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RyanDan

 
Artist: RyanDan
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Group Members:

Dan Kowarsky, Ryan Kowarsky

Similar Artists:

Josh Groban, Il Divo, Charlotte Church

Influenced By:

Luciano Pavarotti, Mario Lanza
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "RyanDan

Biography

Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, born in 1979, are the two halves that make up pop-classical vocal power duo RyanDan. Brought up in an affluent suburb of Toronto, the Kowarsky brothers spent their early years watching their opera-singing father from the wings of local theaters. By the age of four both brothers had followed his lead and began performing in musicals and plays. The brothers' identical appearance allowed them to split roles, like the lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which they shared while still in high school. Weened on Pavarotti and falling in love with Stevie Wonder in their teen years, the Kowarsky brothers set their sites on the vocal pop world early. Accompanied by a friend, Ryan and Dan waltzed into Sony Music Canada's office in Toronto and sang in the lobby at the age of 18. They left with a record deal, which would go on to earn them their first platinum record. As members of the boy band B4-4, the Kowarskys were introduced to the public and inner workings of the music industry, but disillusioned with the banal, uninteresting music they had to perform. As they matured the brothers chose to strike out on their own as a pop-classical duo, writing and selecting their own repertoire. For their debut release, RyanDan, the Kowarskys collaborated with veterans like folk artist Judie Tzuke and producer Steve Anderson. Singles such as "Like the Sun" and "The Face" won a place on Canadian pop charts, an unlikely destination for music with such a classical slant. The record placed on Canada's Top 100 in the year of its release, 2007. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: RyanDan
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
RyanDan
Origin Toronto, Ontario
Genres Pop, opera
Years active 2006–present
Labels Universal Classics and Jazz
Associated acts B4-4
Website ryandan.com
Members
Ryan Kowarsky
Dan Kowarsky

RyanDan is a Canadian musical duo, comprising identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, whose music is a mix of pop, opera, and classical. Originally from Toronto, they are now based in London, England.

Contents

Biography

Identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky were born December 5, 1979. The youngest of five children in a Jewish family, they grew up in the Thornhill neighbourhood north of Toronto. Their father, Paul, a South African who attended King David Linksfield, a Jewish day school in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a talented operatic singer who frequently sang as a Cantor in synagogues both in South Africa and after immigrating to Canada. In high school, Ryan and Dan shared the lead role in their school's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[1]

At age 17, they presented themselves at the offices of Sony Music Canada, and attracted the attention of record company executives when they sang "Show Me the Way to Go Home" in the reception area.[2] They were signed to a record contract soon after forming a boy band called B4-4 along with their friend Ohad Einbinder. They received a Juno Award nomination in 2001 for Best New Group, but lost to Nickelback.

They eventually wanted to cultivate a more adult sound and fan base, and in 2006, they moved to London to pursue their career. They recorded their album RyanDan with producer Steve Anderson, who has worked with Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney. Their manager is Richard Beck, who has looked after Shania Twain, 5ive and Midge Ure among others.

Their album gave them the distinction of being the first identical twin duo to have a top-ten album on the British charts.[3]

They cite opera singer Mario Lanza has a strong influence in their music.[2] Their song "Tears of an Angel" was inspired by the loss of their four-year-old niece, Tal, who died from a brain tumour during the recording of their album.[4]

Discography

Albums

  • 2007: RyanDan – Number 7 in the UK album charts (Gold certification), 9 in Canada (Gold certification), 4 in Hong Kong (Gold certification)
  • 2008: RyanDan – released in the US on Decca on 8 April
  • 2009: Silence Speaks - Upcoming 2nd album

Guest albums

Singles

  • 2007: "Like the Sun" - Worldwide
  • 2007: "The Face" – Canada only
  • 2007: "High / O Holy Night" - UK only
  • 2009: "Is Love Enough (To Save The World)" - Canada only

References

  1. ^ Lester, Paul (2007-06-29). "New band of the day: RyanDan". Guardian Unlimited. http://music.guardian.co.uk/newbands/story/0,,2115137,00.html. Retrieved 2007-10-13. 
  2. ^ a b Renzetti, Elizabeth (2007-10-13). "Twins Peak". Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071013.POP13/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Music/. Retrieved 2007-10-13. 
  3. ^ "RyanDan: It's a dream come true". This Is Nottigham. 2007-10-01. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=244367&command=displayContent&sourceNode=244365&contentPK=18547133&folderPk=112383&pNodeId=188965. Retrieved 2007-10-13. 
  4. ^ "RyanDan are certainly two of a kind". The Journal. 2007-07-24. p. 35. 

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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