By Aba Luke
Trinidad and Tobago songwriter and vocalist, Dale Ryan is making some giant steps. He’s doing something hardly ever done in the Caribbean, but really, something that should always be done. Dale has released a brand new R&B/Pop single, complete with a video. The song, ‘Colors’ hit the airwaves Tuesday, April 16, but even with his method of marketing clear in his mind, Ryan is challenging the senior musicians and entertainers in T&T and the Caribbean, to share their knowledge, and work with budding entertainers to progressively make an impact in the global arena.
His words may sting some but his feelings stem from his observations over the years. Having been striving to be seen and heard since the age of 17, the artiste who made some headway in 2012 when he delivered the hit single, ‘Incredibly High’, says he has faced many challenges, the most daunting of which has been the challenge to attain radio airplay. It’s a common cry and Dale Ryan is aware of it, however he attests to making some inroads, this of course after making the necessary connections in the past year.
“Before, I wasn’t well known and that in itself was a challenge,” he said. “I’m a little better off right now because I’ve networked in the industry a bit in the past year and people (in the industry) know me a bit more”
Dale has co-written songs like Machel Montano’s “No Lie”, Benjai’s “Feter”. Denise Belfon’s “Wining Queen.” Ryan was also partly responsible for the lyrics penned on Patrice Roberts’ ‘Permission Granted,’ Machel Montano’s “Life of the Party” and Michelle Xavier’s “If You Want To.”
Those songs alone– all hits that pierced the airwaves during Trinidad’s 2013 Carnival season, have placed Dale Ryan in a category that’s separate and apart from the unaccomplished artiste.
Dale’s new method to better package his musical creations has come after one year of hard thought. He realized that he’d erred when he released his 2012 single without the backing of a video, a proper public relations campaign and other things that would help the music. This time around, he’ll be marketing his music much harder, much stronger and with mindful strategies. “I want everyone to see and feel this song. On television, people should grasp what the song’s about and enjoy it and when they hear it on the radio, they must visualize the video after having seen it,” he explained.
The new single, ‘Colors’, was produced by Madmen Productions in Trinidad. It’s a song that may hit home for some. Dale says it’s a song that speaks to men who realize they’ve ended up with, what he termed, ‘bad girls’, after a relationship has already gotten underway. The video for the single was directed by Denith McNicolls of D.Media and produced by Patrice Millien of A Millien Concepts. and it no doubt will essentially offer a visual understanding of the lyrics.
Set to ultimately define himself as a strong, hard working musician, Dale Ryan is ready for what’s to come. He says he continues to look up to Trinidad and Tobago entertainer, Bunji Garlin; explaining that he feels Bunji is the most balanced entertainer in the country.
“In my opinion while some artistes are capable of putting on a great stage show but they fall short in other areas, or vice versa. I think Bunji strikes the perfect balance. He’s got the performance and the lyrical ability.”
Ryan also said he is ambitiously educating himself thoroughly on the business of music and the ins and-outs of the global industry. This, he says he feels all artistes, from every walk of life should strive to do.
