Renowned pop musician and producer Ryan Koriya has announced the launch of his independent record label, Runway Vertical Records, which apart from enhancing his career, will provide guidance to a younger generation of musicians through mentorship.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
Currently based in Ibiza, Spain, the pop sensation known as Soul Mechanic on the showbiz scene hopes to use his experience of over 15 years in the music industry to create a prototype stable where upcoming talents can learn from.
In an interview with The Standard Style, Koriya said setting up a recording label carries an empowering feeling which he is willing to impart on others.
“Being an artiste is like being a pilot. You have this talent and all these dreams, but they tend to rely on waiting for someone else’s permission and assistance to take off,” he said.
“By creating my own label, I am essentially guaranteeing that my music gets access to a runway so it can take off and fly at any time that I choose and as many times as I need.”
Having toured over 12 countries on average annually over the past six years, the London’s Burning singer has also created online platforms where he would be dishing out advice.
“This information is often hard to come by, so I’m passionate about empowering artistes who don’t have access to such luxuries because it has taken me years of touring and has cost me lots of money over the years to gain the vast knowledge and network I have at my disposal,” he said.
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Both the mentorship programme and label have already started impacting on other people, including Zimbabweans Stewart Gatsi and Tina Masawi, while other artistes are from Argentina, the UK, Slovakia, Uruguay, South Africa, Canada and the US.
“Starting my own label was actually the most logical and natural next step, considering the knowledge I’ve acquired along the way, and the US record deal I even turned down. It was obvious at that point that I would be better off continuing to steer the ship on my own,” said Koriya.
Meanwhile, Koriya has promised to release more music in addition to the music consultancy and artiste development mentorship programmes.
“The concept for me is simple: Write, perform and produce my own music, then market it to people across the globe. This means that all the royalties earned from these songs come back to me in whole without giving the lion’s share to a label or anyone else,” he said.
The musician, who has continued to carve his niche exceptionally well by performing at international festivals and concerts around the globe, is confident that the new developments would mark yet another tide in his soaring career.
