RyanDan 'self-titled' album

Identical twin brothers Ryan and Dan Kowarsky are gearing up to release their second British single from their debut self-titled album. Written by folk legend Judie Tzuke, ‘High’ is a triumphant celebration of positivity and hope, performed with passion and power by the Canadian duo. RyanDan’s introduction to Britain has been meteoric. Unknown just months ago, a flurry of TV performances, support throughout the press and radio and a run of impressive and high-profile concerts attracted a devoted following and led to their album charting at number 7, selling more copies in its first week than international stars Phil Collins and KT Tunstall and becoming the first debut album by a pair of identical twins to chart in the top 10.

“This is the most amazing album I’ve ever heard!” – Woman’s Own

In addition to their new European fans, RyanDan can now claim Goldie Hawn and Eva Longoria as celebrity fans following their performance at the Playing For Good Summit in Palma (Goldie Hawn led a standing ovation and invited them to stay with her and Kurt Russell at their Canadian lodge). Terri Seymour meanwhile expressed the views of many when she said “You were amazing. Simon [Cowell] is going to be so p*ssed you didn’t sign with him!”
“The identical twins who make classical cool” – Boyz

Internationally the story continues – the guys first performance in Australia was at the impressive Sydney Opera House, the album is flying high at number 4 in Hong Kong, they have a top ten airplay hit in their homeland of Canada, one month before the album is even released and they will be performing in the Helsinki Arena to 8,000 people in November.

In the run up to Christmas we can expect to see RyanDan on our TV screens again including an appearance on Paul O’Grady. RyanDan also continue to be ambassadors for Brain Tumour UK.

biography
RyanDan isn't simply a play on the names of identical twins Ryan and Dan. It reflects an indivisible bond that runs so deeply that there is no discernible line where vocally one ends and the other begins. To hear them - and to connect to them - is to be taken on an emotional journey of rare intensity.

Growing up in Toronto, Canada, the youngest of five children, Ryan and Dan Kowarsky’s love of opera was spawned by the music of their childhood – the songs of the legendary Mario Lanza and the great Luciano Pavarotti. As teenagers they came to admire the pop harmonies of the Bee Gees, the melodies of Stevie Wonder and the smooth R&B vocals of Boyz II Men.

Guided by their opera singing father, Ryan and Dan spent many evenings of their youth watching his performances from the side of the stage.

"We never took vocal coaching or formal lessons" says Dan. Yet their voices, which effortlessly slide from baritone to soprano, full voice to falsetto, have a stunning clarity and purity.

They have been performing on stage, in plays and musicals since they were about four years old. In high school they shared the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, though no one else could be sure who was Joseph on any given night.

It was natural, then, that they should want to become performers, and at the age of 18, they (together with a friend) walked into the offices of Sony Music in Toronto. Through a combination of chutzpa, charm and luck, they secured an audition with the vice president and walked out with a record deal. Their subsequent successful career as a pop band yielded multi-platinum albums in Canada and Germany, but they gradually became dissatisfied with pop fare.

"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. 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”.

The emotion with which they sing is undeniable - and that emotion was evident during the recording process of their album. They composed “Tears Of An Angel” in honour of their young niece Tal. "She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and was undergoing chemotherapy at the time. We haven't played the song for her yet.” This was not their first encounter with life’s misfortunes. Their mother was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

Despite the uncertainties life, Ryan and Dan find much to celebrate. The energetic and uplifting song “High” (penned by seventies folk artist Judi Tzuke, also composer of another album track, “Like The Sun”) reflects their optimism and how they view life’s challenges.”

The recording of the album was preceded by a process of elimination. To help them choose which songs they wanted on the album, they recorded over 50 songs before deciding on the final 12.

The album was recorded in a state-of-the-art studio in Richmond, Surrey, at the home of songwriter Terry Britten, who wrote Tina Turner's breakthrough song “What's Love Got To Do With It”. With a sound desk once used by Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, and a microphone used by Frank Sinatra, they were ready to get to the heart of their own recording souls.

The fact that they are identical mirror-image twins - Dan being left handed and Ryan being right-handed - adds an extra dimension to their sound. When they harmonise they have the power of a duet yet they sound as one. “Even our parents don’t know who is singing which part”, Dan adds.

They have always shared a telepathic link. “If one of us was hurt, the other would feel pain at the same time, even if we were not together” explains Ryan. “This still happens sometimes”. Similarly their thoughts are often in harmony. One of them might start talking – only to have the other complete the sentence.

And inevitably, as children, they would playfully swap identities. “Being identical twins enabled us to play all kinds of games with our teachers and our friends" says Ryan. "We were troublemakers during our teenage years, and probably drove everyone crazy. In some ways we are very similar” he adds, “particularly with regard to staying positive. Also, we’re both very open and introspective- we get that from our mother. In other ways, we’re different. Daniel tends to be more intense than I am. I’m a little more laid back”.

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

Somewhere deep in their souls their past and present fused together and is reflected in their astonishing debut album – one that is powerful and pure and is destined to turn these brothers into international stars.

RyanDan will be playing a series of live concerts in Britain during the summer including supporting Katherine Jenkins on her outdoor concerts and performing at the Proms in the Park in London on 8th September.

‘RyanDan’, the album, was released on Universal Classics and Jazz last September 24th.

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RyanDan - self-titled