RyanDan

RyanDan

Biography

Tight-knit sibling harmonies have captivated pop music fans at least since the days of the Andrews Sisters and the Everly Brothers. But no sibling singing team in memory has brought more excitement to the scene than RyanDan—the performing handle for 27-year-old identical twin vocalists Ryan and Dan Kowarsky.

Indeed the brothers, born in Cincinnati but currently residing in Canada (where they are already multi-platinum-selling stars), are gearing up for their self-titled U.S. debut on Decca Records thanks to the ecstatic international response to the album so far. The Guardian in England--where their self-titled debut was recorded--calls RyanDan “the talk of the industry…voices of astonishing purity, richness, clarity and power,” while the Sunday Mercury calls RyanDan “a magnificently orchestrated operatic pop album!”

On the home front, where RyanDan’s album track “The Face” out-performed competing songs by the likes of Britney Spears, Duran Duran and Fall Out Boy on Toronto’s popular CHUM-FM radio station’s artist battles, RyanDan were chosen to appear as special guest at the “One Night Live” benefit concert at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, in support of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Women & Babies Program, which headlines Josh Groban and Canadian pop heavyweights Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan and Jann Arden. But Ryan and Dan Kowarsky’s story is tailor-made for America, where their spectacular four-octave ranges--not to mention good looks and magnetic personalities—are primed to ply the contemporary classi-pop category that has become so prevalent among discerning audiences.

The youngest of five children, Ryan and Dan were in fact first influenced by classical music. Their father was an opera singer and cantor in Toronto, and they frequently watched him perform from the side of the stage. Consequently, they naturally fell under the spell of the opera legends Mario Lanza and Luciano Pavarotti—but as teenagers they just as naturally gravitated to the pop harmonies of the Bee Gees, the melodies of Stevie Wonder and the smooth R&B vocals of Boyz II Men.

"We never took vocal coaching or formal lessons," says Dan. Still, he and his brother have been performing on stage in plays and musicals since they were four years old. Blessed with voices that effortlessly slide from baritone to soprano and full voice to falsetto with stunning clarity and purity, they were actually able to share the lead role in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in a high school production—with hardly anyone in attendance knowing for sure which one of them was in fact on stage on any given night!

Then again, “even our parents don’t know who is singing which part,” Dan notes. But the twins’ extraordinary closeness goes beyond singing: “If one of us was hurt, the other would feel pain at the same time, even if we were not together,” recalls Ryan, who even now will finish his brother’s sentences—and vice-versa.

Ryan adds; “Being identical twins enabled us to play all kinds of games with our teachers and our friends. We were troublemakers during our teenage years, and probably drove everyone crazy.”

When the twins turned 18, they and a friend boldly marched into the offices of Sony Music in Toronto, gained an audition, and walked out with a record deal. Their pop group B4-4 went on to achieve multi-platinum sales in Canada and Germany, as well as a prestigious Juno Award nomination. But they eventually tired of their first group’s pop fare—and emphasis on the superficial.

"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 or clothes. 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 and still love today.”

Fittingly, RyanDan leads off with the emotionally stirring ballad “Like the Sun.” The international hit, which was composed by English folk-pop legend Judie Tzuke (who also wrote the album’s uplifting “High”), showcases from the outset the brothers’ unique vocal blend—particularly their complementary tone and phrasing.

The remaining 11 tracks that make up the album RyanDan, were culled from 50 songs recorded and produced by Steve Anderson (Kylie Minogue, Paul McCartney, Take That) at London’s State-of-the-Ark studios in Richmond, Surrey. Owned by Terry Britten (famed for writing Tina Turner's breakthrough hit “What's Love Got To Do With It”), the album was recorded using a sound desk previously employed by The Beatles, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones--and a microphone frequently used by Frank Sinatra. “I’ll Be There” is another stand out track, thanks to a gospel choir backing the twins’ soaring vocals on the Jackson 5 classic.

But two songs have special significance from a personal standpoint. The intensely operatic “The Prayer” is their mother’s favorite song on the album, and was recorded for her after she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (the diagnosis also catalyzed the sons’ return to their musical roots and the ensuing new phase of their music career). Their mother’s huge formative influence is further noted by Ryan: “We’re both very open and introspective—we get that from our mother.”

They wrote the album’s last song, the poignant “Tears of an Angel”, in honor of their young niece when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent chemotherapy. Sadly she passed away late last year.

“It's extremely important to us that our music reflects the depth and strength of our emotions,” Ryan concludes. “We pour our hearts and our souls into our singing, and we want people to feel that passion.”