Like most aspiring producer/songwriter/singers, Ryan Leslie started out making his own records as a teen because he couldn't afford to pay for studio time or producers when he wanted to record his demo. Counting self-contained producer/artists like Stevie Wonder and Prince as his heroes, it's been a long ride from being a 19-year-old senior in college who had no music contacts - to overseeing studio sessions with the likes of Diddy, Usher, Britney Spears, and many other of today's top stars.
The road was not easy, as anyone who has tried to make it in music would understand. When he graduated from Harvard in 1998, Ryan started out selling beats for $200 to anyone who would buy - a questionable career move for an ivy-league graduate. He stayed in the Boston area for a while, taking on a community service job to make ends meet, and spending his nights in the recording studio. Eventually, in the summer of 2000, he linked with a young artist named Corey "Latif" Williams, and he produced a song that won a contest sponsored by Teen People magazine, earning them a performance at the famed Apollo theatre in Harlem.
A few months later, in 2001, the two had generated enough buzz as a producer/artist duo to score Latif a record deal with Motown. Though initial excitement in the project was strong, the album they made together in thirty days took two years to get released. In the meantime, Ryan returned to a suburb of Boston and began to experiment with making his own records again.
Times were tough, the advance money from his work on Latif's album ran out, and in late 2002, after nearly a year grinding with little to no money coming in, Ryan was forced to move back in with his parents, who were living in Phoenix. Though he was devastated, he remained determined, and after a long talk, his father gave Ryan a glimmer of hope, offering to max out the family's credit cards to buy the keyboards and recording software needed to create a modest project studio. Moved by this vote of confidence in his potential, Ryan vowed that he would do whatever it took to repay the nearly $15,000 worth of equipment - even if it meant going to law school and getting a job more suited to his academic pedigree.
For the next five months, Ryan locked himself in a room, eating infrequently and sleeping even less, spending countless hours formulating a distinct sound that would prove useful when in the spring of 2003, his music career took an unexpected turn. Encouraged by his long-time music lawyer and advisor, Ed Woods, Ryan got on a plane to New York to take a 30-day contract as a music production intern for former Bad Boy Hitman Younglord. One week into his internship, a record they created together became "Keep Giving Your Love To Me", a song performed by Beyoncé for the Bad Boys II movie soundtrack. That record led to a meeting with Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was supervising the project.
Honored by the opportunity, Ryan played a few of the instrumentals he had created while in Phoenix for Diddy, and there was one in particular that caught the Bad Boy Records CEO's attention. Though it was a simple track, consisting mostly of a conga loop and a guitar riff, the magic in the music emerged when Ryan played a song he had written and recorded to the track, called "Hot 2 Nite". Thoroughly impressed, Diddy offered Ryan a producer management contract on the spot, and the song became the first single for New Edition's Bad Boy album.
Diddy immediately put Ryan on every project that came across his blackberry, and Ryan produced a string of records, including Loon's 2003 summer hit "Down For Me". He shared his unique talent with everyone from Britney Spears, B5, Cheri Dennis, Danity Kane, and many other Diddy-helmed projects. In six months, he had collected enough money from advances to be able to repay his father, and after sending a check home, he requested that his equipment be shipped to New York, where he set up a project studio in a one-bedroom apartment in Harlem.
Simultaneously during that time, Ryan inked a publishing deal with Tommy Mottola's Aspen Songs, cementing his relationship with two of the most legendary and notorious executives in the music industry. Under the mentorship of Diddy and Mottola, Ryan began to absorb the mannerisms of a savvy entrepreneurial music executive.
Soon the word began to spread of his unorthodox approach to record-making (eschewing programming and beat machines for real-time playing of instruments and on-the-fly song writing), and people began reaching out to Ryan for his "NextSelection" sound. He produced singles for Donell Jones ("Better Start Talking"), Cheri Dennis ("I Love U"), and dancehall legends Tanto Metro & Devonte ("News For You"). He also signed a recording contract as an artist with Universal through Mottola's imprint. Though he recorded an album for Universal in 2004 between projects for other artists, his production schedule kept him from paying any real attention to promoting a single.
