Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Hopkins.
Ryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born and raised in Davie, Florida, I started playing guitar at 7 years old. Throughout my early years, I always had my guitar on my side, but pursued writing over music. While I was in college, I started the gigging circuit with buddies to make a few extra bucks and enjoy the open tab. Throughout my twenties I was gigging in Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and South Florida where I was based out of. By the time I hit 30, I realized I needed to put the energy into recording the songs I was gigging around the country, and started to pursue my recordings. Now, the band and I gig whenever we can while focusing on writing new music and recording the next record set to release in 2027 with an emphasis on songwriter-Americana styles like Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, The Wood Brothers, and Nathaniel Rateliff’s solo projects.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There’s always an up and down to being a musician. In 2019, I had weekly residencies that allowed me to focus solely on performing and creating music, but once COVID rolled in, we all had to take a step back in the bar-industry and recalibrate. From 2020 onwards, I realized my passion was in songwriting and performing, and recentered the course to put my energy towards recording and writing rather than the previous bar circuit I had been engrained in. Whether it’s the quiet drives home after a rough set, or the high of getting offstage after winning over an electric audience, the through line is always the same to keep pushing my craft further than the day before.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a musician, writer, and performer. I feel most proud of whatever I am currently involved in and rarely spend time dwelling in what came before that. Nowadays, I am finishing my latest record, “Letters I’ve Written”, which will be a more song-writer / Americana approach, that I am looking forward to touring in 2027. Audiences have come to expect my band and I to put on a high energy show, blending one song into the other, and putting everything we have into that moment. I hope to be noticed from a perspective of authenticity and passion that sets me apart from the next.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My family has always been there to support me along my way. My grandfather, who has a dedicated song on the next album, has always been a source of fire in my path. Anytime we would catch up, he’d ask “when are you back on the road? It’s where you’re the happiest.” and that’s something I’ll always hold dear.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/ryanhopkinsmusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanhopkinsmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanHopkinsMusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2O19dRxi8e1hkAYMz7XmSu?si=9DMkA5WNSJu6pHTize0n9Q
