RyanDan
{{Short description|Canadian musical duo}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = RyanDan
| image = RyanDan.jpeg
| caption =
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|12|5|mf=y}}
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.[http://www.pressreader.com/canada/regina-leader-post/20080621/281792804784331 RyanDan Grew Up B4-4 Experiences] Regina Leader-Post
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| genre = Operatic Pop
| years_active = 2006–present
| label = Universal Classics and Jazz
| associated_acts = B4-4
| current_members = Ryan Kowarsky
Dan Kowarsky
| past_members =
}}
RyanDan (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.
The Kowarsky brothers were originally part of the boy band B4-4 (also known as Before Four). They later worked as a vocal duo known as RyanDan. They have also produced for a number of Canadian artists including Blake McGrath, Danny Fernandes, Tyler Medeiros, Mia Martina, Massari and others. They have also appeared as background vocals for Shania Twain in concert.
Career
= Career beginnings =
Identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky were born December 5, 1979, in Cincinnati, Ohio to Adele Gould and Paul Kowarsky. 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 an operatic singer who frequently sang as a cantor in synagogues both in South Africa and after immigrating to Canada. Their mother, Adele was diagnosed 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.{{cite news| last =Lester| first =Paul| title =New band of the day: RyanDan| publisher =Guardian Unlimited|date=29 June 2007| url =http://music.guardian.co.uk/newbands/story/0,,2115137,00.html|accessdate=13 October 2007}}
= In b4-4 / Before Four =
{{Main|b4-4}}
At 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.{{cite news|last=Renzetti|first=Elizabeth|title=Twins Peak|work=The Globe and Mail|date=13 October 2007|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071013.POP13/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Music/|accessdate=13 October 2007|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205093711/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071013.POP13/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Music/|archivedate=5 February 2008}} 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. They recorded their album RyanDan with producer Steve Anderson, who has worked with Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney. They cite opera singer Mario Lanza as a strong influence on their music.
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 memory of their late niece, Tal, who died from a brain tumour at age four while they were recording the album on which it appears.{{cite news|title=RyanDan are certainly two of a kind|page=35|work=The Journal|date=24 July 2007}}
Their scheduled follow-up album in 2010 entitled Silence Speaks was postponed and never released. The album was renamed Imagine but also failed to be released on schedule in 2011 and then in 2012. One song, "Is Love Enough (To Save the World)" has been released on Canadian radio with an accompanying music video.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1zUEJnDocM Music video for RyanDan's "Is Love Enough (To Save the World)"] Their sophormore album "Imagine" was released on March 18th, 2014.
Ryan and Dan performed with Shania Twain during her Still The One show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas which ended in December 2014. They have also performed with her at the Calgary Stampede and at Founders Week in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, on August 30, 2014.
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",{{Cite web|url=http://asapmusicblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/interview-blake-mcgrath/|title = INTERVIEW: Blake McGrath|date = 21 January 2011}} Mia Martina's "Latin Moon" and "Stereo Love",{{Cite web |url=http://www.bestfan.com/blog/tag/ryandan/ |title=Tag: RyanDan |access-date=2011-06-22 |archive-date=2017-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206202929/http://bestfan.com/blog/tag/ryandan/ |url-status=dead }} "Automatic" by Danny Fernandes,{{Cite web | url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8345011 | title=Danny Fernandes - Automatic Luv CD | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207141426/http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8345011 | archive-date=2017-12-07}} and a number of tracks for Tyler Medeiros.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cprecords.com/tylermedeiros/|title=SALXCO|access-date=2011-06-22|archive-date=2011-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616002035/http://www.cprecords.com/tylermedeiros/|url-status=dead}}
In popular culture
RyanDan's "Tears of an Angel", written for their niece diagnosed with cancer, was used in a group dance routine by dancers during episode 12 of season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance.{{Cite web|last=Grate|first=Rachel|date=September 3, 2014|title=Why 'So You Think You Can Dance' Matters More Than You Think|url=https://hellogiggles.com/reviews-coverage/so-you-think-you-can-dance-matters/|access-date=2022-01-10|website=HelloGiggles|language=en}} The dance was designed by choreographer Bonnie Story who used the piece in an "anti-bullying" dance subject based on an actual bullying incident experienced by a friend of hers.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}
In 2007, they also appeared on the BBC daytime TV cooking reality show Ready Steady Cook as assistant chefs.
Personal life
Ryan and Dan own a dog boarding camp just north of Toronto called Camp Cookstown.[http://campcookstown.com/ Camp Cooktown Official website]
Discography
= Albums =
= Guest albums =
- 2008: "The Water is Wide" (guest vocals) (Olivia Newton-John with Amy Sky and RyanDan) (appears in album A Celebration in Song: Olivia Newton-John & Friends)
= Singles =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Title ! rowspan="2"| Year ! colspan="1"| Peak ! rowspan="2"| Album |
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| UK |
| scope="row"| "Like the Sun"
| rowspan="3"| 2007 | 69 | rowspan="3"| RyanDan |
|---|
| scope="row"| "The Face"
| — |
| scope="row"| "High / O Holy Night"
| — |
| scope="row"| "Is Love Enough (To Save the World)"
| rowspan="2"| 2009 | — | rowspan="3" {{Non-album singles}} |
| scope="row"| "Open Arms"
| — |
| scope="row"| "Tears of an Angel"
| 2010 | — |
= 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
- 2011: "Latin Moon" - Mia Martina
- 2011: "Please Don't Go (Say I Love You)" - Tyler Medeiros
- 2011: "Stereo Love" - Mia Martina
- 2013: "Heartbreaker" - Mia Martina
- 2015: "Guilty as Sin" - Dan Talevski
- 2015: "My Religion" - Dan Talevski
- 2016: "Wicked" - Tyler Shaw
- 2016: "Knock Me Off My Feet" - Dan Talevski
- 2016: "Rocket" - Dan Talevski
- 2017: "Birthday Suit" - Dan Talevski
- 2018: "The Wire" - Dan Talevski
- 2019: "Home Alone" - Dan Talevski
- 2019: "If I Ain't Got You" - Dan Talevski
- 2019: "This Is How We Do It" - Dan Talevski
- 2019: "Too Close" - Ria Mae with Dan Talevski
- 2020: "Touch The Sky" - Dan Talevski
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051217103356/http://www.ryandan.com/ RyanDan.com] Official Site
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryandan}}
Category:Musical groups from Toronto
Category:American emigrants to Canada
Category:Canadian pop music groups
Category:Musical groups established in 2006
Category:Canadian musical duos
Category:Jewish Canadian musicians
Category:2006 establishments in Ontario