Ryan Beatty doesn’t like this part.
“In the past, I really fought against it,” he tells me, “it” is an interview.
“Turning down music is a very vulnerable thing,” explains the 30-year-old singer-songwriter. “I loved making it, but I was sometimes afraid to put it out. It exposes you to a lot of love but also a lot of criticism or questions or things you might not even want to admit.”
That’s why BT doesn’t give too many interviews. In any case, he’s a busy guy who’s had a stormy few years: touring his critically acclaimed 2023 album, calico, Co-writing for artists such as Bleachers, opening for Noah Kahn and Maggie Rogers. Oh, and there was the Grammy he shared in winning for co-writing four of Beyonce’s songs cowboy carter. And not just any Grammy—her Album of the Year.
He says he likes to let the music speak for itself, but he’s also gained the confidence that sharing his music with the world means he can talk about it a bit too.
“At the end of the day, I’m really grateful that I got a chance to do this,” he says. “I love making music and I love sharing it. So, I’ve accepted that the pros outweigh the cons. calico Come out and see how much the people associated with it have given me.”
It makes sense if you know his backstory. For those who don’t, it helps to understand why he’s so determined to create music with his own unique control and authenticity, and then release it into the world without much explanation.
He was discovered on YouTube after posting a Bruno Mars cover in 2011, when 6 million views could send bat signals to labels and make you a star. Within a year, he was premiering a music video on Ryan Seacrest and becoming a staple on Radio Disney – positioned as the next teen heartthrob to emerge from the Internet. But he felt uncomfortable with that persona, and took up boxing artistically. He left his management and fought behind the scenes for years for artistic freedom.
He came out publicly as gay on Instagram in 2016 (“Proud to be a raging gay. It took me 20 years of suffocation in the closet to get comfortable enough to say this, but now I can finally breathe. I did it!”) and teamed up with Kevin Abstract and rap collective Brockhampton, Tyler, The Creator, and super-producer Benny Blanco to form a new creative community in Los Angeles.
His 2018 album, boy in jeans, It was a coming-of-age story that highlighted her new potential to be herself, while her 2020 project, dreaming of david, As he developed his sound, it took him into unknown, experimental territory. But this was their third full-length album, calicoin 2023 that heralded Beatty’s renaissance as a singular songwriter, singer, and architect of music that demands to be heard as a collective album. Think: nine near-perfect Americana tracks, wandering across a lush auditory landscape as Beatty whispers in your ear about recovering from a tragic heartbreak. It was praised by critics (and Elton John) as a masterpiece, and proved Beatty’s unique skill in balancing revelry and restrained, crystalline detail with atmosphere.
The success of the album led to a banner 2024 – tour, stadiums, Beyoncé.
Now he’s back, having spent much of the last year writing and producing his new album, sweet fortune (Out today, streaming now spotify And apple music), with his longtime collaborator Ethan Gruska – who has also worked with Phoebe Bridgers and Fiona Apple – as well as with his friend and first-time writing partner Clairo.
