Daily Inspiration: Meet Ryan Romano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Romano. He and his team shared his story with us below:

18-year-old, Ryan Romano’s music is like a breath of old air. Taking evident inspiration from music legends spanning Elton John, Queen, and Styx, Romano composes his songs with the intent to invoke nostalgia in those that love the vintage sound of classic rock.

As a former American Idol contestant, Romano is a very elaborate performer: from the intense stage command to the intricate instrumentation, to the hard rock vocals, to the extravagant jackets, Romano has every intention to breathe new life into old sounds. His first live music experience at eight years old has flourished into a fruitful career thus far, as he consistently indulges in his “next big thing.” When he’s not sweating bullets on stage, Romano takes a much more academic approach to audio engineering. His concept album – for which every instrument is him – tells the story of him indulging in showmanship: the synth-rock album, IDLE IDOL.

Also significant is Ryan Romano as an entrepreneur. On American Idol, judge Katy Perry purchased his custom-tailored sequin jacket right off of his back, and paid him with Venmo on the spot. When this aired to the world, Romano began receiving hundreds of messages online: fans wanted their sequin jacket. After some business magic, Romano launched his very own clothing line: Ryan Romano Jackets. These sequin jackets have become widely popular amongst his fans, as he turned lemons into lemonade – or rather – a comedic-but-legendary transaction into a fruitful business.

Every one of these artistic endeavors has joined Ryan on his musical move from his hometown in Romeo, Michigan to Nashville, Tennessee.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth road? Not particularly. Long road? Absolutely. Each endeavor of mine has been met by a plethora of people saying “no.” The most significant attributable struggle is my achievements relative to my age.

Many people won’t take seriously an 11-year-old ambitious to begin a fruitful live music career, a 13-year-old ready to play piano-rock at a festival, or a 14-year-old beginning to write music, or a 15-year-old writing & directing a music video, or a 16-year-old becoming a contestant on American Idol, or a 16-year-old recording & releasing his first solo album, or a 17-year-old executive producer of an entire film set & talent, or an 18-year-old producing & engineering film soundtracks, or an 18-year-old moving to Nashville, Tennessee by himself to make the most of it all.

Each of these things that I have achieved has been by my – and my peoples’ – sheer will, and each artistic achievement has made the next seem more realistic. The “no”s and “yeah right, kid”s I have received along the way have progressively become outliers. Initially, that “no” would bring me down, time and time again; however, I’ve come to realize that each “no,” relative to my age, is increasingly irrelevant.

Over time, these “no” people have become few and far between. They’ve been replaced by “yes” people: each member of my team who has joined me in some way along my wild ride thus far.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What do I do? I listen. I watch. I learn. The golden era of rock-and-roll has inspired much of what I do; from the fashion to the sound, I very much enjoy consuming that vintage media. My extravagant fashion choices can be linked to the glam-rock scene, rooted largely in Freddie Mercury, Elton John, and David Bowie, for instance. My Keytar has made such a significant appearance in my most recent work: my third studio album, “Idle Idol,” is my most notable & commercially-successful work.

I indulge largely in that album, as it is a concept album, with one overarching narrative guiding each song to the next. I wrote the album to tell MY story; I have often referred to it as the “story of a showman.” From a production standpoint, every single instrument on “Idle Idol” is me; a nearly unheard-of and strenuous task, spanning over two years of audio engineering work. That makes it SO much more personal.

Also, a significant part of this album is its 5 award-winning music videos, all written, directed, and executive-produced by myself. Of my long resume thus far, this album is my favorite thing I have done; there is so much attached to it. From a marketing standpoint, I have ensured that when people know Ryan Romano, they know “Idle Idol.”

Any big plans?
I have spent my years thus far indulging in my artistry. From my shows to my songs to my film work, to my fashion, to my engineering…I am new to Nashville, Tennessee as of about 4 weeks ago. I am here to indulge in that artistry with the massive talent pool here as an audio engineer.

I graduated from school once for audio engineering in Detroit, and am in school for it again down here to become the most objectively versatile audio engineer possible. By the time I graduate this second school, I plan to be employed at one of Music City’s pristine recording studios. An artist’s perspective has helped me massively with my past audio engineering projects for OTHER artists, and I look forward to making use of that same perspective with artists here.

Aside from the more logistical engineering I plan to indulge in, I have spent my whole life getting on larger and larger stages, and have no intentions to stop anytime soon. Coming soon to a piano near you is Ryan Romano.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://koji.to/ryanroman0
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanroman0/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Romano/pfbid0a2BgS88Bhk2DtPHS53oauv7atX2Je6zqbzhJyTrpcdz4dpt8rkPNz2FyCVZ2Zn9Rl/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/ryanromano

Image Credits
First Street Photography, ABC/John Fleenor, Anthony Niedzwiecki, and Ryan Romano