Alt-pop breakout artist Ryan Woods is redefining the music scene with his deeply introspective songwriting and genre-defying sound. With each song that has been released, he continues to reveal his artistic growth, crafting songs that feel intimate yet connect with a universal audience. His latest single, "Full Speed Ahead," fuses a unique style all on its own when it comes to its energetic edge and soul-searching lyrics, which showcase his talent along with his fun personality. I recently had the chance to talk with Ryan about his journey as an artist, creative process on the new song, and what fans can expect from him next. Here's what he had to say.
MSM: How would you say your musical style has evolved since your debut EP, The King of the Basement?
Ryan: I'd say it's, to put it simply, really just matured. I lean more into slightly different influences, and I take my time in the studio a little more seriously. I'm a little bit more meticulous about what I'm writing. I guess to sum it up, it's a lot less messing around because that's kind of how I made that first one. My room in the back of my parents house was in the basement, and I wrote a lot of those songs there. I was just kind of messing around. I had a computer and some instruments and was kind of seeing what would happen. This time around, I have experience being in studios and more experience writing, and just a lot more time to really dig into the details of every song. So yeah, I guess it's the same approach, but more in-depth, more detailed, and more care and time are put into everything.
MSM: Has there been any obstacles that you have faced in your music career, and how have you overcome them?
Ryan: Definitely plenty. For starters, Covid was probably the biggest obstacle an artist could face when they are debuting. I just finished King of the Basement, and was ready to put it out. I just moved to LA, like 3 months before Covid hit, so it was pretty jarring, moving to LA and having this project that's ready to be put out, and suddenly the world shuts down. I couldn't tour my project, I can't go out in public, and I can't even do sessions to make new songs. It kind of threw all my plans and opportunities up into the air, and I was like, "What's gonna land when this is all over?" So yeah, that was probably the big one, and a lot of people were also struggling. It's not like I could sit around and be upset that I was the only person that was affected by this whole thing. So I don't know if that made it better or worse knowing that the whole world was also faced with this same obstacle. Other than that, I did have my typical share of trouble with labels, and I just started working with Christiana recently. I did have a manager for a very long time, and we kind of decided to part ways after a very long time, so I feel like I'm checking all the boxes of a developing artist. Having trouble with labels, management, navigating the world of social media, and crafting an identity on there. All while trying to also figure out who I am as a person, too. I feel like this kind of feeds the art and is similar to a cycle of life: creating art and being an artist, the art also creates life for me. To end my rant, finding balance is key with not running out of life to live to create art, but you're also not running out of art, which creates life. Anyways, yeah, that's my TED Talk.
MSM: What inspired "Full Speed Ahead," and what message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from it?
Ryan: It's about essentially falling in love with somebody but pinpointing a more specific feeling. So, especially when you're young or it's your first love or something, it's very pure when you're crushing on that person. It's pretty simple; it's like, "I like you and want to be around you, this and that." My experience with that first love blew up in my face, basically, and consequently every new relationship I had from then on, that was in the back of my mind as a fear. There's like this once beautiful aspect of life, like falling in love with somebody or liking somebody, that was now sort of tainted by this one experience I had that made me fear this supposedly beautiful thing. So, the song is kind of about that. In general, if I were to put it in a story time, a love interest entered my life, and I was like, "Whoa, this is great. I think it's really cool that I do have feelings for somebody who's special." It's really special and worth exploring. Then there's the other side of the fence now that's been built from past experiences of being aware of all the ways it could also go wrong for me. So, the song itself is pinpointing that sort of anxious and uneasy feeling of "I love loving people. I love the act of being interested and infatuated with somebody ." It's great and beautiful, but I can't ignore my weariness of all the potential ways this could go wrong, and I'm doing my best to ignore those things, but also, what if I'm right! It's about the confusion towards this will to want to fall into this pit of love with somebody but knowing how dangerous that can be. It's this imagery of a deer in headlights where you're just like, "Do you just cross the road or get out of the way because you're about to get hit by a truck?" Which is a lyric in the song, "This feeling hits me like a truck." Then suddenly you're walking down this path with this person that you can't really stop because you're suddenly in this developing relationship. So, to walk away from it would feel a bit disingenuous and potentially evil. There's so much confusion when you've gone through a heartbreak, and there's heaviness in the weariness of things you normally wouldn't feel, or whatever the case. So, yeah, the song is about noticing that feeling of being in that grey while enjoying the beautiful side of love but also fearing the darker sides of it, knowing what it could bring to your life.
