It was so much fun getting to chat with the beautiful and insanely talented, Rynn, ahead of her big night tonight! The singer/songwriter will make her TV debut on the new NBC show, Songland, with the Jonas Brothers TONIGHT to pitch an original song.
Keep reading to find out more about Rynn’s debut EP, her experience with the Jonas Brothers, and her reaction to finding out that her first single would soon end up going viral on Spotify.
Be sure to follow Rynn on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and her official website… and don’t forget to check her out on Songland tonight at 10/9c only on NBC.
DL: Rynn, it’s so nice to be chatting with you! How are you?
R: I’m wonderful! Excited to be back in LA after a great little family vacay!
DL: You’re an Ohio native, but currently live in Los Angeles; what made you want to start a new chapter of your life in what everyone calls “the city of dreams?”
R: After high school in Ohio I moved to Nashville, TN to attend Belmont University. The week after I graduated college, I released my first EP, Nightfires. Although Nashville is still probably my favorite city and has a wonderful songwriting community, I felt that as a few of my songs started to gain traction, the doors that were naturally opening up were based in LA. Along with my artist project I also write songs to pitch to other artists — primarily in the pop/dance genres. I felt that LA was the best place to continue to grow that craft for the time being! The sunshine and beach are also a greattt plus!
DL: Do you find it to be more self expressional out in LA for when you’re writing and recording?
R: If I’m writing for my artist project I never really know when inspiration is going to hit. Surprisingly, I end up writing a lot when I’m back in Ohio and can disconnect from the hustle of the city and stress of daily life. With that being said, I love the writing community in LA and it’s really inspiring to be able to work with so many incredible writers and producers out here, especially on pitch songs!
DL: Music is obviously your biggest passion, but when did you first realize it was something that you wanted to turn into a career?
R: I think in the back of my mind I always wanted to do music for a career, but I didn’t necessarily think it was attainable. It wasn’t until I started college at Belmont University that I realized it was possible to have a career as a songwriter, and that there are many other ways to be successful in music besides being one of the world’s top 3 pop stars haha.
DL: One of the things I can tell right of the bat with you is that you’re a very raw and honest person when it comes to your music, which I love. What was it like getting to write and record your EP, ‘Nightfires,’ that dropped in 2016?
R: All of the songs are super personal to the point where it terrified me to start releasing music at first. A lot of the time when I write, I’m still internally processing and trying to figure out what I’m feeling. I often write about what I don’t know how to talk about in he real world, so I feel very exposed and vulnerable when the music is released. I wrote every word of the Nightfires EP by myself and then did a lot of the initial production on my own as well. Eventually I handed them over to a producer, Seth Jones, to finish them. It was was a very rewarding but scary process releasing music for the first time!
DL: The lead single from the EP, ‘Islands,’ was such a huge deal for you… more than 8.5 MILLION streams on Spotify- that’s insane! Where you expecting it to get the reaction it got?
R: Definitely not! I secretly hoped it would, so I hustled my butt off reaching for anyone who worked at Spotify that I could find the contact for. That being said, I was shocked to see that it took off the way it did! I feel so blessed by God that I’m able to do this for a living!
DL: I’m sure it was even more of a ‘wow-moment’ for you when DJ R3HAB wanted to re-release your song ‘Talkin,’ from the EP too. What was that like for you?
R: It was crazy. I was at work at a boutique in Nashville at the time and I got a random Soundcloud message from a producer who had huge cuts for artists like Rihanna and DJ Mustard. The producers asked if they could work on the track. I had no clue if it was even serious, but in my mind I was like “what’s the worse that can happen” haha. Fast forward and the track found its way to R3hab!
DL: Flash forward to now, you’re working on new music AND are will be on NBC’S new show, ‘Songland,’ with the Jonas Brothers tonight. How did this all come about?
R: I honestly didn’t know a ton about Songland before I went on the show! Someone from casting had reached out to me and I sent them a song and did a Skype interview. I didn’t think too much about it or want to get my hopes up! A few months later, I was home visiting family in Ohio and got a call that I would be flying back to LA early to start filming that week! Filming Songland was one of the best experiences of my life!
DL: When you found out you’d be pitching your original song to the Jonas Brothers, how did you feel? My inner fan-girl would have been FLYING out haha.
R: I was so excited! The Jonas Brothers were a staple of my generation growing up! I never in a million years could’ve predicted this as a kid!
DL: Obviously we don’t want to spoil anything tonight until the episode airs, but what would you say the most rewarding part about getting the chance to be on the show was?
R: Getting to work with such insanely talented producers! It’s so easy to be hard on yourself as a creative, but having people that you’ve looked up to for so long show interest in your work is a surreal feeling!
DL: Would you ever collaborate with the brothers if you could? I feel like your voices would be such a cool tone together.
R: That’s sounds like such a fun idea! Let’s get them on board! Hahah
DL: Speaking of collaborations, is there any artists out there right now or in general that you look up to and would like to work with?
R: In my dream world either Coldplay or Bon Iver! They’ve both influenced and inspired me so much and both have albums that wreck me.
DL: Do you have any plans to release another EP or a debut album this year or in the near future?
R: Yes! I have an EP that I should be releasing later this summer and it will include the last few singles I have put out! Along with that, I have the writing done for the EP after that and am going in the studio in July to finish production!
DL: You’re career is taking off greatly already, but do you have any goals or wishes for the next year or so?
R: My main goal is to be able to write songs that connect with people’s hearts and moves them in some way! I would love to play more shows, have more songs cut by other artists, and have music placed in various tv/film placements. Overall I’m happy as long as I’m able to continuously express myself and find myself through writing songs!
XO DIVA D 