RYAN PLAYGROUND SHARES NEW SONG
ALMOST DIED AVAILABLE NOW VIA
LAST GANG / SECRET SONGS
PROFILED BY PAPER
"RYAN Playground is a triple threat" – THE FADER
"Infectious" – VOGUE
"RYAN is certainly doing things differently" – I-D
Toronto, ON – November 15, 2017 – Montreal producer, songwriter, and singer, RYAN Playground, is back today to share a new song. Almost Died is a delicate reflection on the intensities that come with relationships. Speaking on the song RYAN explains, "'Almost Died' is about the vulnerability that comes with bonding over shared issues and the intense connections that can result."
Written and composed entirely by RYAN, Almost Died was originally premiered on PAPER Magazine alongside RYAN's first interview this year. In the interview, RYAN talks about her upbringing as an only child of musical parents, returning back to her roots and making herself vulnerable for her debut album. "It's just about being free and it's very personal to me," says RYAN.
RYAN first garnered attention last year with her debut EP, elle, for Ryan Hemsworth's Secret Songs label. On elle, RYAN revealed her talents for unconventional pop arrangements and introspective songwriting. Almost Died is available everywhere now via Secret Songs / Last Gang.
Listen to Almost Died above, learn more about RYAN Playground below, and stay tuned for more news about her forthcoming debut LP.
More about RYAN Playground:
Genevieve Ryan Martel (aka RYAN Playground) was raised by two classical musicians in Montreal. At age 5, she received her first drum kit and by 11, she was creating her own compositions with her guitar and drums. By the time she was a teenager, Genevieve was experimenting with FL studio and electronic music.
RYAN Playground is a project born out of playtime - the meeting of a seasoned musician in touch with the wide-eyed exuberance and angsty emotions that come with being a teenager. In her music, RYAN harkens back the days when she was growing up in the suburbs listening to pop punk.
"Every time I make a song I'm just throwing out emotions," she explains. "It's always very personal. I've come to realize that there are always two extremes. I consider myself in a gray zone, but a very nice gray zone. I like trying to appreciate all the nuances in life and accept them. Make the best out of it...I have my dark days like everybody else. But at the end of it all I'm very optimistic. I'm a dreamer!"
RYAN has always lived in her own gray zone - around the same time she picked up music, she also asked for her first skateboard and was playing sports with the boys. Not only can she hang, but she kicks ass. Very young, she wanted to make a point that she could be as good and strong as boys are.
An elegant balance of electronic and organic elements, RYAN Playground is an amalgamation, and finds Genevieve at peace with all competing emotional elements in her life.
"I have experienced different kinds of extremes and I finally found my own balance," she says pragmatically. "In the end we all find our own balance and pace. It's also about not believing in categories. I feel like a lot of people feel reassured when things are classified in different 'categories.’ They kind of feel like boundaries to me. I don't really believe that having categories and creating new ones is fundamentally helpful, we're all somewhere in between this and that."
Almost Died: http://smarturl.it/almostdied
PREVIOUSLY: Prolongation: http://smarturl.it/prolongation
About Last Gang:
Last Gang is a music company founded in 2003 and credited with launching the careers of Metric, Death From Above 1979, MSTRKRFT and Crystal Castles. The company is also well known for its work with Arkells, Ryan Hemsworth, Purity Ring, Lights, and Chromeo. Last Gang is an Entertainment One company. www.lastgang.com
Entertainment One Music is home to Dualtone, Death Row, and Light Records releasing some of the most popular music in the world including The Lumineers, The Game and Lalah Hathaway. www.entertainmentonegroup.com
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