By the end of 2009, at the age of 14, Ryan started uploading videos to his sister’s YouTube account… and then the social media world took notice; hundreds of thousands of people started becoming aware of Ryan’s vocal ability, charm and star-potential.
On February 25, 2011, Ryan created his own YouTube Channel and started posting covers of popular songs on there, where he received tens of millions of views.
In November of the same year, he released his debut single, "Every Little Thing", which reached #89 on the iTunes Pop Charts. The song would go on to be included in his debut EP, Because of You, released on July 24, 2012.
Within 24 hours of its release, Because of You landed in the #1 spot on the US Pop Album Charts and the #7 spot on the Top Album Charts on iTunes.
The EP also included "Hey L.A.", which was featured in a commercial for the AT&T "It Can Wait" campaign, featuring Ryan. Ryan would then go on to spent the summer of 2013 touring as one of the opening acts on Cody Simpson's Paradise Tour.
Still in 2013, only a little over a year after his quick rise to recognition had begun, Ryan decided to fire his initial management team. The constraint he felt both creatively and emotionally because of his image as a "straight" teen heartthrob and the lack of input he was allowed when recording music were the factors that led him to the decision.
In a 2020 interview, Beatty recalled firing his manager on a plane flying back to Los Angeles after a gig, telling them "I can't do this anymore". His decision to fire his management and separate from his first label led to a prolonged legal battle that prevented him from releasing music until 2016.
After being inactive for three years, Beatty began to return to recording music in 2016, with the release of "Passion" and "Stay Gold". That same year, he also publicly came out as gay.
In 2017, he began collaborating with the rap collective Brockhampton, providing backing vocals on Saturation II's "Queer" and Saturation III's "Bleach". He also provided vocals for "Sugar", a song from the collective’s fifth studio album that later gained some success on TikTok.
In 2018, Beatty released his first studio album, Boy in Jeans, featuring the singles "Bruise" and "Camo". He released music videos for almost every song on the album, with the exceptions of "Cupid", "Money", and "Speed".
Starting in January 2019, six months after Boy in Jeans had already been released, Beatty embarked on a short tour in support of the album. In a 2020 interview with Complex, he said that he initially delayed touring after the release of the album in order to focus on the recording of his second album, Dreaming of David, which he began working on soon after the completion of Boy in Jeans.
From the end of 2019 into early 2020, Beatty released the singles "Dark Circles", "Patchwork", and "Casino", each with their own accompanying music videos, in the lead up to the release of Dreaming of David, which was finally released on January 31, 2020.
Soon afterwards, he announced a US tour called "David, I Love You" in support of the album, later canceled due to the social distancing measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting late 2020, Beatty stopped using all social media platforms, only making sparse publications from time to time.
Then, in March 2023, he cleared his Instagram page, indicating new music would be released soon.
On March 15, after a series of Instagram posts and the launch of his new website, Beatty announced that his third studio album, Calico, would be released April 28, 2023. The lead single, "Ribbons", was released the following Friday.
With the release of the album came a short film under the same name, containing music videos for the album's first three songs. Calico was well-received, with critics calling the album "a transformative step for the visionary singer-songwriter, an intimate and admirable embrace" and "arguably his best work to date". A five-date North American concert tour, titled "California in Every Color", was announced on May 2, with a five-date international leg of the tour being announced on July 18.
Beatty came out as gay in June 2016, at the age of 20, three weeks after the Orlando nightclub shooting. He uploaded an Instagram photo of a Gay Power balloon on his Instagram account with the following caption: "proud to be a raging homosexual. it's taken 20 years of suffocating in the closet for me to become comfortable enough to say it, but now I can finally breathe. i did it!".
