Rylan Mahoney is a new independent Pop Rap artist born and raised in Herndon, Virginia, a suburb of Washington D.C. His passion for music from an early age has meant that the artist has enjoyed listening to and singing music his entire life and it was just a question of time before he took his singing and rapping talents to the recording studio. After completing his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech, Rylan spent time in and out of his home built studio where he began recording covers of various artists in his parent’s basement and posting his material on YouTube. More recently, while continuing to cover various artists, the Pop Rap artist has begun recording with local producers and professional studio engineers at Sleepy Hollows Records where he is working to release his first EP entitled “Exes and Uh-Ohs”. The album’s first single, “Where You Are”, was released in November 2014 on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon Music, and other distribution channels. The latest hit he brings is “Dreamcatcher” which has gained a lot of publicity thus far upon its recent music video and recording release on VEVO, Apple Music, and Spotify.
1inMusic: Hi Rylan, thank you for joining us. Let’s get straight into the first question: What is unique about you and your music?
I enjoy the genre of Pop-Rap music in particular. It usually has an upbeat tempo with one or multiple hip-hop verses in it. I’m excited to release my EP album this year as each song on the album tells a story and is completely different from one another. I really think that although people might not be into Pop or might not be into Hip Hop I can capture any audience in at least one of my songs.
1inMusic: What shaped your music and who supports you?
I honestly have a really good backing from friends and family in the DC area. I would love to rep my city as I do in my song lyrics but have very talented people I work with from the studio to my music video directors.
1inmusic: When did you realize you were going to make music professionally?
It’s always been a huge part of my life and I’ve had such a long lost dream and passion to make it in the music industry. At this time I’m still and Independent musician and have been thinking more and more of signing with a label for more exposure.
1inmusic: What type of music do you listen to?
Honestly everything, I will even listen to a country song here or there. I can cover almost any genre but enjoy writing and making my own music now. Hip Hop and Pop are probably my favorites but I do enjoy Rock and EDM a lot as well. I’ve recently been a big fan of Drake and Sammy Adams new album that just released; both inspirations of mine.
1inmusic: Who, to you, is the most undervalued music artist?
It’s tough but a lot of talented people on the web and youtube in particular. Not one person really stands out to me at this time.
1inmusic: How do you prepare for your performances?
At the moment I’m still finishing up my EP album in the studio so performances are to come. In do time… but I imagine drinking a few with my boys back stage and then just getting my timing down. Need the crowds energy…
1inmusic: What ignites your (song) writing flow?
I like to write in the dark and set the mood. I listen to beats and instrumentals for hours and then favorite songs of mine I’ve recently been into. That helps me motivate for a good day or night of writing. I also like to write really late at night as I think the days activities inspire what I do.
1inmusic: What do you do when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about?
I love watching sports and doing things outdoors. I go out with friends a lot and explore my city more and more. Really enjoy all my Boston sports teams and my Hokies for football as I went to college there.
1inmusic: Success to you is…
Success to me is doing what you love and inspiring people along the way. I like to use the word “inspire” a lot. People get so caught up in the day to day activities that they lose passion for what they really enjoy and like to do in life.
1inmusic: What do you wish you were told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?
Just be true to yourself and don’t let people bring you down with them. If someone doesn’t like your music or doesn’t support you don’t let them bring you down. There will always be people who are jealous of your creativity and ability to do something special. Surround yourself with great people and keep at it.
1inmusic: Any upcoming projects?
Like I said before really just finishing up this EP. A few leaked singles are out that I wanted to put up and maybe some more music videos. Once the EP is done I’ll be sending it out to some labels and start doing shows.
1inmusic: Thank you for this interview! Can you Where do we find you music / music project?
All over! But right now I’m on VEVO, Youtube, Spotify, Shazam, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and iTunes. Should be up on Pandora, etc. soon too!