The music industry as a whole is a multi-faceted machine and everyone is just trying to find their way in between the cogs and bolts to rise to the top. One of those ways, in the last decade, has been hitting primetime on a nightly basis.
The boom of reality singing competitions over the years has given opportunities to so many, including Ryan Star.
After talking with him, it was obvious that he could never be defined within just a season on a TV show, but as an ever-growing artist who happened to have gotten his spring board in the spotlight.
Ryan made his mark on the hit 2006 show Rockstar: Supernova, which featured contestants vying to sing lead vocals in a supergroup of legendary rock gods for the band Supernova. Being judged by the likes of Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke, and Jason Newsted, Star found it to be a very interesting experience transitioning into and out of the reality TV bubble, so to speak.
“The hard part was more transitioning from an indie artist in NYC to being on an international TV show,” he explained, “That was quite hard, but I know I did my best to show the world the real me, so after the show the transition was easy.”
Along with being on a hit show, Star has made connections with other reality stars, working with the likes of David Cook and James Durbin of American Idol fame.
When asked if it was comforting to work with people that had similar beginnings as him, he remarked, “Good dudes and I have written songs on both their albums. David is such a talented guy and a great friend. We definitely got very different starts. Nothing against the idol game, but that is beyond a giant machine that only the few get to experience.”
His television days have been far and few between in recent years, however Star has shared his talents in a new EP, Animals, this past summer. With a four night “NYC Takeover,” playing the EP to smaller crowds, the one track to stand out with fans was “F*ck’n Up,” which seemed to become a sing along classic instantly.
Star shared his thoughts on Animals. “My favorites were Bullet and World I Used To Know. This EP is a work I am really proud of and it feels like the new beginning for me hitting an honest and unique stride that I am excited about exploring.” Those who might not know his style of music should expect “Alternative, Emotion, Me,” in short.
Currently Star’s focus is on his new album that is being funded through pledgemusic.com. Like most funding site projects, pledging a certain amount of money will give you a chance at unique merchandise or experiences with him.
“The Pledge experience so far has been amazing. I encourage everyone here to check it out now. Basically you are pre-ordering my album so I can do what I have to in order to complete the work. By doing so you get access to really exclusive content only pledgers can see. The other part of it is if pre-ordering the album is not enough, you can purchase exclusives that are really special to me. My favorite is coming to spend the night with me in Brooklyn.”
Be sure to check out Star’s EP Animals, and if you like what you hear, head over to http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/ryanstar and help fund his newest project. There isn’t much time left to do so! For the full interview with Star, check out the UNH Music Industry Club (MIC) club’s tumblr page, at http://unhmic.tumblr.com/.
