Growing up in Toronto, Canada, the youngest of five children, Ryan and Dan Kowarsky’s love of opera was spawned by the music of their childhood – the songs of the legendary Mario Lanza and the great Luciano Pavarotti. As teenagers they came to admire the pop harmonies of the Bee Gees, the melodies of Stevie Wonder and the smooth R&B vocals of Boyz II Men.
Guided by their opera singing father, Ryan and Dan spent many evenings of their youth watching his performances from the side of the stage.
“We never took vocal coaching or formal lessons,” says Dan. Yet their voices, which effortlessly slide from baritone to soprano, full voice to falsetto, have a stunning clarity and purity.
They have been performing on stage, in plays and musicals since they were about four years old. In high school they shared the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, though no one else could be sure who was Joseph on any given night.
It was natural, then, that they should want to become performers, and at the age of 18, they (together with a friend) walked into the offices of Sony Music in Toronto. Through a combination of chutzpa, charm and luck, they secured an audition with the vice president and walked out with a record deal. The three subsequently performed as the boyband "Before Four" aka "b-4-4", which went on to release two full length albums that had considerable success, in fact going multi-platinum in Canada and Germany. Nevertheless, they gradually became dissatisfied with pop fare.
“We reached a point at which the two of us felt that something was missing,” explains Ryan. “Dan and I have always tried to inject a lot of emotion into our singing and we wanted audiences to focus on vocal interpretation rather than on our hair. We decided that it was time to change direction and go back to our roots … to the kind of music we listened to as children.”
The emotion with which they sing is undeniable - and that emotion was evident during the recording process of their album. They composed “Tears of an Angel” in honour of their young niece Tal. “She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and was undergoing chemotherapy at the time. We haven't played the song for her yet.” This was not their first encounter with life’s misfortunes. Their mother was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
Despite the uncertainties in life, Ryan and Dan find much to celebrate. The energetic and uplifting song “High” (penned by seventies folk artist Judie Tzuke, also composer of another album track, “Like The Sun”) reflects their optimism and how they view life’s challenges.
The recording of the album was preceded by a process of elimination. To help them choose which songs they wanted on the album, they recorded over 50 songs before deciding on the final 12.
The album was produced by Steve Anderson (Kylie Minogue’s long-term musical collaborator), mixed by Ren Swan (Il Divo / KT Tunstall) and recorded in a private London recording studio owned by Grammy winning songwriter Terry Britten (Tina Turner's “What's Love Got To Do With It”). With a vintage Neve sound console once used by Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, and a microphone used by Frank Sinatra, the album combines Pro Tools technology and vintage recording equipment to beautifully create the rich orchestra accompaniment required for RyanDan's unique voices.
The fact that they are identical mirror-image twins - Dan being left handed and Ryan being right-handed - adds an extra dimension to their sound. When they harmonise they have the power of a duet yet they sound as one. “Even our parents don’t know who is singing which part,” Dan adds.
They have always shared a telepathic link. “If one of us was hurt, the other would feel pain at the same time, even if we were not together” explains Ryan. “This still happens sometimes.” Similarly their thoughts are often in harmony. One of them might start talking – only to have the other complete the sentence.
And inevitably, as children, they would playfully swap identities. “Being identical twins enabled us to play all kinds of games with our teachers and our friends” says Ryan. “We were troublemakers during our teenage years, and probably drove everyone crazy. In some ways we are very similar” he adds, “particularly with regard to staying positive. Also, we’re both very open and introspective - we get that from our mother. In other ways, we’re different. Dan tends to be more intense than I am. I’m a little more laid back.”
“It's extremely important to us that our music reflects the depth and strength of our emotions. We pour our hearts and our souls into our singing, and we want people to feel that passion.”
“We think of the album like a meal. Starting with an appetizer, you get into your main course and finish with dessert, and hopefully after you've devoured the whole record you'll feel satisfied like you do after a great meal,” they say, complementing each other in speech as in song.
Somewhere deep in their souls, their past and present fused together and is reflected in their astonishing debut album – one that is powerful and pure and is destined to turn these brothers into international stars.
Bring Him Home
RyanDan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In my need, you have always been there
He is young, he's afraid
Let him rest, Heaven blessed
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home
He's like the son I might have known
If God had granted me a son
The summers die, one by one
How soon they fly on and on
And I am old and will be gone
Bring him peace, bring him joy
He is young, he is only a boy
You can take, you can give
Let him be, let him live
If I die, let me die
Let him live
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home
The song "Bring Him Home" by RyanDan is a heartbreaking plea from a father to God to bring his son home from war. The father is old and fears that he may not live to see his son again. The song is sung tenderly and softly, with a sense of urgency and desperation in the father's voice. The father asks God to bring his son home and let him live in peace and joy. The father acknowledges that his son is young and afraid, and he wants him to be safe and happy.
The lyrics paint a picture of a loving parent who is willing to sacrifice his own life for his son's happiness. The father requests God to let him die if that is what is needed for his son to live. The song reflects the pain and fear of parents who send their children to war, not knowing if they will ever see them again. It also reflects the universal desire for peace and the longing for loved ones to come home safe.
Overall, "Bring Him Home" is a song that speaks to the heart and soul of anyone who has experienced the agony of war or the fear of losing a loved one. It is a moving tribute to the brave soldiers who serve our country and to the parents who love them.
Line by Line Meaning
God on high, hear my prayer
I implore, my lord, look upon me and hear my prayers.
In my need, you have always been there
In times when I needed succor and support, you, my lord, have always been present.
He is young, he's afraid
The one I pray for is a young and scared person.
Let him rest, Heaven blessed
Allow him to take some respite from the struggles of life and let him be heaven-blessed.
Bring him home
Bring him home to safety.
He's like the son I might have known
He reminds me of the son I've always wished for.
If God had granted me a son
If I was blessed with a son, he would have been like the one I pray for.
The summers die, one by one
The seasons come and go, pass away one by one.
How soon they fly on and on
Time flies too fast, and it keeps moving forward.
And I am old and will be gone
I am old, and I know that my time in this world is limited.
Bring him peace, bring him joy
Grant him the gift of tranquility and happiness.
He is young, he is only a boy
He is still a child, and his youth should be cherished.
You can take, you can give
You have the power to give and to take away.
Let him be, let him live
Give him the freedom to live his life as he chooses.
If I die, let me die
If it is my fate to die, then let it be so.
Let him live
Allow him to keep living, and to find his own way in this world.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAIN BOUBLIL, ALAIN ALBERT BOUBLIL, CLAUDE MICHEL SCHONBERG, HERBERT KRETZMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind