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The flame of a fireplace has long given people a haunting comfort; it feels like a gift, an ancient physical embrace that reminds us of our past, nourishes or present, and reminds us of our future, slowly extinguishing into carbon mass. It is no wonder that the place of a fire, a hearth, a stove, a circle of stones sparks metaphors, most specifically for our relationships. Ryan Waters on his latest piano ballad, ‘Fireplace’ gives a full embrace of Americana songwriting at its best, an every-person story about courtship, love and the loss left by its absence. That innate impressionability, like a pickup tread in deep mud, is a huge part of Ryan’s vocal & compositional strengths, and a reason why Benji Madden signed Ryan to MDDN. The less than obvious nature of the partnership, or as Ryan describes it a love of things that “completely come out of left field,” is both a testament to Ryan’s craft but also the increasingly crossover appeal of country music, joining other repertoire as borderless in listeners playlists.  

Directed by Sean Rogers

“Fireplace,’ with its namesake allegory also paired with a Sean Rodgers directed visualizer, and its takes all the cues one from the backwoods of rural America: well played upright piano, airy wood barns, fallow Fall fields and swinging axe procuring kindling.

On the new single Ryan says: “The song “Fireplace” is really a milestone for me and my life. The perfect mixture of real life moments from my past with little sprinkles of fiction mixed in. I think everyone has a place that reminds them of someone. For me it was a fireplace. A lot of memories centralized around this one location. It’s really the first time I’ve opened up about my not so great past.” For this onetime country outcast, landing with MDDN feels like a perfect home to propel his smoldering voice and iridescent lyrics to the next levels, adding the proverbial fuel to the fire. With a cozy spot on our playlist in mind, we’ll keep the door open and an eye on this ‘Bama boy for more fiery releases. 

We had a chance to talk to Benji Madden on discovering Ryan Water:

“Ryan’s voice is reminiscent of artists from my childhood but also feels so fresh and new for me — his songs are straightforward and honest. He has quickly become one of my favorite artists! 

I’m really looking forward to going on the ride with him, in his journey of creating his story and catalog of classic songs. Fireplace is a great early example of what Ryan is going to do now that he’s on the scene.” — Benji Madden 

We also spoke to Ryan himself:

How do you feel about singing with MDDN?

Very excited for my partnership with the Madden brothers and MDDN. I love things that completely come out of left field, things that no one is doing, I just love being different and unique. For all my younger years I felt like a bit of an outcast. After talking with the Madden’s I felt as if we really clicked on all cylinders and though our musical genres are vastly different we’ve seemed to find so many similarities as well.

What about country music excites you?

I’m very excited for where country music as a whole is headed. It’s really transcended over the last 10 years I think. It’s always kind of been in its own bubble and now it’s really cool to see it crossing over and becoming, in my opinion, the biggest genre. I think in another 10 years it’ll be on top.

Congrats on the release of “Fireplace," tell us about it!

The song “Fireplace” is really a milestone for me and my life. The perfect mixture of real life moments from my past with little sprinkles of fiction mixed in. I think everyone has a place that reminds them of someone. For me it was a fireplace. A lot of memories centralized around this one location. It’s really the first time I’ve opened up about my not so great past.