Breaking the Molds of Pop Music
photo courtesy of @ryanbeatty Instagram
Ryan Beatty. An artist with a rather interesting rise. Beatty’s first singles were released on Radio Disney. Fitting the typical teenage popstar heart throb role for millions, Beatty was placed into a role where he was extremely uncomfortable. Being a gay man, he felt as if the direction of his music was not creatively fulfilling nor appropriate. Beatty did not enjoy being a puppet for Disney and being advertised as a straight teen. Therefore, he took a year hiatus from music to discover what he truly wanted to do with his career.
Beatty re-entered the music scene in 2018 with “Boy in Jeans”, an album in which he was able to sing about what he wanted and who he wanted. “Boy in Jeans” is about enjoying the carefree love of youth and exploring your sexuality without shame of society. It’s pop music for an often alienated demographic who don’t relate to straight love stories. Beatty is in no way subtle about his sexuality on this album, and rightfully so. His music is much needed to break typical molds of pop music.
The best word to describe Ryan Beatty is dreamy. From his vocal talent, to his apathy for synths that invoke a floating feeling, his projects make you feel like you're on a cloud (not to mention his jawline, which could probably cut glass). “Dreaming of David” is Beatty’s sophomore album. Taking a more synthetic approach, the album experiments with autotune and blends synth harmonics with traditional guitar riffs. Beatty’s vocal range is flaunted on almost every track of the album, mixing beautifully with falsetto and chest tones. Songs like “Flowers at the Door” and “Dark Circles” are more synth centered and experimental, a vein that Beatty seems to enjoy exploring. There is an undeniable energy to songs like “Casino” and “Hackshaw” with acoustic riffs to underlay Beatty’s lofty vocals. Beatty uses multiple layers of his own voice to create mystifying harmonies throughout the album. The subject matter of the album is, as usual, about sex- and we’re not mad about it.
Beatty has become extremely unapologetic about his sex-positive attitude and he goes into detail about the upsides and downsides of being a sexually active single man in Los Angeles. While “Boy in Jeans” is more centered around whimsical crushes, “Dreaming of David” is grounded in the harsh realities of human loneliness. We all understand how isolating meaningless hookups can feel while we’re dreaming of someone special. “David” is that perfect someone. Beatty alludes to the statue of David, often considered the ideal man. We are all dreaming of our own Davids. Maybe your David is the one who got away or someone you are yet to meet. Regardless, Beatty makes it impossible not to dream about them while listening to his album.