they aren't all going to be winners. I write 3-5 songs a week and will only release 1. That being said, it means I have a backlog of 20 songs that are ready to go.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE/MOST MEMORABLE LIVE SHOW STORY?
“I was at a show where they accidentally had me close after the headliners. It was a big show and a lot of their fans turned up. When they went off the stage I got the benefit of the smoke machine, lighting, and the large crowd to perform to. Seeing them get completely into what I was doing was incredible.”
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEWEST RELEASE, “WE CAN MICRODOSE.” WHAT WAS THE RECORDING PROCESS LIKE?
“For ‘We Can Microdose’ an acquaintance of mine had a note on Instagram saying ‘Baby we are microdosing tonight.’ I went through my beat to find something that was ethereal to fit the theme. Then, I reached out to some friends who microdose to do some research. A lot of their comments were incorporated one way or another in the final song. Finally, I wanted to tell a story and paint a picture within the song. This was probably a 2-hour process plus an hour in the studio to record.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG OUT OF THE ONES YOU HAVE RELEASED SO FAR?
“I love them all. I think the collabs are my favorite. ‘Brazen’ features the rapper $anthi and his verse is top tier. Plus it is visually a captivating song. Currently, I’m working on a live band version with Burning Desire.”
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RELEASE PLANS, I’VE HEARD THAT YOU HAVE A PLAN TO RELEASE A SONG EVERY TWO WEEKS.
“You are correct, I have songs scheduled to be released every 2 weeks indefinitely. I got to a point where I stopped waiting for it to be the right time and just decided to make the time right. Scheduling in this way makes it so there is less anxiety and as I have done this, I have seen wonderful growth in my socials as well as streaming services.”
WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE?
“Cool note: I'm releasing these first 7 songs separately, but I recorded them as an EP. So when they are bundled up in the correct order for "The Lost Boy EP" you can feel the cohesiveness and understand the story. I believe it is a complete 25-minute piece of art.”