MSM: Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process? Do you start with lyrics, melodies, or a particular emotion?
Ryan: Yeah, like what I was talking about earlier. I feel like life is the food for art. This is kind of my real philosophy; it's going to sound weird, so bear with me. Life is the food; art is the poop. It is! We digest this food and process it, and it goes through your system, then you have to use the restroom. You know, poop it out. There's good food, and there's bad food. There are so many different kinds of food that turn into different emotions, and we're always processing it. I've had conversations with other artists where they basically use that template of describing, and they tell me that they like to write at different points in the process, you know, when the feeling hasn't been really processed yet. For me personally, I like to wait until the end of that process when it's fully digested and broken down, where I'm left with the fully processed version of this thing. I've written songs too early sometimes when I'm very emotional and am not seeing things clearly, and I almost write the song in a way that's harmful to the person or thing I'm writing about. I personally like to pursue peace and love in as many ways as I can and balance. I think writing angrily leads to, I don't know. Ok, it's like you've eaten a bunch of spicy foods and then go to the bathroom and it hurts, you know. So, for me, it's like living a good life, pursuing peace and love, eating good food, healthy food, and productively making art and writing songs is how I process and manage the waste. Sorry, that's such a funny metaphor to use, but it's the most real way I can describe what the process is like. So, yeah, then when it comes to actually writing the song, I'm left with this emotion or lesson or whatever it is I'm writing about. I have this very zoomed-out view on it, and I like to think my music is productive to listen to. If you listen to lyrics and really try to learn from them, it will do you well. There's something to take from it; there's a perspective that's helpful or something. Even if it's a silly song, like "Bad Texter," it's a pretty unserious song. I wrote it because I was like, "Hey, maybe I should be a little better at communicating and reaching out to people and not ignore the world." That's kind of my process. I don't like to write about something if I think the process of emotion is unhelpful and unproductive not only for me to write about, but also for the world to listen to. I really think music is healing, and it makes people feel related to and less alone about specific emotions. The more specific I can get about an emotion and about the way I process it and view it and get over it in my writing, then that's me doing my job as an artist to contribute to the world of art, music, and lyrics. So, yeah, that is the philosophy.
MSM: The song has been described as a dreamy, slow burn with 60s-inspired harmonies. Was this a deliberate stylistic choice, or did it just happen naturally?
Ryan: Yeah, it was kind of deliberate. So this was the case in which I started writing the song, kind of relating it to the last question. I think I talked more about the emotional process of the writing than I did about the physical making of the music. So, to add to that, this was the case where I started with the production first and then kind of tailored a fitting concept to it as I went along with the production. The intro to the song was exactly where this song started. I had the chords on the guitar. I was like, "Oh, it would be cute if there was a whistle thing," and then I used this pitch shifter plug-in called Vera Speed. I used it to basically record the song at a really slow speed and then speed it back up so it pitches the vocals up, and it makes it sound like my voice was sampled from a vinyl record from the 60s. It started with that, and then from there I was like, "Yeah, I kind of like this little barbershop quartet." It felt like the intro to a Disney cartoon or something, and from there I wrote the rest of the song, and then I got to the chorus. I was like, "I kind of want to go crazy into, like, a rock thing." When I write, I'm doing everything at once. I might start with the production, but then I don't finish the production and then write a little bit of the song to go with the production that I have. Then I'm like, "Ok, where does this go from here?" because now I have a concept brewing and then I have a production brewing as well. So then I either write something that kind of takes the lead and drives where the production is going to be and vice versa. So, in this case I knew what I was writing about now, and I was like, "Yeah, how do I capture this feeling of spiraling into this grey area of being in a relationship?" I was like, "Yeah, rock chorus. Let's do it!" So I ended up there. Sorry, I said too much for your question, but yeah, the 60s thing was deliberate.
