There I was, on my couch, wrapped in a fleece blanket. I was trapped – by my own doing – in a pocket of warmth, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. My heart was broken. I required a cold, pint of Ben & Jerry’s in my hand (preferably Phish Food). I was remembering the times I had with her – some long, lost love of adolescence. I saw the smile on her face, the one that stretched ear to ear and made her eyes glow. I had made that smile. But it was over now.
Suddenly, I was in another space. My mind gathered itself. I sought triumph. With my head up, the lyrics moved like friendly ghosts through my ears, pausing to strum the strings of my heart. I am on a mountain top, professing. I am in a battle field, smiling. Because I know the end of the story right now, can be rewritten.
This is how I felt listening to “Till The World Ends,” Ryan Nealon’s 4th original single, premiering exclusively on Elicit Magazine today!
Ryan Nealon, 25, was born in San Diego, CA. He now presides in Los Angeles, CA, where he has amassed ever-growing success in his musical career, including over 200,000+ streams via multiple platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, and YouTube. His music holds a mature-emotion to it— calling to the listener to not only hear the lyrics he speaks, but the emotion behind them.
“2020 is going to be a killer year. Hoping to finally put out a record, and hoping to really take my sound to the next level. Also lots of new shows, merch; you name it.”
– Ryan Nealon
In each of his original singles, which include the popular “City” (over 80,000 streams), “Closer,” “Sleepwalking” (featuring another LA artist, Kylie Rothfield), and now, “Till The World Ends,” Ryan takes us to plains of emotion reserved for those silent moments of the day, when our focus goes internal, and we think about where we are, where we’ve been, and above all, where we are going. He speaks of love and loss, connection and recollection, speaking to not only his audience but to himself, about his passage through this little thing called life.
“Heartbreak. I went through a terrible time in my life where I was finding myself constantly going after people that didn’t love or treat me the same, and I found myself willingly waiting around for people that I knew would never do the same for me. I wanted to write something that said exactly how I felt and no matter how much these people hurt me, I would still wait around for them hoping that they would come back even though I knew they never would.”
– Ryan Nealon
Like the other titles on his musical portfolio, Ryan Nealon’s “Till The World Ends” takes us on a journey of love. From the chimes that sound in the opening of the song, through the ups and downs of tempo, mixed with the background production of church-like choir that adds a unique base to the melody, this artist wants us to know what he feels and feel it with him.
“The production process for “Till The World Ends,” was super special. It was honestly the first time I had played with vocal effects like this and this was the first song that I had gotten to really co-produce with my friend Zack Djurich who produced some of my other material this year. Zack and I have a really great relationship and he’s really helped me move my sound from just another “singer” to a fully realized artist. For this song in particular I wanted to make something a bit experimental, haunting, and etherial, and I took loads of inspiration from Bon Iver and Billie Eilish. My other songs have been more on the mainstream pop side, but with this song I wanted to push the boundaries.”
– Ryan Nealon
Someone dear to him is no longer in his life – someone he loved; cared about. But their memory – their existence – it still takes up space in Ryan’s heart, mind, and soul.
“I would love for my listeners to resonate with what I felt, and I hope that people in similar situations can realize that they’re not alone, because it’s very easy to feel alone.”
– Ryan Nealon
Ryan’s voice professes his loss in high-pitched proclamation, then dips low, as if in remembrance, his voice no longer able to keep high, while his emotion shifts low. All the while, steady thumps of baseline cut through, spaced out among Ryan’s recollection of past heart-ache. However, as the story Ryan tells us progresses, we see more to it than ache and loss. We see glory.
With “Till The World Ends”, Ryan Nealon takes his listeners to familiar low points of emotional stability, all the while imagining what the future could hold, and knowing that there is always a climb after a fall. Knowing that what may be lost can be found.
We all hope you find it, Ryan. Dibs on a wedding invite.
Until then, let the music flow. Check out the official premiere of Ryan Nealon’s “Till The World Ends” below!
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