New Music Spotlight : Ryan O’Neil is truly #BLESSED

Rising star Ryan O’Neil is truly a triple threat who is finally stepping into the spotlight where he truly belongs. The Jamaican born, NY Native is a force to be reckoned with in more ways than one. Growing up in Jamaica is truly where his love for music began but never did he dream how far in life it would take him. As a kid in Kingston,JA Ryan grew up listening to all different genres of music from reggae, r&b, pop, country and folk music. Some of his earliest memories of music included acts like Half Pint, Anita Baker, Michael Jackson, Boy George, Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, Tracy Chapman and Simon & Garfunkel. Now although he loved to sing along to many of their hit records, it was surprising to learn as he got older that he never truly know who was actually singing the records. But see that’s the true power of good music, a great record is just that a great record. For many leaving home would be a huge culture shock to a young kid at the age of 10, but moving to Queens, New York presented many new opportunities to Ryan which would forever change his life. Being in NYC there’s a world of things a kid can get into and although Ryan loved music, his passion for sports made him a superior athlete as he divulged his spare time into playing Soccer, Baseball and Basketball.

Now of course seeing New York on tv and film sensationalized led him to believe that it would be one way, but moving there was totally a different experience. Although it was shocking in ways, he was also introduced to more music genres as he discovered artist like Selena, Adina Howard and Seal who were all over the charts at the time. This was a pivotal moment in his childhood which is why his mother urged for him to audition for the legendary ‘FAME’ School LaGuardia. It was his performance of Seal’s ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ which sealed the deal for him to attend the prestigious performing arts school which would ultimately change his life. Ryan like many other students only knew what the iconic show & tv series ‘FAME’ presented to viewers, but he had no idea how much an affect the school would have on his life. While first attending LaGuardia, he was intimated by the large amount of talented students in the school, but it was his teachers who truly helped to shape who is as an an all around artist as he began to study many different genres of classical music, Jazz, theory as well as learning to play multiple instruments including the Piano and now the guitar. Little did he know his experience there would truly change his path in life but that clearly was the plan even if he didn’t know it then.

Graduating college with a degree in History and Music only made sense with his passion for both, which ultimately led to him becoming a kindergarten teacher as well as a private music teacher for kids. His years of studying and performing only helped to perfect his craft as he continuously worked on music over the years performing with different bands and as a solo artist. At one point Ryan tapped into his hip-hop roots as he showcased his rap skills, while never leaving behind his love for rock, pop and folk music which was very evident in his music as well. As time would go on Ryan realized that as a multi genre artist he could blend the different genres to create a sound all of his own. In 2014 he decided to release his self titled project ‘Ryan O’Neil‘ with great fanfare as he continued to grow his fan base in the NY city area. At any given moment you could see the rising star hitting the stage at multiple venues along with his band, but where he truly began to shine was behind the scenes as a producer/songwriter. Over the years he would produce and write for an arrange of artist which truly showcased his gift as a composer as well. His love for artist/producers like J Dilla, RZA, The Alchemist, Jack White and MF Doom were a huge reason behind his push to be greater as a producer in his own right. Within time it was obvious that after pursuing music as an artist and producer for so long, he might as well take things to the next level and create his record label Brave New Records.

During the pandemic most would think that many artist would take the time to venture into other avenues as the world stopped, but not Ryan. He took advantage of the downtime and continued to create music as he released his fan favorite Ep ‘The Quronic‘ along with multiple buzz worthy singles including ‘Golden’, ‘Grown Up Rap’, ‘Love In 3 Acts’, ‘Luv U 4 Ever’ and ‘You Freed Me’. Now Ryan’s back with his latest single ‘#BLESSED‘ which is sure to be in heavy rotation after your first listen. The feel good track inspired by Billie Holiday which turned into a beat he sat on for awhile which led to him putting together a writing challenge along with other songwriters that ultimately gave him the inspiration to put together this song of gratitude. In support of the record he created a 30 days of gratitude challenge via TikTok which truly opened his eyes to his many Blessings in spite of everything else. With the release of his latest record it’s clear to see that Ryan O’Neil is a star on the rise who is continuing to make a name for himself on his own terms. Listen to & download the uplifting track via all music streaming platforms as this is just a small taste of so much more to come from his highly anticipated EP later this year.