Hi! Ryan, what inspired you to write “Someday I’ll Fly,” and how does it reflect your journey?
A: I had just turned 20 years old, and had just moved to downtown Phoenix, AZ. It was the first time I had really left home, growing up near Seattle, WA. It was a major step out of the norm for me, and a lot of people I knew told me it was a dumb move. A large part of me believed them, and at that time I didn’t know who was right and who was wrong. Needless to say, it was a daunting time of my life.
I wrote the song in my bedroom of the apartment I shared with my roommate at the time. The window of my bedroom looked out into the pool area, and if you’ve ever had an apartment near Phoenix or Scottsdale, you know that the pools are always extravagant – almost resort like. Multiple water fixtures, a plethora of palm trees, music playing, lounges, bars, beautiful women and their boyfriends, and constant parties.
It was so strange. I had just moved there, and there was all of this sun-bum activity going on right outside my window filled with people my age. I was so close to it yet I felt on some level like an imposter. Like I didn’t belong there. I could never really be a part of it, nor could I ever truly belong.
When you combine that, with the fear of failure in my new situation, married with the fact that deep down I just wanted to pursue music, the sentiment of the song was born – in reality, the title came first.
Can you share the story behind the title “Someday I’ll Fly” and its significance?
A: Sure! The title actually came first. When you take the overall setting of my life at the time, as described above, I just had this overwhelming wish that one day I’d rise above all of that. I’d rise above the need to feel like I fit in. Someday I’d Fly.
What I think that also meant to me is that one day I would pursue music full time and people would see that what I do has validity on some level. I always loved the sentiment of the title. It was a rock for me at multiple points in my life.
How did your personal experiences shape the lyrics and tone of “Someday I’ll Fly”?
A: Someone described the song as a hopeful sadness once to me. I would probably agree with that. I can’t write a song for the sake of having to write a song. I have to feel like I have something to say. In that moment, with those experiences, I had to express what I was feeling in order to rise above it. When you walk into a song with an intent larger than yourself, I think that the feeling of that is tangible to the listener.
So within Someday I’ll Fly is the sadness of feeling like I didn’t belong, with the hope I’d rise above it. I think the first step of rising above it was to dive into working on the song – therefore, to me, the feelings of all of that are tangible within it.
What was the most challenging aspect of creating “Someday I’ll Fly,” and how did you overcome it?
A: I wrote the song just about five years ago. People underestimate how much they evolve over a short amount of time, and I think the big challenge was making sure that I agreed with both the sentiment, and the presentation of the sentiment, as time went on. Do I still agree with the lyrics? Do I agree with the way the lyrics are laid out? If not, how do I change it?
What to say from a production standpoint – do I still agree with the way I sang that? That piano part, does that still work? And I think the way I overcame a lot of that was just being honest with myself. If the answer was “no, I don’t agree with this anymore” then admitting that to myself was paramount.
But it’s also like walking on a razor’s edge. How far down the rabbit hole are you willing to dive to change things? It’s a slippery slope.
Ryan, could you describe the creative process behind “Someday I’ll Fly”? How did the song evolve?
A: The acoustic guitar in the song was the first thing I ever recorded on my own. I recorded it in the closet of my bedroom in the aprartment I had. Surprisingly, that never had to change. The vocal I did at the time isn’t in the song any more. I had to re do it. I had evolved as a singer, I had quit vaping as well (which helped me to sing better) and I knew more about how to hit certain notes.
But the song is interesting because I recorded it in 2019-2020. I took a hiatus and finished the recordings of the piano, organ, and new vocal in 2022. So I had evolved as a singer and performer by the time I revisited it, and therefore I think the song benefited from that as well.
In “Someday I’ll Fly,” are there any specific lines that hold deep meaning for you?
A: Good question. They all hold some weight for me. I think the first line of the chorus is the big one “Don’t bother asking why, I know someday I’ll fly away.” I think the lyric, and the way it’s sung is just the whole song in a nutshell.
What message do you hope listeners take away from “Someday I’ll Fly”?
A: That no sad situation lasts forever. You will rise above whatever is in front of you. There is no other way, keep your chin up 🙂
Can you talk about any collaborators who helped bring “Someday I’ll Fly” to life?
A: Tommy Taylor, my producer and drummer, made the song possible. He drummed on the original Christopher Cross album, drummed for Eric Johnson throughout the 80s and 90s, and has multiple platinum and gold records. He helped me polish some of the lyrics, he brought the right people in for that song and my other songs that are coming out soon, and poured his soul into the drum track. My music wouldn’t be possible without him.
Mark Hallman, my mixing/mastering engineer (and bass/organ player of the song) is a genius. The bass track has so much heart in it, I’m floored when I listen to it.
Looking forward, how does “Someday I’ll Fly” influence your future projects or direction in music?
A: I think that the sentiment of the song is also my sentiment as a human being. I think that the hopefulness in that song exists in all of my songs that are coming out next. Stick around and you’ll find out!