MSM: No worries! I love that answer! So, following up on the lyrics of the song which I know you talked about earlier. Lines like "I'm roadkill for the birds" are vivid but so creative. Can you elaborate on the imagery behind the lyrics?
Ryan: I think just from an early age metaphors and analogies were captivating to me. I was raised Christian as well, so there were so many metaphors and analogies that were described in the Bible, so I don't know if that's where the core of my need to make metaphors of everything comes from, but yeah, I kind of touched on it earlier. The imagery I was going for was like a deer in headlights with this idea of being frozen, and there's this mysterious light coming towards you, and you're just a deer, thinking, "What is this? Do I keep going, but you're frozen in front of this weird light? What's gonna happen?" Then suddenly the truck is life itself coming at you. So, yeah, I think a very strong concept I use throughout the song is duality, and there's so much warmth and beauty in love, but, in the wrong hands, this power can be used for evil very easily, and there's a lot of fear there. So, for the chorus, it's like, "It's going full speed ahead; I'm living, but I'm dead. I'm dying to give you my heart." Not like I want to love you so bad, but it's also killing me going through all this fear to give you my heart. I feel like "roadkill for the birds." I'm just left in the middle of the road, ready to be picked apart. I want to give in to this thing so badly, but I also fear it so badly as well. I guess the lyrical tool I'm using the most is duality and metaphors that kind of go along with that.
MSM: Your style is always so cool and unique. Do you see a connection between your fashion and your music? How do they influence each other?
Ryan: When I come to express myself in any way, whether that's through fashion, music, or whatever, usually some words that come to mind are ideas of warmth, comfort, and balance. Even purity at times. So, with fashion, there's a time and place to dress up, but from a day-to-day standpoint, I like to be comfy, but I also like to look interesting at the same time. Usually if I'm wearing something like some crazy pants, then I'll wear a comfy sweater or a shirt with it. Something like that. Everything needs to balance out, whether it's the colors I'm wearing or the style that I'm wearing. I like to mix and match things in ways that complement the other thing. Yeah, so right now I'm in a hoodie and sweatpants. So, yeah, it's a Monday, and I'm sitting at home doing an interview. Yeah, time and place too. I get so happy when I nail my outfit for what it is that I'm doing, and it's kind of unsatisfying. Even if I was dressed up 30 minutes ago, I would have put this on just to feel centered in this vibe. I guess that's another area of the fashion policy for me.
MSM: What can fans anticipate next in your musical journey? Anything you're particularly excited about?
Ryan: Really, just this project I'm rolling out, and I've been working on it for, like, four years now. The obstacle of Covid, as we talked about, granted me the time to take this long working on this project, and I'm so ready to roll it out and for people to hear it finally. I feel like an overdue baby or like a pregnant woman years overdue. I'm feeling like I just want to get this baby out of me, you know. I'm excited for the world to meet my baby and to see my baby grow. So, yeah, it's the same sort of excitement. There's a thing I worked very hard on for many years, and it's finally seeing the light of day. I'm excited for everyone to hear it and to see what sort of life it creates for me, as I was talking about earlier. I'm also excited to play it live. I have a show coming up May 20 that I'll be playing some new stuff at, and then throughout the year there will be some more shows. So, I guess everyone can look forward to me doing all the things that an artist does. Releasing music, playing shows, and being way too online.
MSM: I've actually discovered a lot of my favorite artist through social media and online platforms, so it really does work!
Ryan: It's necessary, for sure, and definitely the best way we've ever had to reach people, and I definitely wouldn't have a career without it. So with that, I'm just trying to have fun online and make some funny videos and promote my music. All those things.
MSM: Is there anything you'd like to say to fans who have stuck with you since the beginning, or maybe to those that are just now discovering your music for the first time?
Ryan: I would like to say this, because it's what I'm learning in life these days: just keep swimming. That life is hard and confusing, but essentially what you put into it, you get out of it. So, yeah, just keep swimming. It's going to be alright, and it's going to be great. I'm stoked!