It was when Usher called on him to produce some records for his new label, US Records, that Ryan, being the same age as Usher, became inspired to champion his NextSelection brand by developing an artist of his own. After writing and producing the title track "Private" for Usher's act One Chance's debut album, Ryan returned to New York and met a strikingly beautiful young artist named Cassie with a distinct vocal texture and a unique point of view. With the help of some coaxing by her mother, he convinced Cassie to record a song with him. Encouraged again by his attorney, Ed Woods, he played the record for Mottola, who immediately signed Ryan's young protégé to a management contract, urging the two to continue the recording process.
The next record he wrote and produced for her, a song called "Me & U", would prove to be a defining work in Ryan's career - earning him his first number one hit, and the opportunity to work as an executive producer alongside Diddy, who outbid 2 other labels to partner with him on Cassie's project. "Me & U" went on to be the biggest record at radio in the history of Atlantic Records (Bad Boy's distributor), and Ryan's dream to introduce the world to the NextSelection brand was achieved.
The success of Cassie's project also proved to be definitive in a different way for Ryan, who had partnered with a young on-line media entrepreneur named Rasheed Richmond to wage a ground-breaking internet marketing campaign using non-traditional media to raise awareness about Cassie, NextSelection, and the infectious song he had written for her. Thanks to their joint efforts, she became the first major new artist to break from social networking phenomenon MySpace.com, prompting so many internet searches that Yahoo crowned her the first "Internet diva".
Fueled by this momentum, Ryan's next moves will be made with laser focus on brand development and will be watched intently by an evolving music industry. He is building a management company, led by Sean Collins, a long-time friend and early supporter who invested in him during the early stages of his career, to develop and nurture budding production talent. He is expanding his on-line media properties with Rasheed Richmond to create a network of sites dedicated to entertainment content developed by NextSelection. He is assembling a roster of acts that will embody the characteristics of his signature 4 D's - drive, desire, discipline and dedication.
Most importantly, amongst all of his endeavors, he's campaigning as Ryan Leslie - the artist. With a goal to fill arenas around the world where he has already been performing for small crowds of die-hard NextSelection fans, he is pursuing the dream that started his foray into music in the first place: being an entertainer. His live show is explosive, channeling of the energy of a young James Brown mixed with the swagger of a modern day Marvin Gaye. The soundtrack to the Ryan Leslie experience is just as engaging. Fusing thick analogue synths, heavy drums and lush vocal harmonies, his double album, consisting of his best unreleased gems like "The Way That U Move", "Just Right" and "Used 2 Be", plus an entirely fresh crop of newly-inspired recordings, will be a collection of all the songs he wouldn't sell to anyone else, songs that he really loves, stories told in a way only he can tell them.
A look at Ryan's daily schedule, which usually starts on-line at 5am and continues (with meetings, calls, rehearsals and studio sessions) into the wee hours of the following morning, suggests that he may have too much on his plate to lead the life of an ordinary twenty-something year old. Thankfully, his approach to life is, arguably, extraordinary.
© 2006 NextSelection Lifestyle Group
Out of the blue
Ryan Leslie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said I reminisce on you, babe
Reminisce on you yea
Listen
Should've spend more time
Been a part of your life
And made you more part of mine
I should've been a better friend
I done my best to understand you
Still it's hard to think that we're done
We through
[Chorus]
Now what would you do
Tell me, if I left you out of the blue
Would you fight back tears while your heart gets torn to pieces
Cause that what I did when you
Left me out of the blue
Love can feel so good and then suddenly it's over, yea
I should've been more true, takin' better care of you,
Like I was supposed to, guess it's too late now,
I should've told you how I felt, steady thinkin' of myself,
Still I can't believe you went away so soon
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Now when I ask myself
It's hard to see
How you can be anywhere but here with me
You said that you needed space and time
So you would be able to make up your mind
You said if I set you free
One day you'll be ready to come back to me
Did you really mean it? I hope you did
Hope you meant it babe
[Chorus: x2]
That's right I light a candle for you tonight, babe
Yes I will, yes I will
Cause I'm missing you
So I light a candle for you baby
For us, for me and you
The song "Out of the Blue" by Ryan Leslie is a nostalgic ballad about a past relationship that ended abruptly without much explanation. In the first verse, Leslie expresses his regrets about not spending enough time with his former partner and not being a better friend to them. The second verse continues on this theme as Leslie wishes he had taken better care of his partner, been more honest about his feelings, and not just thought about himself. The chorus is a hypothetical scenario where Leslie asks the listener what they would do if they were suddenly and unexpectedly left by someone they loved. The bridge provides some context to the relationship's end, with Leslie's partner asking for space and time to make up their mind. However, Leslie wonders if his partner's promise to come back to him was genuine or just a way to soften the blow of the breakup.
