RyanDanHigh [single]
Like The Sun [single] RyanDan [album]
“Following
on from the
great success of their
self-titled top ten album
and first single release Like The Sun, RyanDan
have released another
single from the album —
the fantastic High which
is written by folk legend
Judie Tzuke and which
is sure to be a hit...”
HIGH WAS ONE OF MOTORBAR'S FAVOURITE TRACKS from the album
RyanDan. Not only is the tune excellent and unforgettable but it has
well-written words with a great deal of encouragement for our troubled times
— "if we all hold our hands up, High, we can carry the world".
A "triumphant celebration of positivity and hope, performed with passion
and power" says the publicity machine. We totally agree: it's
a brilliant song and there will be a great number of people hoping it's
in their Christmas stocking!
The unknown Canadian identical twins, Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, have had an introduction
to Britain that has been nothing short of meteoric.
A few months ago they were unknown, until a flurry of television per-formances
and enormous press and radio support — alongside high-profile concerts
— led to their album charting at number 7 and selling more copies in its
first week than international stars Phil Collins and
K T Tunstall. Theirs is the first debut album by a pair of identical twins to
chart in the top 10 and their talent — a combination of well chosen songs,
fabulous voices and good looks — has attracted a devoted following.
And its not only European fans who are sitting up to take notice. RyanDan can
now claim Goldie Hawn and Eva Longoria as celebrity fans, following their performance
at the Playing For Good Summit in Palma. Apparently, Goldie led a standing ovation
(no surprise to us here at MotorBar!) and invited them to stay at the Canadian
lodge she shares with Kurt Russell. Terri Seymour expressed the widespread view
when she said: "You were amazing. Simon [Cowell] is going to be so p****d you
didn't sign with him!"
The story continues internationally with RyanDan's first performance
in Australia at the Sydney Opera House. Their album has reached an impressive
number 4 in Hong Kong and they have a top ten airplay hit in their homeland
of Canada, one month before the album is even released and they will be performing
in the Helsinki Arena to an audience of 8,000 in November.
In the run-up to Christmas we look forward to seeing RyanDan on our television
screens again — including an appearance with Paul O'Grady. RyanDan also
continue to be ambassadors for Brain Tumour UK — something very close to
their hearts as their much-loved young niece sadly died of a brain tumour recently.
• RyanDan's single High will be released
on CD on November 26 (2007) by Universal Classics & Jazz.
"The identical twins who make classical cool" — Boyz
"This is the most amazing album I've ever heard!" — Woman's Own
WOW
— THAT'S THE FIRST IMPRESSION of Like The Sun sung by RyanDan.
The whole MotorBar office ground to a halt as the hauntingly addictive voices
of
Ryan and Dan worked magic on
the female psyche and male appreciation. When you add to that Ryan and Dan's
double good looks (they are twins) and their blatant talent, it isn't
surprising that they're headline news.
"RyanDan," says The Guardian, "are the talk of the industry and are going
to be international superstars... These are voices of astonishing purity, richness,
clarity and power." And Music Week: "After their UK showcase last week,
there is little doubt in our minds about the huge potential of these identical
twins."
Nor are we surprised to hear that the duo is already platinum winners
in their native Canada and in Germany. MotorBar adds its voice to
the accolades. On 17 September when Like The Sun, RyanDan's single release,
hits the shops there will be no stopping them. Fresh new talent of this calibre
is difficult to come by.
Like the Sun is from their inspired album RyanDan and once you've
heard it you may not be surprised to learn that the song was com-posed by Seventies
folk legend Judie Tzuke. Brilliant!
Ryan and Dan's "astonishing" voices — with a four-octave range that moves
from baritone to soprano and full voice to falsetto with ease — blend together
to complement one another on every note. Wonderfully melodious music and voices
flow on and on, filling the air with note after note of perfection.
The re-mix version of the single is produced by the legendary and five-times
Grammy award winner Humberto Gatica, who has worked with some of the most successful
musicians and artists in the industry — including Madonna, Elton John,
Destiny's Child, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. It is accompanied by an epic
video filmed in Rio de Janeiro and directed by Stuart Gosling (Backstreet Boys,
Seal, Girls Aloud).
Managed by Richard Beck (Shania Twain) and Marc Connor (Jamie Cullum), RyanDan
will be in Britain throughout the summer for a series of performances, including
Proms in The Park and supporting Katherine Jenkins at several outdoor concerts.
They have previously performed as the support act for G4 and Michael Ball.
To cap their many talents, Ryan and Dan can write heart-wrenching lyrics and
captivating music and are further blessed with magnetic personalities —
all of which become crystal clear on their debut album RyanDan, which
is due to be released on 24 September and is produced by Steve Anderson (Kylie
Minogue, Paul McCartney, Take That).
