Switching to country music can create 2 different reactions. The first is a strong acceptance-- think Post Malone and his swift coronation. His entry felt organic and it didn't feel like he was panhandling the genre for aesthetic purposes. The second usually creates some backlash ala Beyoncé and her Cowboy Carter venture. The thoughts behind it are complicated and not always very reasonable. But in a nutshell, the concern that it feels like they're being used is understandable. It happens in other genres all the time so it makes sense that country establishes those boundaries for itself.
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There's a secret third reaction of indifference, where the artist in question doesn't really matter. It feels cheap and it mostly gets deflected anyway. But usually, country fights an eternal battle of what is seemingly authentic or not. For former pop rock singer Ryan Follesé of Ryan and Rory, he hopes to reclaim a part of himself he always felt was his in the first place. He used to perform in the band Hot Chelle Rae and had a seemingly inescapable hit on pop radio, "Tonight Tonight." Now, Ryan wants to step into his own in country.
Ryan Follesé Goes Country After Pop Rock Foray
Recently, he spoke to PEOPLE about shedding his old Hot Chelle Rae identity and coming into his own in Ryan and Rory. In a TikTok, he shared the before and after and how he looks much different from how he used to. Ultimately, Ryan explains that he didn't want to make too hard of a pivot into country. He's more than aware that people realize phoniness from a mile away. Consequently, having a little more time to share his story makes him much more confident in embracing his past and present.
"For us, it was really important to have at least a little body of music out there and give us a little bit of runway time to explain where I'm from, and that it's not just this switch over from pop to country," Ryan says. "The choice to wave that flag now just seemed right."
In terms of his group with Rory John Zak, the chemistry felt right immediately. Now, they can hit the ball running in Nashville because they work together so seamlessly. "Rory has perfect pitch, is a baritone and is an unbelievable player," Follesé emphasizes. "We actually recorded our first time playing music together and it was like we had been doing it for 10 years."
