When I interviewed Serena Ryder in the July 2009 issue I asked the then 26 year old if she pinched herself during some of the amazing experiences she had already had. Fast forward through a few years that saw Ryder open for Melissa Etheridge, appear at the Fashion Cares fundraiser headlined by Elton John, tour the world and releas her most successful album to date, Harmony. So the question had to be asked, is she pinching herself yet?
"I am for sure! I would say I feel like I am reminding myself to be present a little bit more. It is easy to get lost in it all about what could happen instead of being in the moment and experiencing what is happening. Getting back in your skin and going this is where I am and what is happening. Holy shit this is amazing. That is totally where I am at right now, I am so blessed and excited about this record, the success it is having and that people are genuinely liking it. I really enjoy what I am doing right now and know where I am and am honored to be here."
Ryder spoke to GayCalgary Magazine in December amidst a whirlwind promotion tour behind Harmony. The album’s first single Stompa has been a mainstay on multiple genres of radio stations and is her most successful single so far. It is a great way to celebrate turning 30 on December 8th.
"My friends threw me an amazing surprise party. It was brilliant. I am the hardest person to surprise and they totally surprised me because I have been so busy with the record. It was so awesome. Everyone says 30 is such a gigantic year and milestone, but I feel like every year can be a milestone. I am really happy about being 30 I feel almost relieved. In a lot of my teens and 20s there was far too much in my head about what other people thought. A lot of people think that way and I haven’t totally gotten rid of that but I feel more comfortable in my own skin and like I can relax a little bit more."
Ryder describes her new album as "a bit of something for everybody." After writing 65 songs, she went to LA and wrote with producer/songwriter/musician Jerrod Bettis (Gavin Degraw, Better Than Ezra) and producer/songwriter/musician Jon Levine (K’naan, Nelly Furtado). The result was Harmony while the original songs written have been stored for future use.
"Everyone keeps saying I scrapped the songs, I didn’t scrap them! I can write over years and years and then I pick songs for certain times. I didn’t record Weak in the Knees until three or four years after I wrote it. I feel like songs are written and recorded for a reason. The songs that I wrote before I went into the studio are maybe for another record, and the songs I wrote after them all came within a period of weeks and were born together," she explained. "I have been co-writing for years. My last record was all co-written as well. It is really important to be able to get out of your own head and bounce your ideas off of somebody else. It is easy to stay in your own head and see things your own way, it is important to speak to as many people as possible. I wrote 90% of the lyrics and melody on this record which is more than the last one. This was more of a music collaboration with Jon and Jerrod. They have a totally different style than I have really explored on my own terms as Serena Ryder. I have done different styles in other peoples bands but not my own thing. There are a lot of different styles and influences on the record. It is very high energy and honest, I poured my soul out. The thing I like the most about this record is, it is going to make you want to dance and move, it is really groovy and really great music."
People are noticing Ryder for the first time with Harmony. Long time fans are saying "finally" after years of believing Ryder was one of the best new talents in the country. Serena feels that this is the right time for this moment in her career.
"Everything happens at the right time, I have felt that way my entire career. I like how things have spread out and unfolded. I have been on the road since I was 20. I am really glad that I was able to see all the different things I have seen and I appreciate it a lot more and understand the hard work that goes behind making a success as well as being somewhere at the right time and place. There are so many bands and so much great music out there and there are so many aspects as to why something is successful or not. It is not just a crap shoot there is a bunch of reasons why something is successful and the one you can’t help is the right time and place. I am really happy it is happening now, I feel ready for it and excited and can appreciate it. When something really awesome happens you go into fight or flight mode in your head and aren’t really paying attention but I feel like I am paying attention. This is really great and I feel like I and everyone on my team has really worked hard for it."
Some artists with a decade on the road and multiple Juno awards would be offended to be called an "emerging artist" by radio stations but Ryder takes it in stride.
"How lucky am I to be the new artist again? So many people have one chance at their life and the prime years of your life, it is really not true. As long as you are doing what you love you are on the right path. I get to start over again. People always say if I could go back to when I was younger but have my experience and start again with what I know now? I feel like you can do that, it is never too late. You don’t have to be physically younger to be younger in your brain."
Serena Ryder has often been referred to as having a similar voice and style to Melissa Etheridge. It seemed like a perfect match when Ryder opened for Ethridge on a Canadian tour in 2011. The two immediately clicked.
"It was something my manager and A&R guy put together. She was doing a Canadian tour and they needed a Canadian artist so it was the perfect match as she hadn’t toured in Canada for a long time. Melissa was already a fan of my music which was phenomenal and humbling. I was pretty stoked when I heard that. No way, seriously? Melissa Ethridge likes my music? That’s awesome. They wanted to put something on the radio to give it some buzz and suggested a duet. I had a song that I hadn’t recorded, Broken Heart Sun, and the lyrics really rang true to Melissa, I had written it with her producer. So she was able to hear it and put her vocals over it. It was amazing. We met each other on the first stop on the tour. You know when you meet someone and you feel like you know them already? It wasn’t, because I had seen her on TV I felt like I knew her and was comfortable right away. I thought I would be really nervous. She has turned into a total soul sister and is like family. Even when I was writing this record I was doing demos in LA and went over to her house and we swapped each other’s demos for our new records. It was pretty awesome going back and forth saying This is my new song!"
The pair debuted Broken Heart Sun for the first time in Vancouver.
"It was like a dream, it was amazing. That whole tour was phenomenal. It was a really great moment. The best part wasn’t on stage it was off stage, the heart-to-heart times. There is a lot of bullshit in this industry and this world and a lot of things you can believe or not believe. The one thing she told me that really struck me is that you have to love what you do and if you don’t, do something else. Those are words of wisdom that have been said billions of different ways but how she said it was the right way for me to hear it."
One of Ryder’s favourite places to play is festivals. She was one of the headliners of the Calgary International Folk Music Festival in 2012 as well as the CityTV New Years Eve special at Olympic Plaza. The exposure to fans who may not have heard of them before is one of the many benefits of touring the festival circuit.
"It is huge because there are so many people that are going to see other artists that wouldn’t have the opportunity or interest to hear about you. I feel like if you hear something you like outside at a festival and it sounds interesting, you are going to walk towards it. You have the choice to stay or leave. It is an open come or go situation and you don’t have to feel rude about not staying on the grass outside in front of that person. It allows you the option to fully commit and see a person and really loving the show, and they can stand up and dance and see you play several times. Festivals really give the opportunity for fans to have a real relationship with you and see what you’re like in many different lights. You are walking around doing workshops sometimes. It is fun for me and I am in a good mood because I get to hang out with a shit-tonne of musicians that I love. We do love each other because we understand each other and know where we have come from. I feel a sense of comfort when I am with a bunch of musicians."
Ryder will be heading back on the road this spring in support of Harmony. After being home it will be an adjustment to go back on the road again.
"We aren’t going to start touring until probably about March. Once we start touring we will be going everywhere – across Canada, the states, the UK, Australia and other different places in Europe. It is going to be a lot of fun. Canada is home so we will be back and forth here. I love being at home and that I get to have a routine. It is familiar and stabilizes me. I don’t have to prepare emotionally for something; I don’t know what is going to happen. My life has been flying by the seat of my pants, everything changes every day. ..."
"What I realized is I am going to take that on the road with me and have routine. I am going to take home with me a bit more - when you travel the only thing you take with you is you. That is your home and you have to make your body into the best home possible. I am excited to practice that when I am touring.".