Photo Credit: American Idol
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You probably recognize Drew Ryn from the top 20 on the past season of American Idol. She also made it to the top 6 on X Factor when she was only 14 years old. Beyond that, she’s played 300 shows for anti-bullying, as well as doing multiple 19 city tours throughout the US. Her side project, as she calls it is TikTok. It’s where she’s been able to share her songwriting, and the platform that launched her viral hit “Orchestra”.

Ryn has been busy since Idol wrapped up. She took a little hiatus from touring to focus on writing and putting music out, and building her social media platform. But now she’s back out on the road. I saw her perform at Franklin Summer Bash a few weeks ago, and she has her first headlining show in her hometown in Arizona next week.

Her goal is to put out a full length album this year and go out on the road to support it. When asked if she would include any of her previous material there is one that is a must have for Ryn. “The song that I did for my audition on American Idol called ‘Walk on Water’ is what I’ve always called the song of my life. I actually recorded it six years ago but I’ve been saving it because that song has meant the most to me, more than any song I’ve ever written” she tells us. And although Idol pushed her to release it out into the world, it’s not a closed door for making it on an album.

Ryn knew it was a gamble to perform an original on Idol. “But for me that’s my dream, it’s why I wanted to do Idol and why I moved to Nashville. And so that gamble was worth the risk to me” she says. And it paid off, getting her a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Being thrust into the spotlight and becoming a household name on national TV can put pressure on anyone. Drew shares that her parents raised her to be a good girl and have pride in the things that she can do. “I think sometimes I’ve taken that so literally into my adulthood that I’m afraid to make mistakes, I’m afraid to be under pressure. I’m afraid to be vulnerable or be in a position where I can’t control the outcome. ” Idol challenged all of those and taught her valuable lessons.

“I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned from Idol and also in my music career is to try and enjoy myself because it goes by so fast. I put a lot of pressure on making sure that everything I’m doing is perfectly thought out and planned. In this industry there is no amount of planning that can prepare you for what you’re going to go into so in my late 20s I’m realizing I’d rather just enjoy it and record the memory in my brain, if you will” Ryn laments.

American Idol may look like it’s all fun and games from an outside perspective. In reality, it’s a lot of hard work. The contestants committed a year of their lives for the small clips you see on TV. They were put through 12-16 hour days from 4am onward. “Even on show days where you would see us sing one song, we were working all day the entire day. There’s sound checks and glam and interviews. A lot of hurry up and wait even. So it is a huge undertaking that we go through to be able to do it” Drew reminisces.

The music industry is tough. “You have to give your all to basically any adventure you take with your music career, but oftentimes you don’t account for other powers” she comments. “Look at the credits of a song, and you’ll be shocked at the amount of instrumentation, producers and the mixing and the mastering. And that’s in addition the hours upon hours spent writing.”

When asked if she has a favorite memory she says “I have a lot of favorite memories, but me and Breanna Nix and Amanda Barisse shared a dressing room. So, a lot of my favorite memories are within the four walls of our dressing room.”

One thing I noticed at the Idol event in Franklin was how supportive the artists seemed of each other, so I asked Drew if that is really the case. She tells us it was, from Hollywood week on. “As you saw at the Franklin Summer Bash even the small group of us, we’re like family. Brothers and sisters. We’re fun and silly and light-hearted. I feel pretty honored to be a part of this season.”

Looking towards the future, Drew plans on keeping it real. “I think we try as musicians to re-invent ourselves each year or to predict what people want from us. But the truth is the best moments I’ve had in my career are the moments I least expected people to like me. Or least expected a song to blow up. Both of my biggest songs came from writing a song based on three random words on TikTok. Those were the things that I thought were just for fun, just for the Internet. But those were what people wanted, what other people were streaming millions of times.”

When I comment that you never know what is going to resonate with people she says “It’s proof that authenticity is really the only way you can go. Because if you try and predict something, it often flops. And when we least expect it, it performs well. ” Drew moved to the Nashville area almost a decade ago and feels optimistic about where her music career is headed. “I can see my future and it’s bright living in Tennessee.”