Via Mom + Pop, RYMAN releases his debut album Growing Pains today, July 31st. This 11-track album connects with so many people who are in a discovery period of life, and RYMAN puts to words how that emotion takes over. Drawing from his personal life and growth, Growing Pains is an album you don’t want to miss.
RYMAN shares more about the album and his thoughts throughout the process during an interview with Melodic Magazine, along with the overall journey from start to finish.
MM: What was your inspiration to write “Undo,” which is your second track on the new album?
RYMAN: I have gone through the most amount of change that I’ve ever experienced in the last year, and that song came around a season where I was writing a lot of songs, and I feel like a lot of my writing process was thinking of how the songs were gonna be perceived, and that’s how you lose the magic. That is where the whole song stemmed from, and to remember the reason why I got into this in the first place.
Growing Pains is an album of relatability of the raw human emotion of feeling lost, or in a new transitional period that feels daunting. In your experience while writing this album, how did it feel to come to that realization of being confused in life while accepting that everyone goes through that anyway?
I feel it honestly brought me a lot of peace. While writing the song “Growing Pains,” I feel like it was a lot of things that I had been feeling that I hadn’t been able to put into words. It was a very therapeutic thing, and [I’m] not always the best with words and conversation, but for some reason, writing them into a song makes a lot more sense in my brain. I was just feeling super overwhelmed, and there’s a lot of change — good change — but it felt super overwhelming and just like feeling a lot of pressure, but it was freeing to write that for sure.
Being in the industry at such an young age, as well as growing your personal style and themes with your music throughout the years, how do you hope your music affects people now compared to your previous songs?
I’ve been putting music out since I was 14, and I feel like I didn’t have the life experience yet to know what I really wanted to talk about. So, I was saying a whole lot of nothing. But these songs, I feel like they’re kind of emotions that everyone goes through at one point or another in their life. I just hope that it can resonate with some people and touch them in the same way that it has been therapeutic for me. My favorite part about songwriting in general is hearing a song and being like, “wow, I’ve always felt this feeling, but nobody’s ever put it into words for me,” and I hope that that clicks with somebody.
Out of all 11 tracks, which one is your personal favorite?
The closer of the record, “Cut the Cameras.” I was going through a tough time and rethinking my choices on whether this is really what I want to do as a career. I just had to zoom out for a second and count all the good things. And like the end of the song, I gave up on giving up. It’s like, “don’t cut the cameras.” I’m just getting started.
Being born and raised in Nashville, how has the city affected your music career so far, and your overall inspiration?
I feel extremely lucky to have grown up in a town like Nashville, just surrounded by awesome live music and songwriters. My dad is a songwriter, and also the first person I ever started writing songs with, this lady by the name of Marla Cannon Goodman. She’s a phenomenal country writer, and I was best friends with her daughter in kindergarten, and then I started writing my own songs in 8th grade. I was lucky enough to have somebody like her, who’s literally my best friend’s mom, who wants to write songs with me. She taught me a lot, and that experience doesn’t really happen in a lot of other cities. It’s like you don’t see that everywhere else.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or good luck charms before hitting the stage?
I usually need to be alone for at least 5 minutes, but this will be my 1st time playing with a band in like two years. Basically, since I’ve started touring, that will definitely be a little different. But I need a bit of peace and quiet right before I get out there because it can be really loud, not like physically, but mentally.
With major supporters behind you — FINNEAS, Joe Jonas, and Noah Kahan — along with your strong fan base, how does it feel to have this overwhelming support and love surrounding you before your debut album releases?
I feel a lot of love, and somebody like FINNEAS or ROLE MODEL — those were people that I grew up listening to and being inspired by since I was like 14, and that’s what got me into writing songs. To have people like that in my corner, it’s a whole different ballpark than having my parents telling me that they like my songs. I’m very grateful for anybody who wants to support me by listening to my music, and I am pinching myself constantly that this is what I get to do.
What three words would you use to describe your album?
Nostalgia, change, and yearning.
Lastly, what are things that people should give more attention and admiration to while listening to this album?
For the real music nerds, the whole thing was mastered to tape. We did several songs to no click and live in the room, which was a lot of fun.
RYMAN’s album, Growing Pains, is out now.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Aug 1 Sat – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
Aug 7 Fri – Aug 9 Sun – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
Sep 15 Tue – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern
Sep 17 Thu – Nashville, TN – AMERICANAFEST
Sep 18 Fri – Sep 20 Sun – East Aurora, NY – Borderland Music Festival
Sep 21 Mon – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sep 24 Thu – Sep 27 Sun – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond
