Singer-songwriter Ryan Tennis has just released his new single, “Oh, Alexandra.” “It’s a tale as old as time, and now it’s my time to tell it,” muses the world-touring musician. The tale is one of unrequited love with a twist, and the lively single is an upbeat, heartfelt acoustic track that draws the listener in with its organic groove and conversational storytelling.
In this interview spotlight I chat with Ryan Tennis about the latest release, surviving the pandemic, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how would you describe your style of music?
I’m from Philly, and my music has influence from a lot of different places. I’d describe it as a mix of Folk, Soul, Rock, and Afro-Caribbean-influenced music.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
That’s a big question! I grew up with music in my life, mostly from a church setting and with the stuff my parents connected me to (The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, CSNY, Michael Jackson, etc). But when I was young, the first and last thing on my mind was sports, football in particular. I was a full-on jock playing football through college, but while I loved the actual sport, I was never that fond of football culture. I think I was just too sensitive of a guy – I never liked the hazing/ballbusting/ultra-macho thing. When my career ended, I just felt this need to connect to something deeper, and music was the pathway for me. I started having intense, even spiritual experiences listening to music, and I started exploring what it meant to be an artist and develop my guitar playing and singing. A few years into playing and writing, I had this clear moment after I had written something I was fond of, and it hit like a bolt of lightning, this voice saying, “You can do this, and this is what you NEED to do!” From that point on, I was all in.
How does your latest single “Oh, Alexandra” compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? What about your upcoming album? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
With all the music I’ve created, I’m trying to capture something that feels like a real band of humans playing real instruments. Of course, it’s 2022, and we have a lot of tools at our disposal to make music sound good, but no matter what tools I use, that authentic feel is underneath it.
Over the pandemic, I had the time to really deconstruct some of the ways I was singing and build it back up from the ground. For me, the biggest difference between this release and my previous ones is the way my voice rings out more clearly like it’s coming from a deeper place inside of me.
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented times? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
For me, the hardest part was not performing live shows. I’ve been a bit of a workhorse, averaging between 150-200 shows a year for almost ten years, and before the pandemic, I had never taken more than two weeks off without a show. I just had no idea how much I had come to rely on that energetic feedback loop of giving and receiving between the audience and performer. I think I was actually addicted to it, so for the first month or two, I felt like a rudderless ship. Once I realized this thing was going to go on for a while, something changed. I made a habit check-list, started being more disciplined about practice, writing, yoga, meditation. It’s amazing how much you can get done when there’s nowhere to be and no one to distract you! I feel like so much more of a mature artist now, both in my more disciplined approach and in the way I can take or leave shows. I’m still pretty hype to be back on the road – I’ve got a 7-week, 35 show album release tour in Europe coming up with my trio, but I also know now that I can take time off or say no to some shows without it killing me.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Make it Safe” by Devon Sproule. She’s a singer/songwriter out of Virginia, and while she’s not widely known, I think she’s one of the greatest lyricists and songwriters alive right now.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Well, I certainly use streaming platforms the most – we’re mostly creatures of convenience, I suppose. But as a teenager of the 90s, I have a special place for the burned mix CD. You’d have a limited number of CDs in your car, and you really grew a relationship with that music that doesn’t happen so often today.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
You can follow along online on Instagram or Facebook @ryantennismusic , but with that stuff, you never know when the algorithm gods will favor you and decide to actually show you what I post. Really the best is to join my mailing list (you can find it at www.ryantennismusic.com). I send one or two emails a month and also have a mini-voice memo series called “Ryan Recommends,” that’s basically just me talking about things that I think are cool or have been valuable to me. I’ve been told I have good taste ;-).
Oh, also, on that list you can find out about the concert series called “Tracks at the Vale” at the stage I built at my place in Philly over the pandemic. We get some killer acts in there – all kinds of music, but definitely a strong Latin/world influence.
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
That’s it! Thank you!
