ryan nealon

We talked to the singer about his upcoming EP, dealing with anxiety and more!

words by VANESSA SALLES photo by CHRIS GREENWELL

Tell us about your single, ‘Paper Town’! What’s the story behind the track?

‘Paper Town’ is the fourth song off of my upcoming EP, Recovery, which is set to be released at the end of the year, and it’s a song so near and dear to my heart. This song is about my anxiety, and how living in a toxic environment like Los Angeles can really change someone. I wanted to write something honest and raw about my personal struggle with anxiety and how I tend to dwell so heavily on things such as jealousy and death.

Any memorable moments while writing/recording that you can share with us?

I got the chance to write this song with my friends Kylie Rothfield and Haleigh Bowers who are both incredible writers and artists. When we all sat down in the session in January of this year (before the coronavirus decided to cancel 2020), I really wanted to write something a bit more ballady and wanted to write about anxiety, which at the time was a very new thing for me to talk about, let alone write about. I had brought in an idea for a chorus which had the lyrics “I live in a paper town, in a house made of cardboard and walls of sand,” and it ended up actually being the first verse which I thought was pretty neat.

How would you describe your creative process?

My creative process is very sporadic honestly! I can get the itch to write when I’m driving, in the shower, right before bed, and the list goes on and on. I personally love to write in a group of 3, and I love writing about something real— especially if I’m the artist on the song, I have to emotionally connect to what I’m singing or else I can’t, in good faith, put my name on it.

What do you hope fans take away from this song?

I’m really hoping that my listeners, both new and old, can find comfort in knowing that it’s completely normal to feel these things. It’s so easy to think that you’re alone in a battle with mental health but I really strive to use my platform to constantly have an open discussion with my followers. When people listen to ‘Paper Town’, I want them to feel the words that I’m saying, and I think this song is going to really allow people to get to know me on a whole other level.

When you think of ultimate career goals, what comes to mind?

I honestly just want to be happy with whatever I do in my life. I would love to tour the world, sign a record deal (that’s artist friendly *cue laughter*), and have a limitless budget, but, ultimately, I just want to survive off of music.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned this year?

That I don’t need to play catch up with myself! I constantly set these unrealistic expectations on myself with very unrealistic deadlines, and it’s taken a global pandemic for me to realize that I can’t rush the process. As an artist, I focus so much on making sure that I can put out content constantly, but I would often neglect my health which resulted in me burning out. I’m trying to maintain a better balance with my personal and professional lives, and here’s hoping that I can finally relax after this EP comes out!

Any special message to fans?

Just want to say thank you to everyone for listening to the music that I’ve put out this year. It’s been really fun, and I can’t wait for you all to hear this EP in its entirety—we’re so close! I love you guys to the moon.