Ryan La Valette's debut album, "New Beginnings," has had four singles reach the #1 spot on Billboard, a huge achievement and a first for the smooth jazz record books. Two of the four tunes spent several weeks at #1 here on our Smooth Jazz Top 20 Chart. "Lovers Melody" held the spot for 3 weeks and "Closer To You" was #1 two weeks in a row.
A huge congratulations to Ryan La Valette, read more from Trippin N Rhythm Records:
Trippin N Rhythm recording artist Ryan La Valette sets Billboard history with four #1 Billboard radio singles from a debut artist, only achieved before by George Michael, Paula Abdul and Maria Carey. A first for any artist in smooth jazz.
Sometimes you just know….
When his name came up in a general conversation I was having with Producer Greg Manning a few years back, I was intrigued to hear more about this young man from New Zealand who was getting solid reviews from Greg who had helped him out with a few of his demos. After making contact with Ryan and learning more about who and what he was, I received a small sampling of what he was working on. The first song I laid ears on was Closer To You, a song he had worked with Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis on and I knew at that point that this kid was special and signing him to the label was a must. I knew at that moment that I could take him where he needed to go.
Upon agreeing to sign Ryan to a long term deal with the label we went to work carefully crafting what I deemed to be the single strongest debut record of my 38 yr. music career. I thought then and I do now that every song on the record had top 10 chart potential. New Beginnings, Ryan’s coming out project, has left a strong mark on the genre and proves that the next generation of emerging young artists is here and ready to begin to carry the torch into the new decade.
Ryan has accomplished things with his singular record that even many seasoned veterans have not and we are just beginning to scratch the surface of the depth and breadth of his amazing talents. Ryan plays everything, writes everything and is now producing all of his music himself. Now working on his sophomore record for the label, Ryan is beginning to show how truly significant and special he really is.
Closer To You the latest single to go #1 on Billboard marks the fourth in a row and marks the 13th week of 2023 that Ryan has been #1 on Billboard, either as himself, as a producer, as a featured artist. Every song that this young man has put his name on since emerging out of nowhere has gone to #1 Billboard. A truly extraordinary feat by any measure.
Billboard #1’s
Let It Flow
Highway 10
Lovers Melody
Closer To You
Lemek’s Groove Central (wrote, produced and played on)
Lin Rountree Solid (featured guitarist)
What Ryan has you just can’t teach, you are born with it. Even he does not fully understand where it comes from but respects that he has been bestowed a gift and a gift is not so if it’s not shared. Ready to continue to share his gift with the world, Ryan is in the lab crafting his new project that will be coming out in spring 2024. The bar has been set and from what I have laid ears to, 2024 looks to be the beginning of another reign of terror on the charts for this incredibly talented young man.
Learn more about Ryan La Valette here.