| John Ryan | |
| Birth Name: | John Henry Ryan II |
| Birth Date: | August 19, 1987 |
| Origin: | Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
John Henry Ryan II (born August 19, 1987), also known as John the Blind and JRY, is an American songwriter, singer and record producer from Rochester, New York. He is best known for co-writing and co-producing One Direction's last four albums and many of their singles. He has written songs for many acclaimed artists. His compositions and productions have sold over 30 million units worldwide.
Ryan is from Pittsford, New York.[1] He grew up the youngest in his family with his mother, older brother Joe, and older sister Julie. Ryan wrote his first song in third grade, learning to play guitar and piano at a young age. He continued to write throughout his childhood, even making an album in eighth grade that he was selling out of his locker. By the time he was 16 or 17, he remembers having to choose between music and sports and states that "music came the most naturally and made [him] the happiest." He sent his only college application to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. During his time at Berklee, Ryan learned music theory, fronted two bands, and continued to write his own material. He also spent the latter half of his college years learning to produce pop, hip hop, and alternative music. Ryan was lead guitarist for classmate Isom Innis' project, Southern Belle.[2]
During his junior year, Ryan visited a few friends in Los Angeles, and met Damon Bunetta, who later became his manager, at a party. They exchanged numbers, ideas, and kept in contact. At the time, Damon, his brother Julian Bunetta, and their father Peter Bunetta were expanding their company, Family Affair Productions, and were looking to add another producer/artist/writer to the team. After graduating from Berklee in 2010, Ryan moved to Los Angeles to begin his career as an artist and producer.
Ryan had many friends (including Julian Bunetta) who were working on the American version of The X Factor in 2011. Hit songwriter, Savan Kotecha, was involved in the television program at the time, and worked on One Direction's first two records. After hearing Kotecha rave about an emerging act discovered on UK's X Factor and explaining that there was a break in the market for boy bands, Ryan and Bunetta got onboard. Ryan's first big cut was "Story of My Life" with One Direction, reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard charts.[3]
Influenced by Booker T. & the M.G's, Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Radiohead, The Beatles, MGMT and Julian Casablancas. Ryan has co-written and/or produced multiple songs by artists including One Direction, John Legend, David Guetta, Thomas Rhett, Harry Styles, Maroon 5, Niall Horan, Pitbull, Jason Derulo, Charlie Puth, Rudimental, Fifth Harmony, Cody Simpson, Nick Jonas, and Emblem3 among others. In total, he has 27 tracks which have been released on four of One Direction's albums (Take Me Home, Midnight Memories, Four, and Made in the A.M.). Ryan co-wrote and co-produced the songs "Midnight Memories" and "Steal My Girl".
In addition to writing and producing for pop artists, Ryan formed his solo project John the Blind.[4] The moniker references ancient Bohemian king John of Bohemia who fought his wars blind and was carted onto the field of battle on horseback by his men.[5] [6]
Ryan was a featured vocalist on Pitbull's "Fireball", and appeared in the music video. He was also a featured vocalist on Brass Knuckles' "As Long as I'm Alive" and "Water Gun", as well as DJ Snake's "Sober" (as JRY). As JRY, Ryan has additionally released the singles "Pray" featuring Rooty, and "FWY" (with audacy).
| Title | Year | Artist | Album | Songwriter | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Do You Feel What I Feel?" | 2011 | JLS | Jukebox | ||
| "C'mon, C'mon" | 2012 | One Direction | Take Me Home | ||
| "I Would" | |||||
| "They Don't Know About Us" | |||||
| "She's Not Afraid" | |||||
| "Loved You First" | |||||
| "I Wish" | 2013 | Emblem3 | Nothing to Lose | ||
| "Me & My Girls" | Fifth Harmony | Better Together | |||
| "Best Song Ever" | One Direction | Midnight Memories | |||
| "Story of My Life" | |||||
| "Diana" | |||||
| "Midnight Memories" | |||||
| "You & I" | |||||
| "Strong" | |||||
