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Ryn Hills is an NYC-based artist with wide-ranging musical talent. We spoke with the rising musician about his entertaining new music video for single, “Peter Parker” which was released today.
Hi Ryn, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hey! Thanks for having me, I’ve been good, been working on some new music. Really excited about this new single I’m releasing called “Peter Parker”.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Peter Parker”?
I wrote and recorded the song back in my hometown Orlando, Florida during quarantine when the pandemic first hit. I. hadn’t been back to Florida in awhile so it was refreshing to be back in the studio, feeling inspired to lay down new ideas and share new experiences..
It’s probably one of the funnest songs I ever made, the song took a week to make from start to finish. We were in the studio and I picked up the guitar and started jamming this riff. Before we even had the rest of the beat was made we knew this was a bop!
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
I was trying to figure out how I wanted to jump on the beat and what to talk about. My home girl hit me up trying to chill and catch a vibe so I told her to pull up to the studio. That was my inspiration (laughs). I decided to shoot my shot, so I basically went into the booth and freestyled the song based on things that happened that night. After that Roe slid his verse and then my little sister Mariah killed the ad libs on background vocals.
Tell us about the music video?
The inspiration for the music video came after watching the old school Spider Man movie with Peter Parker. He’s this nerdy dude who takes out villians and saves the day. He’s one of my favorite characters. I called my brother Brandon to brainstorm more ideas about a music video and jokingly mentioned playing up on the “beat it up” theme by putting us in a boxing match.
That added a boxing and martial arts component to “Peter Parker” who takes out the villain or in this case the guy with the girl I want. Even though we wrote the song in Florida, we decided to shoot it in New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn) for the Spider-Man theme. Shooting the video was tough with the global pandemic going on, safety was an issue, places were closed or temporarily shut down, we had challenges but we everyone was able to come together and get the project done.
What was it like to work with Roe Lindsey and how did that relationship develop?
Roe is family (he’s my godbrother) I literally known him since birth. He’s an incredible singer, songwriter, producer. He’s also a dope rapper so when we get in the studio it’s like Kobe and Lebron. We help each other creatively and our talents compliment each other. Sometimes he’ll lay the groundwork to a song and I’ll finish it or vice versa. We didn’t worry about egos or anything. that kind of chemistry was kept throughout this project. We finished the song in less than a week.
Do you tend to take a different approach when you are collaborating with someone else rather than working on your own?
I mean everyone is different but my general approach is the same: stay open minded, don’t let your ego in the way of creativity, and enjoy it. It’s not worth doing if you don’t enjoy doing it.
What role does NYC play in your music?
New York is a melting pot. There are people here from everywhere Europe to Africa, so many transplants. You get all these different kinds of styles and people and different types of audiences. So I have really learned who my music lands with and been able to be inspired by new genres that I wouldn’t have heard if I wasn’t living in New York City.
How has your musical upbringing influenced your writing?
Well, I come from a very musically inclined family of innovators and pioneers so I picked up the music bug early. At the age of 5, my dad (who is the founding member of The Commodores) introduced my brothers and I to the MP7 beat machine. They quickly found other interests but I was enamored by that beat machine. We have a family friend named James Anthony Carmicheal, a Grammy Award winning musician, arranger, and record producer, who became a mentor to me. He and my dad are close and they would always preach about having strong hooks and melodies in your music. So emphasis on strong hooks became important to me and melodies (whether in the beat or in the lyrics) became a very integral part of my sound.
Does the new single mean we can expect a new material – how’s that coming along?
Absolutely! Still in the studio putting final touches on a project I’m planning to release next year in the later half of 2021. Aside from my project I’m also producing, engineering, and writing for some other dope artists releasing music soon.
What else is happening next in Ryn Hills’ world?
I’ve been quarantining. I’m thinking about leaving New York, Atlanta or Los Angeles are in my top choices to move next, we’ll see what happens. thinking about breaking into the acting world and starting a clothing line soon. Right now, I’m following the music, looking for up and coming artists to develop their sound.
