Ryan Leslie Set To Release Sophomore Solo Album: Transition

New York (Top40 Charts/ Universal Motown) - Off the heels of his critically acclaimed self-titled debut album that spawned the radio hits 'Diamond Girl' and 'Addiction,' Ryan Leslie, the inspired singer-songwriter returns to center stage with his sophomore solo effort titled, Transition on NextSelection/Universal Motown Records. The album will hit stores on November 3rd prior to an exclusive 'one-man' presentation of Transition at the prestigious Times Center on November 4th. Transition, a true summer love story from the passionate multi-instrumentalist, features 11 songs that Ryan wrote and produced. The lead single, 'I Choose You,' is a ballad that differs from his previous mid-tempo hits and already has radio programmers buzzing. Other tracks on Transition include 'You're Not My Girl,' which offers up a video directed by Anthony Mandler (Beyonce, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Fergie), 'Something That I Like' featuring Pusha T of the rap duo The Clipse, and 'To The Top' which showcases Ryan's signature falsetto.

In addition to putting out his own album (his second this year), Ryan has been busy in the studio handling production for R&B superstar Mary J. Blige's upcoming album, singer songwriter Keri Hilson, pop phenom Chris Brown, grammy nominated vocalist Jazmine Sullivan, and rapper Fabolous, among others. Nominated for 2009's BET Awards and the Soul Train Awards 'Best New Artist,' Ryan isn't showing any signs of slowing down for 2010.

A Harvard graduate at the tender age of 19 in 1998, Ryan has come a long way from the guy with no music contacts to first coming on the scene with the discovery of sexy pop singer Cassie. After signing her to his NextSelection imprint, he wrote and produced her debut album, including the smash 'me&u,' in 2006. Thanks in part to the use of an cleverly devised strategic online marketing campaign developed by Ryan, the song became one of the biggest hits of that year - No 1 R&B and No 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, certified RIAA platinum for digital sales and held the No 1 position for the most played record at radio for 7 weeks. Ryan continues to pioneer new ways to connect with his audience via on-line video and has amassed over 24 million views to date on his entertaining content.

In keeping with his focus on the visual medium, Ryan has also co-directed a documentary-style featurette with Taj Stansberry (Rihanna, Ne-yo, Nas) called 'The Making of Transition' which features interviews and footage from the creation of the album and an in-depth look at the love story which inspired the music.

Check out Ryan on 11/2 at Carol's Daughter at Lenox Mall in Atlanta, 11/5 on BET's 106 and Park, 11/6 at J&R Music World before a sold-out show at Nokia Theater in Times Square, 11/11 for exclusive MySpace show in Los Angeles and an unforgettable performance on the Soul Train Awards airing 11/29 on BET's Centric Network. To keep up with the latest on Ryan, check out his website www.ryanleslie.com.