- RyanDan
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"RyanDan" Born December 5, 1979 Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada Genres Pop, opera Years active 2006–present Labels Universal Classics and Jazz Associated acts B4-4 Website ryandan.com Members Ryan Kowarsky
Dan KowarskyRyanDan (born December 5, 1979) is a Canadian musical, songwriting and producing duo, consisting of identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, whose music is a mix of pop, opera, and classical.
They were originally part of the boy band b4-4 (renamed Before Four for European later releases) that also included Ohad Einbinder. They later on worked as a vocal duo as RyanDan. They have also produced for a number of mainly Canadian artists including Blake McGrath, Shawn Desman, Danny Fernandes, Tyler Medeiros, Mia Martina and Massari and others.
Contents
Beginnings
Identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky were born December 5, 1979. The youngest of five children in a Jewish family, they grew up in the Thornhill neighbourhood north of Toronto. Their father, Paul, a South African who attended King David Linksfield (a Jewish day school in Johannesburg, South Africa), is a talented operatic singer who frequently sang as a cantor in synagogues both in South Africa and after immigrating to Canada. Their mother Adele Gould was also instrumental in encouraging them. She was diagnosed later with Parkinson's disease in 2004. In high school, Ryan and Dan shared the lead role in their school's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[1]
In band b4-4 / Before Four
Main article: b4-4At age 16, they presented themselves at the offices of Sony Music Canada, and attracted the attention of record company executives when they sang "Show Me the Way to Go Home" in the reception area.[2] They were signed to a record contract soon after forming a boy band called b4-4 along with their friend Ohad Einbinder. They received a Juno Award nomination in 2001 for Best New Group, but lost to Nickelback. They also enjoyed some success in Germany as Before Four.
As RyanDan
They eventually wanted to cultivate a more adult sound and fan base, and in 2006, they moved to London to pursue their career. They recorded their album RyanDan with producer Steve Anderson, who has worked with Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney. The duo is currently managed by Dani Matte at The Management Trust and Sander Shalinsky.
Their debut self-titled album received critical acclaim including "The Face", which was co-penned by Stephan Moccio and for "Tears of an Angel" written by the duo in commemoration of the memory of a There Niece' who had died.
They cite opera singer Mario Lanza as a strong influence on their music.[2] Their song "Tears of an Angel" was inspired by the loss of their four-year-old niece, Tal, who died from a brain tumour during the recording of their album.[3]
Music production
Ryan and Dan Kowarsky have also devoted their talents to production. Their experience includes songwriting efforts for several tracks on Blake McGrath’s “Time To Move”, including "Relax" and "Burn the Floor" [4] , Mia Martina’s “Latin Moon” and "Stereo Love" [5] , “Automatic” by Danny Fernandes [6] , and a number of tracks for Tyler Medeiros.[7]
Discography
Albums
Year Album details Peak Certifications
(sales threshold)CA UK HK US 2007 RyanDan - Released:
CA: September 27, 2007
US: April 8, 2008 - Label: Universal/Decca
- Format: CD, digital download
8[8] 7 4 18 - CAN: Gold
- UK: Gold
- HK: Gold
2012 Silence Speaks - Released: February 20, 2012[9]
- Label: Universal, Decca
- Format: CD, digital download
— — — — Guest albums
- 2008: "A Celebration in Song: Olivia Newton-John & Friends" (guest vocals on "The Water is Wide" and "Find A Little Faith")
Singles
- 2007: "Like the Sun" – Worldwide
- 2007: "The Face" – Canada only
- 2007: "High / O Holy Night" – UK only
- 2009: "Is Love Enough (To Save The World)" – Canada only
- 2009: "Open Arms" (Remake of the Journey song by the same title)
Songwriting and Production Credits
- 2010: "Relax" - Blake McGrath
- 2010: "Feel It" - Danny Fernandes ft. Shawn Desman
- 2010: "Girlfriend" - Tyler Medeiros ft. Danny Fernandes
- 2010: "Automatic" - Danny Fernandes ft. Belly
- 2010: "Burn the Floor" - Blake McGrath
- 2011: "Latin Moon" - Mia Martina
- 2011: "Please Don't Go (Say I Love You)" - Tyler Medeiros
- 2011: "Stereo Love" - Mia Martina
References
- ^ Lester, Paul (29 June 2007). "New band of the day: RyanDan". Guardian Unlimited. http://music.guardian.co.uk/newbands/story/0,,2115137,00.html. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
- ^ a b Renzetti, Elizabeth (13 October 2007). "Twins Peak". The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071013.POP13/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Music/. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
- ^ "RyanDan are certainly two of a kind". The Journal: p. 35. 24 July 2007.
- ^ “http://asapmusicblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/interview-blake-mcgrath/”
- ^ “http://www.bestfan.com/blog/tag/ryandan/”
- ^ “http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8345011
- ^ “http://www.cprecords.com/tylermedeiros/”
- ^ http://ryandandiary.blogspot.com/2008/04/ryandan-still-in-8-on-soundscan-charts.html
- ^ http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0037FFBKO
External links
- RyanDan.com Official Site
- RyanDanDiary.com Official Network for Fans of RyanDan
- RyanDan page on The Management Trust website
- RyanDan Europe @ Facebook RyanDan Fansite
- RyanDan Europe @ Twitter RyanDan Fansite
Categories:- Musical groups from Toronto
- Canadian pop music groups
- Musical groups established in 2006
- Musical duos
- Sibling musical duos
- Jewish Canadian musicians
- Released:
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