| "Little Black Dress" | |||||
| "Little White Lies" | |||||
| "Better Than Words" | |||||
| "Does He Know?" | |||||
| "Alive" | |||||
| "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" | |||||
| "Good News" | 2014 | Daley | Days + Nights | ||
| "Wiggle" | Jason Derulo | Talk Dirty | |||
| "If You Love Me Let Me Go" | Colbie Caillat | Gypsy Heart | |||
| "Take Over" | Nick Jonas | Nick Jonas | |||
| "Steal My Girl" | One Direction | Four | |||
| "Ready to Run" | |||||
| "Girl Almighty" | |||||
| "Night Changes" | |||||
| "No Control" | |||||
| "Fireproof" | |||||
| "Spaces" | |||||
| "Stockholm Syndrome" | |||||
| "Clouds" | |||||
| "Change Your Ticket" | |||||
| "Illusion" | |||||
| "Once in a Lifetime" | |||||
| "Act My Age" | |||||
| "Fireball" | Pitbull | Globalization | |||
| "Day Drinking" | |||||
| "Work This Body" | Walk the Moon | Talking Is Hard | |||
| "We Are the Kids" | |||||
| "Headlights" | 2015 | Robin Schulz | Sugar | ||
| "Vacation" | Thomas Rhett | Tangled Up | |||
| "Babylon" | Omi | Me 4 U | |||
| "Hey Angel" | One Direction | Made in the A.M. | |||
| "Drag Me Down" | |||||
| "Perfect" | |||||
| "Infinity" | |||||
| "End of the Day" | |||||
| "Long Way Down" | |||||
| "Never Enough" | |||||
| "Olivia" | |||||
| "I Want to Write You a Song" | |||||
| "History" | |||||
| "Walking in the Wind" | |||||
| "A.M." | |||||
| "Sober" | 2016 | DJ Snake | Encore | ||
| "Darkness and Light" | John Legend | Darkness and Light | |||
| "Love Me Now" | |||||
| "Temporarily Painless" | |||||
| "Pray" | 2017 | JRY | Fifty Shades Darker: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||
| "Two Ghosts" | Harry Styles | Harry Styles | |||
| "Guys My Age" | Hey Violet | From the Outside | |||
| "Crawling" | Chase & Status | Tribe | |||
| "Shed a Light" | Robin Schulz | Uncovered | |||
| "Leave Right Now" | Thomas Rhett | Life Changes | |||
| "Renegades" | |||||
| "Finish What We Started" | Jessie Ware | Glasshouse | |||
| "On the Loose" | Niall Horan | Flicker | |||
| "Slow Hands" | |||||
| "Flicker" | |||||
| "Fire Away" | |||||
| "The Tide" | |||||
| "Best 4 U" | Maroon 5 | Red Pill Blues | |||
| "Wait" | |||||
| "Bet My Heart" | |||||
| "Who I Am" | |||||
| "Whiskey" | |||||
| "Closure" | |||||
| "Don't Wanna Know" | |||||
| "Cold" | |||||
| "Lost in the Wild" | Walk the Moon | What If Nothing | |||
| "These Days" | 2018 | Rudimental | Toast to Our Differences | ||
| "Dance" | DNCE | ||||
| "Think About You" | Delta Goodrem | ||||
| "Hate to Say" | Tory Lanez | Memories Don't Die | |||
| "Done for Me" | Charlie Puth | Voicenotes | |||
| "Preacher Man" | The Driver Era | ||||
| "How Badly" | In Real Life | She Do | |||
| "Doesn't Matter" | Gallant | This Song Does Not Fit | |||
| "Finally Free" | Niall Horan | Smallfoot: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |||
| "16 Steps" | Martin Jensen | ||||
| "Dear Sense" | Louis the Child | Kids at Play EP | |||
| "Epa Wei" | Danny Ocean | ||||
| "Never Let Me Go" | Jess Glynne | Always In Between | |||
| "Big Bills" | The Knocks | New York Narcotic | |||
| "Room for You" | |||||
| "Close to Me" | Isaiah | ||||
| "Cashmere" | Rita Ora | Phoenix | |||
| "First Time High" | |||||
| "Out at Night" | Clean Bandit | What Is Love? | |||
| "Better to Lie" | Benny Blanco | Friends Keep Secrets | |||
| "24 Hours" | Clean Bandit | What Is Love? | |||
| "We Made It" | 2019 | Louis Tomlinson | Walls | ||
| "Ain't Shit" | 2020 | ASL | SKYLOFT | ||
| "Human Zoo" | |||||
| "Slash My Tire" | |||||
| "Room for One More" | |||||
| "Where Will I Remember You" | |||||
| "Shots with Mariah" | |||||
| "Slow Motion" | |||||
| "What Happens Here" | |||||
| "What Makes a Woman" | Katy Perry | Smile | |||
| "Call My Friends" | Shawn Mendes | Wonder | |||
| "One More" | 2021 | SG Lewis featuring Nile Rodgers | Times | ||
| "My Whole Life" | ASL | EL GANZO | |||
| "It's Not Easy" | |||||
| "Leona" | |||||
| "On The Roof" | |||||
| "Hey Mister" | |||||
| "Leona Interlude" | |||||
| "Still Awake" | |||||
| "12:42" | |||||
| "Best Sex" | |||||
| "Jump In" | |||||
| "Fast Times" | 2022 | Sabrina Carpenter | Emails I Can't Send | ||
| "Because I Liked a Boy " | |||||
| "Already Over" | |||||
| "Decode " | |||||
| "Heaven" | 2023 | Niall Horan | The Show | ||
| "Feather " | Sabrina Carpenter | Emails I Can't Send (Deluxe Edition) |