Interview: RYAN KINDER, C2C Country 2 Country 2018, London

Photo credit: Warner Music Nashville

Ryan Kinder is certainly a name I expect we'll be hearing a lot more of over the next few years, with his unique songwriting and growing fanbase. I caught up with Ryan after his gigs at C2C Country 2 Country 2018 to discuss heading out on the C2C Roadshow, playing to UK audiences, and country acts he thinks we need to listen to - read on!

Ciara's Country (CC): So to start off, how’s your year been going so far?

Ryan Kinder (RK): It been fantastic! Finished up my headlining tour earlier this year and just got back from jamming with you guys in the UK!

CC: You’ve recently played C2C - what was that like? 

RK: It was great. Everyone that attended the shows were just vehement music lovers and it showed at the gigs. Very attentive and kind. It was a lot of fun. Looking forward to coming back.

CC: What was it like heading out on the Roadshow afterwards?

RK: It was an incredible opportunity to see some beautiful, fun cities and be able to play for more awesome fans. Had some great tour mates, too! Ashley McBryde, Ashley Campbell and Mo Pitney are just pros and great to be on the road with.

CC: How does the audience compare here to back home?

RK: Comparing would do a disservice to the love they all have for the music they’re listening to and the concert they’re attending. You’ll run into a rowdy, rocking crowds and quiet, engaged crowds anywhere you go. It’s all a beautiful, ever changing experience. I think any crowd, group of people or few people coming out to a show is incredible in itself. Hate to try and compare.

CC: And what does the next year hold for you? More trips to the UK?

RK: We will be back as soon as possible! And it’s sooner than you think. I can’t stay away. 

CC: One of the things I love about country is that its songs are used to tell stories, and a lot of country music draws on the backgrounds of the singers – how has your background influenced your music?

RK: Every experience you have growing up, and every day, shapes who you are. It’s no different musically. I grew up in Alabama. I was very close to Muscle Shoals so I was inundated in that soul sound from a young age. My mother always listened to Bonnie Raitt, Linda Rondstat, James Taylor, the Eagles and many more so that was a big part of my up-bringing. I also found the blues at a very young age and lost myself in it.

CC: What’s your creative process like when it comes to songwriting? 

RK: It's different with every song. It really depends on how the idea or groove presents itself and where it needs to go. It usually leads us to where it needs to go.

CC: What songs have you found most fun to write, and most fun to perform? 

RK: Every song we’ve got feels like a baby. We’ve nurtured it from conception, helped it grow, seen it finds its own voice and sometimes take off in a way we never could’ve imagined. So each song in its own right has its own story of why it was fun to write and perform. 

CC: Tell us about your latest single, Leap of Faith.

RK: We wrote that song over 6 years ago in a time we would write with no inhibitions and no specific agenda. There’s something beautiful in letting a song grow from a mindset like that. The chorus is all about taking that chance. That one opportunity. Grasping it and doing everything you can to make it happen because we don’t know “what’s behind that curtain.”

CC: Country music is changing a lot as we move more into crossover with pop and rock – do you like the direction the genre is going?

RK: I don’t pay attention much to “genre” these days. Good music is good music and it’s so accessible these days that nothing needs to be pigeonholed or cornered into a space of genre. 

CC: Who do you think is the most underrated artist out there that people should really be listening to?

RK: Theo Katzmann. He is an absolute beast of a musician/songwriter.

CC: Definitely one to check out there. Thanks so much for your time, and we're looking forward to welcoming you back to the UK soon!

Thanks to Ryan for chatting with me, and I hope you'll think about checking him out next time he's in the UK! For more country related content, be sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry and drop me a message in the comments below with any suggestions for artists you think I should check out!