Overall, "Out of the Blue" is a melancholic and reflective song about the aftermath of a relationship's end. Leslie's lyrics express a sense of regret and longing, but they also recognize the importance of communication and being present in a relationship. The song's instrumentation, which features gentle piano chords and a subdued drum beat, adds to the wistful and pensive mood of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I light a candle for you tonight, yea
I am thinking of you tonight and want to honor and remember you, my love.
Said I reminisce on you, babe
I am reflecting on our past memories and missing you deeply.
Reminisce on you yea
I am continuing to reflect on our past together and the memories we shared.
Should've spend more time
I regret not spending more time with you.
Been a part of your life
I realize that I should have been more involved in your life and made you a priority.
And made you more part of mine
I regret not including you more in my own life and opening up to you.
Guess it's too late now
I understand that it is too late for me to change things and make things right.
I should've been a better friend
I realize that I did not act as a good friend to you and should have been more supportive.
I done my best to understand you
I made an effort to understand you and your needs and wishes in our relationship.
Still it's hard to think that we're done
Even though I understand that we are no longer together, it is still hard to accept and move on.
Now what would you do
I am wondering how you would react if I left you suddenly without any warning.
Tell me, if I left you out of the blue
I am asking you what your response would be if I ended our relationship without any reason or explanation.
Would you fight back tears while your heart gets torn to pieces
Would you be upset and heartbroken over my sudden departure?
Cause that what I did when you
I am acknowledging that is how I felt when our relationship ended so suddenly.
Left me out of the blue
I felt hurt and caught off guard when you ended our relationship so abruptly.
Love can feel so good and then suddenly it's over, yea
Love can be amazing and fulfilling, but it can also end so suddenly and leave us with a lot of pain.
I should've been more true, takin' better care of you,
I realize that I should have been more loyal and attentive to you and your needs.
Like I was supposed to, guess it's too late now,
I understand that it is too late for me to make things right now and be a better partner to you.
I should've told you how I felt, steady thinkin' of myself,
I missed the opportunity to express my feelings for you and often only thought about myself in our relationship.
Still I can't believe you went away so soon
I am still struggling to accept that our relationship ended so quickly and unexpectedly.
Now when I ask myself
As I reflect on our relationship, I am wondering and questioning myself.
It's hard to see
It is difficult for me to understand and accept why you are not with me anymore.
How you can be anywhere but here with me
I can't fathom why you would want to be anywhere else but with me.
You said that you needed space and time
You communicated to me that you needed some time and distance from our relationship.
So you would be able to make up your mind
You hoped that you would be able to make a decision about our relationship by taking a break and having some space.
You said if I set you free
You expressed that if I allowed you some freedom and space, you might be able to come back to me in the future.
One day you'll be ready to come back to me
You suggested that there was a possibility of us rekindling our relationship in the future.
Did you really mean it? I hope you did
I am hoping and questioning whether your words were true and sincere about potentially coming back to me.
Hope you meant it babe
I am holding onto hope that your words were genuine.
That's right I light a candle for you tonight, babe
I am honoring and remembering you tonight with a lit candle.
Yes I will, yes I will
I will continue to remember and honor you in my own way.
Cause I'm missing you
I miss you deeply and wish things had ended differently between us.
So I light a candle for you baby
This candle represents my love and respect for you, even though we are no longer together.
For us, for me and you
This candle symbolizes the love and connection we shared together, despite the fact that we are no longer in a relationship.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: RYAN LESLIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind