Biography
Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, the identical twins born in 1979 who comprise the pop-classical vocal duo RyanDan, grew up in a prosperous Toronto suburb. From the wings of neighborhood theaters they observed their opera-singing father during their earliest years, and by age four both had begun appearing in local musicals and plays themselves. Their matching looks enabled them to divide parts, including the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which they alternated while still attending high school. Steeped in Pavarotti from childhood and drawn to Stevie Wonder during adolescence, the brothers directed their ambitions toward vocal pop at a young age. At eighteen they entered the Toronto headquarters of Sony Music Canada with a friend, performed in the lobby, and secured a recording contract that yielded their first platinum album. Exposure came through membership in the boy band B4-4, where they encountered both audiences and industry procedures, yet they grew dissatisfied with the generic material they were required to deliver. Once they reached greater maturity, the Kowarskys launched an independent career as a pop-classical pair, choosing and composing their own material. Their self-titled debut album, RyanDan, featured contributions from folk singer Judie Tzuke and producer Steve Anderson. Tracks such as “Like the Sun” and “The Face” reached Canadian pop radio, an uncommon outlet for repertoire carrying classical influences, and the project itself entered Canada’s Top 100 albums during its year of release, 2007.
Albums
