LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/
Ryan Cabrera Official Website) - After conquering radio and the pop charts,
Ryan Cabrera is now moving onward and upward in pursuit of what has always mattered most to him-making the music that's in his soul, and now with a greater musical and lyrical maturity as well as the confidence that comes with his success in music. And he is doing so by breaking with the major label system and taking the reins of his career to independently produce and market his third album which is due in- stores April 2008.
"It feels right," says the 25-year-old native Texan of the music he's been creating with the transplanted Australian production team of Daniel James and Leah Haywood. "I really wanted to take my time and not have a huge company telling me what I should be making."
Cabrera may well be the youngest best-selling musical artist to assert his business and artistic independence and take advantage of the emerging new modalities for marketing and selling music by releasing his next album on his own label. And in doing so, he comes back around to his original goals from when, at age 14, inspired by Dave Matthews, he took up the acoustic guitar and soon started writing songs. Now, with his mastery of the music industry and the resources from the radio and chart as well as television and film success of his songs, he melds his aim to create music of substance and soulfulness with his innate knack for fashioning compelling pop hooks.
"The sound of the new record I think will open a lot of eyes and ears, and definitely be a surprise to fans and anybody who hasn't heard my music," Cabrera explains. "I wanted to take my time with this record and really make a diverse entire album, as opposed to just a single or two; no I want a ride, a journey, I want the record to be able to be played all the way through. So many things have changed in my life, and the music is heading along with it."
Cabrera first caught the public ear in 2001 at the age of 19 with his independent album Elm St. after honing his talents on the Dallas live music scene. His 2004 major label debut on Atlantic Records, Take It All Away, hit the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and was certified gold, powered by Top 20 gold singles "On The Way Down" and "True," both of which have become radio standards. His 2005 follow-up album, You Stand Watching, went Top 25 and yielded the Top 40 pop hit "Shine On."
His 2006 single "I Will Remember You" became a multimedia sensation when it was featured in the final episode of the TV show "Will & Grace" and its promos and was also adopted as the farewell song on Fox TV's "So You Think You Can Dance." (A revamped version is included on Cabrera's new album.) He has also had songs on the soundtracks of the films "Son of the Mask" and "The Fantastic Four."
And now, even as Cabrera's music grows more expansive and eclectic, his artistic signature remains distinctively his own, but with a greater boldness, depth and breadth. "I'm 25 years old now and have been through a lot more stuff. My music continues to evolve," explains Cabrera. "I'm writing all the songs so they're still going to have my vibe to them, but I also listen to a lot of different stuff. I read different things now. I didn't want to make the same record again and again just because the others did well.
"When the Beatles got deeper into their art, at the end of the day they still made great pop songs. I'm not in any way comparing myself to them, but it shows you can make great, catchy music while still incorporating your artistic viewpoint," concludes Cabrera. "You can still grow."
