“If Michael Buble and Joni Mitchell had a love child raised by Jimi Hendrix and babysat by Norah Jones, that child would be Ryan Innes… His is a talent you hear once in a few lifetimes. His music makes you want to love harder, hurt deeper, and let go of all your inhibitions, leaving you speechless—until you learn the words well enough to sing along.” Thus Ashlie Lohner of Reverbnation describes the local sensation whose soul, boldness, and smooth singing propelled him onto The Voice and into the hearts of thousands of adoring fans. Witty, genuine, and down to earth, he tells it as it is in his music and interactions with fans, friends, and family alike.
Though musically gifted, Inne’s road to a singing career had its own detours and unexpected turns. Ryan always loved music but didn’t figure it into his career path. He thought his music would only lead him into teaching, and he didn’t want to do that. He graduated from Eastern Arizona College with an associate’s degree in pre-medical science. He planned to be a pediatrician. Then a broken engagement contributed to reassessing his life’s direction. Said he, in an interview with utahvalley360.com:
“Finally, I had to make the conscious decision to give this a shot or else I would regret it. Once I made that decision, everything has fallen into place as I’ve worked hard. If you’re doing what you’re meant to do, what your gift and passion is, doors open up that you can’t open on your own. There is an accompanying force aiding those who are authentic and honest in living their purpose.”
Innes gave it a shot and never looked back. He was accepted into Brigham Young University’s media music program and studied songwriting and contemporary voice. He released his first EP album in 2010, performed with The Beach Boys in 2012, and competed on The Voice in 2013. While participating in the musical competition, he quickly captured the attention of all four judges and accepted Usher’s mentorship. He didn’t make it all the way through the competition, but his soulful renditions brought him national acclaim.
Ryan continues along the musical journey his heart started him on. He performs regularly at corporate gigs, while refining his musical palette. Most recently he co-wrote a song with Jarrett Burns for the feature film Just Let Go, which was released on 9/28/15. The music and lyrics to the song, “Rise and Fall”, express his personal style while evoking his beliefs in faith and forgiveness: “Every sinner has a future; every saint has a past”. You can watch the music video here: Just Let Go portrays the story of Chris Williams, a man who must learn to cope with his resentment for a drunk driver, who caused the death of his wife and children, on his odyssey to find peace and forgiveness.
Ryan certainly has a bright future ahead of him and he knows where he is going. He challenges people to live their lives and figure things out as he did. He summed it up in an interview with the Deseret News in 2010: “My goal is to make people feel something — to help them let loose and jam, to help them love a little more, to be confident in chasing their own dreams, to attempt the difficult.”
Source: Ryan Innes. (https://www.reverbnation.com/ryaninnes). Reverbnation 2015
Source: From ‘The Voice’ to the Rooftop: Q&A with singer Ryan Innes(http://utahvalley360.com/2013/09/05/from-the-voice-to-the-rooftop-qa-with-singer-ryan-innes/) Utah Valley 360 9/5/13)
Source: Rise and Fall. I Love the Bible facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/biblesareawesome/videos/874268189338396/?fref=nf)
Source: Inside Mormon Music: Ryan Innes: From med school to the music industry (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700039330/Ryan-Innes-From-med-school-to-the-music-industry.html?pg=all) Deseret News 6/11/10)