Brother
Ryan Beatty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crushed up the pills that you had
Just like the matches you're burning
To see if it all falls down
Why do you leave yourself
Leave yourself
Leave yourself alone
I'm giving everything to get to you
I'm knocking at your door
I'm knocking at your door
If only you would let me in
Brother you can lay your head
You can lay your head on my shoulder
I see that you, you try your best to be someone that you don't want to
You know, you know you can call on me
You know, you know
Why do you leave yourself
Leave yourself
Leave yourself alone
Why don't you ask for help when you're needing someone
I'm giving everything to get to you
I'm knocking at your door
I'm knocking at your door
If only you would let me in
You are so quiet
I wonder if you cry yourself to sleep
There is a light within your eyes
If only you could see
The lyrics of Ryan Beatty's song "Brother" speak of the artist's concern for his sibling who seems to be going through a tough phase in life. The first verse talks about the brother's reckless behavior - he is speeding without hesitation and crushing pills, which shows he is not in a stable state of mind. The line "just like the matches you're burning, to see if it all falls down" is a metaphor for his brother's desire to self-destruct.
The chorus of the song captures the gist of the artist's message which is to let his brother know that he is there for him and that he doesn't have to go through tough times alone. Ryan sings "Brother you can lay your head on my shoulder, I see that you try your best to be someone that you don't want to" which can be interpreted as an offer of support to his brother.
The second verse of the song talks about the brother's inability to ask for help. Ryan asks - "why don't you ask for help when you're needing someone", which shows that his brother is suffering in silence and is hesitant to reach out to someone for support. The artist is trying to convey that he is willing to do everything he can to be there for his brother and help him through these tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
Speeding with no hesitation
Driving fast without any second thoughts or doubts
Crushed up the pills that you had
Taking medicine by crushing it up, which is not healthy for the body
Just like the matches you're burning
Playing with matches and setting them on fire, just like how you're playing with your own life
To see if it all falls down
Wanting to watch everything fall apart, to see how it ends up
Why do you leave yourself
Asking why you're always abandoning or neglecting yourself
Leave yourself
Continuing to emphasize how you're not taking care of yourself
Leave yourself alone
Leaving yourself isolated and not seeking support
Why don't you ask for help when you're needing someone
Wondering why you don't reach out for support when you need it
I'm giving everything to get to you
Putting in a lot of effort to help you out and be there for you
I'm knocking at your door
Metaphorically trying to come to your aid and be there for you
If only you would let me in
Expressing the desire to support you if only you would accept it
Brother you can lay your head
Addressing the person as a brother, offering comfort
You can lay your head on my shoulder
Encouraging the person to trust and seek comfort with him
I see that you, you try your best to be someone that you don't want to
Acknowledging that the person is trying to be someone they don't want to be, and sympathizing with them
You know, you know you can call on me
Reassuring the person that he is always available to help
You know, you know
Reiterating the point that he is always there for them
You are so quiet
Noticing how the person is withdrawing from everything
I wonder if you cry yourself to sleep
Wondering if the person is crying themselves to sleep due to their inner pain
There is a light within your eyes
Noticing a possible source of hope or potential that the person may not see within themselves
If only you could see
Expressing that he wants the person to understand and see their own potential or inner light
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Austin Anderson, Daniel Fox, Ryan Beatty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rex Xavier Buatag
Your whole discography has helped me cope with mediocrity in my life. Thank you Ryan. I believe you're seriously underrated.
MATTHEW GIL
I’ve never been the one to be moved by music but this album just hits the core. Everything about this song and the album is beautiful
Andry Yuriandi
Ryan, can you take a moment, just a little, to read this comment. Thank you for creating this song. I can’t stop listening to it and my tears won’t dry. If only you were here by my side, I would want to hug you. This saves my life. Please do not stop writing song and turning it into beautiful music.
nostallgixs
Words can't even begin to describe the beauty of this song
UNBAE
Oh she's a server, she serves for a living, her job is to serve, and that's why she be serving constantly. Serving us top quality serves as she serves us, cause that's what she does as she is a server, which means she is meant to serve, and she does so flawlessly.
Noemi C
2:50 every time listen to that part my eyes water. such a good song.
bücherfresserin meee
Someone please knock on my door.
Whacked Monkey「 Eh 」
KNOCK KNOCK
lovely, lovely, lovely chimin
Am i late?
Live Long n Prosper
I've been wanting to not live lately, this song speaks so deeply to me. I want to ask for help so badly but I'm so scared to. This song says what i can't. Thank you for your music ryan.