Moore and More #1 – Interview with Haley Ryan
Heyy! I’m so excited to be joining Belles and Gals, and especially with my new feature – Moore and More! Each month I’ll be collaborating with an artist to bring you something new. Anyone you in particular want to see? Got something you want us to talk about? Tweet @BellesandGals with the hashtag #MandM and I’ll do my best to make it happen.
When I first had the idea to run a collab series I was so excited at the prospect of working with the amazing women we have here on the Country music scene, but non more than this girl. How else could I start this project than introducing you to my best Belle – Haley Ryan! In an industry where women notoriously tear each other down, I’m incredibly proud to have a talented and hard working best friend like Haley.
First off, congratulations are in order! You’ve just been nominated for two UK Country Radio Awards. How does that feel?
Thank you. It feels absolutely amazing but to be honest I really wasn’t expecting it. The UK Country Scene is absolutely thriving at the moment and there are so many talented artists out there with a much bigger body of work and fan base that I have so when I heard my name mentioned as a finalist I was in total shock, especially when it was mentioned for a second time. I actually tried to record a video thanking my fans and it took me so many attempts because I was absolutely speechless, and you know that doesn’t happen to me very open, lol.
What are your music plans for the rest of the year?
Well I am trying to keep myself as busy as possible but it’s mainly studio work. I’ve just finished recording a covers album that will be a free download as a way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past 12 months and I am currently finishing recording my debut EP which should be ready for the end of the summer. I’ve also been working on some brand new material which I am hoping to put together into an album for release next year and would love to do a mini UK tour for the launch but we’ll have to see…
Do you have a favourite song you’ve written? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
That’s a hard one – I love some of my older stuff because it started me on this journey but I think my newer material is much stronger. I have one song that I am working on at the moment called ‘Just Me’ and it’s basically a hopefully empowering song about being who you want to be and not letting anyone else make you question or doubt yourself. I think that’s one of my favourites as it’s got a bit of attitude and edge which is a nice change for me.
Who are your influences as a) writer and b) a performer?
I tend to listen to a lot of singer/singwriters and always feel inspired after going out to a gig so it’s difficult to pin it down to a couple of people who I am influenced by as a writer – although I am a super fan of Shane McAnally and Jesi Alexander. As a performer I think I am most influenced by the likes of Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini – I love how they can get up and give a really charged and energetic performance with a big band but still be able to strip it all back to bare bones and still keep the audience engaged and Anna Nalick because every performance she does is from the heart and you can tell that she guenuinely loves what she is doing and wants to audience enjoy the experience just as much as she does. That’s the kind of artist I strive to be.
Let’s have some fun..
If we were to do a duet for a show what would you pick and why?
Ooh, I’ve lost track of how often we have talked about this and there are so many that we would absolutely smash but I would love to do The Good Kind by The Wreckers.
What is your favourite memory we’ve made so far?
Haha, so many to choose from as we have had some pretty awesome adventures together with all the awards shows and gigs but I would say my favourite memory would be right back where it all started. We’d only spoke on facebook a couple of times and you came down to Rugeley to support me during my songwriting debut. I played my songs in front of an audience for the first time and at the end we even managed to persuade you to get up and perform one of yours – not to mention the impromptu super country girl group we created with Narn and Kim. To be fair, considering we had no rehearsal and some of us were a little tipsy, we actually didn’t sound too bad – Don’t worry Dixie Chicks, we won’t be stealing your crown anytime soon 🙂
Do you think we’ll ever write a song at our co-write (but really just drink tea and chat) sessions?
I’d like to think we will eventually get around to finishing one of our co-writes as the little bits we come up with are pretty cool. Maybe we should just lock ourselves in a room with a bottle of Jack and not come out until we have at least one finished song, lol. [EM: YES! I love this]
QUICKFIRE ROUND!
A song that always gets you up dancing? Easy, Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson
A song that makes you cry? I don’t actually have an answer for this one 🙁
Favourite tipple? JD and Coke or Jameson’s on the rocks
Favourite UK Country Act? Oooh, obviously I have to say you (Emma Moore) but my second favourite would be Sasha McVeigh, lol
Best Social Media platform? Twitter as it filters me from waffling on but I tend to use Facebook more and I don’t like taking selfies so I tend not to use Instagram tons, lol
Where can new fans go to find out more about you?
Ooh, my website www.haleyryan.co.uk would probably be the best stop as all the information is in one place and it then links out to all my social media but I’m also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and I think I may even be on mySpace for all those who like a bit of old school cool, lol