BOOKMAKERS WILLIAM HILL HAVE REVEALED that a four-figure bet has been placed
on newcomers RyanDan to take the Christmas Number One spot. The punter is reported
to "have considerable success predicting the festive chart topper in
the past", forcing William Hill to shorten RyanDan's odds from
12/1 to 8/1.
Canadian twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky join Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts
on 8/1 with the Spice Girls at 5/1 and the X Factor winner leading the field
at 2/5.
"It's a surprise to have such a large wager put on a relative newcomer so early
in the year. We have to hope that someone doesn't know something that we don't
about RyanDan! They've been described as a classical version of Westlife and
we have had our fingers burnt badly by Westlife in the past, so we will be keeping
a very close eye on RyanDan," said William Hill spokesperson Rupert Adams.
Ryan and Dan are signed to universal Classics & Jazz and are releasing their
debut album RyanDan on September 24. Twenty-seven-year-old identical
twins who hail from Canada, RyanDan is the talk of the music industry, with
a blend of contemporary classi-pop appealing to a broad and mainstream audience
and receiving acclaim from the music business.
RyanDan is 2007's success story in waiting. The boys kicked off with
a number of television shows and performances that included: Heaven and Earth
(BBC1); This Morning (ITV1); Loose Women (ITV1); Five News (Five); BBC Breakfast
(BBC1); Alan Titchmarsh Show (ITV1); Ready Steady Cook (BBC2); The Fix (Living
TV); and APTN Video.
Playlists/Features include: The Box (EMAP); Classic FM TV; Bliss (Sky 362);
Burtons/Toni & Guy TV; and Musflash (Sky Channel 375). Radio shows include:
Friday Night is Music Night (Radio2); Interview on Aled Jones' Show (Radio2);
Proms in the Park Performance; and Classic FM Concert at Woburn Abbey Performance.
BIOGRAPHY OF RYAN AND DAN KOWARSKY
Ryan and Dan Kowarsky are known as RyanDan. The name reflects an indivisible
bond that runs so deeply that there is no discernible line vocally where one
ends and the other begins. To listen to them is to connect with them —
to be taken on an emotional journey of rare intensity.
The youngest two of five children, Ryan and Dan grew up in Toronto and their
music was conceived in the music of their childhood: the songs of the legendary
Mario Lanza and the great Luciano Pavarotti.
As teenagers, they admired the pop harmonies of the Bee Gees, the melodies of
Stevie Wonder and the smooth R&B vocals of Boz II Men. That just about sums
it up: their own brand of contemporary classi-pop.
Ryan and Dan spent many evenings during their youth watching their opera-singing
father's performances from the stage wings and they have themselves been performing
in plays and musicals on stage since they were about four years old. In high
school they shared the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
— although nobody could tell whether it was Ryan or Dan on a given night!
Inevitably, the seeds of their desire to become professional performers were
sown and, at the age of 18 (together with a friend) they walked into the offices
of Sony Music in Toronto.
Through a combination of chutzpah, charm and luck they secured an audition with
the Vice President and walked out with a recording deal. Their subsequent, successful
career as a pop band yielded multi-platinum albums in Canada and Germany, but
they gradually became dissatisfied with pop fare.
"We reached a point at which the two of us felt that something was missing,"
explains Ryan. "Dan and I have always tried to inject a lot of emotion into
our singing and we wanted audiences to focus on vocal interpretation rather
than on our hair. We decided that it was time to change direction and go back
to our roots… to the kind of music we listened to as children."
The feeling and emotion with which they sing is undeniable — and that emotion
was evident during the recording process of their album. They composed Tears
of an Angel in honour of their young niece Tal with whom they have an extremely
close relationship. "She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and was
undergoing chemotherapy at the time. We haven't played the song for her yet."
The 27-year-old twins were hit by another blow when their mother
was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, but in spite of these two setbacks
they stay stoically positive.
Despite the uncertainties of life, Ryan and Dan have much to cele-brate. The
energetic and uplifting song High (penned by Seventies folk artist Judi
Tzuke, along with Like The Sun) reflects their optimism and how they
view life's challenges. The songs are emotional, soulful and uplifting and are
well suited to their voices.
Whether singing a new interpretation of a classic pop song such as Wind Beneath
My Wings, adding their own magic to The Prayer, or delivering a heart-wrenching
version of the West End song Bring Him Home, the twins' performances
are both captivating and bewitching.
• RyanDan's single, Like The Sun, was
released on 17 September '07
• RyanDan, the album, was released
on 24 September '07.
“Following
on from the
WOW
— THAT'S THE FIRST IMPRESSION of Like The Sun sung by RyanDan.
The whole MotorBar office ground to a halt as the hauntingly addictive voices
of