“It’s brave to be nothing to no one at all.”
“Ribbons” – Ryan Beatty
An ironic line from singer Ryan Beatty, who catapulted himself to fame in his mid-teens co-signed by Radio Disney and Ryan Seacrest. After he took a hiatus from music for three years to break away from his teen heartthrob image, he came back stronger than ever with collaborations with BROCKHAMPTON, Kevin Abstract, and Tyler, the Creator. His debut and sophomore albums, Boy in Jeans (2018) and Dreaming of David (2020), colored the imagination with tales of first crushes, first parties, and first heartbreaks. After another three year hiatus, he released Calico in 2023 – a folksy maneuver away from his R&B origins.
To me, Ryan Beatty is someone I discovered sitting on the floor next to my bed, FaceTiming friends while doing math homework. It was my junior year of high school, and times were uncertain due to spring lockdowns. I urged myself to discover new artists to keep me entertained. The moment I heard and watched a few of Ryan Beatty’s music videos from Boy in Jeans, I felt it was an immediate hit. His voice kept me grounded, not just through quarantine, but through so much more: college applications, road trips, finals study sessions, and research projects.
Tonight, I bussed into Koreatown to see Ryan Beatty perform his last concert from his Calico Tour. I recognized some of the scenes from his Boy in Jeans music videos as I surveyed the neighborhood’s scenery: flashing lights, bustling crowds, wafts of smoke. After a seamless check-in at the Wiltern’s box office, I planted myself and my camera down at the ramp behind the pit. It was my first time in this theater, and I kept glancing up at the wonderful Art-Deco aesthetics all around me.
No opening acts performed. Around 8:15 PM, a pianist took to the stage and played a short prelude piece, followed by thunderous applause. Soon after, the rest of the band entered and promptly sat down.
Then, a boy in jeans slowly walked out.
I could not believe my eyes for a moment, the fact that Ryan Beatty himself was staring straight at me. But not just me, a crowd of over a thousand cheering his name over and over. Donning a simple white T-shirt and headphones, he promptly sat down and began singing the lead single “Ribbons” off of Calico. His voice of velvet took us on a journey from Monterey to Camarillo, Camarillo to LA, crooning of the disturbing comfort in isolation.
I mouthed the lyrics along as I snapped photos. Folks behind me sang clear as a bell along with Beatty, him being the conductor to a choir of a thousand. Bathed in red and white lights, Beatty gave off an otherworldly aura contrasting with his folksy, melodic voice.
“It’s out of my hands / how can I tell you I’m not losing it / I’m just having a laugh”
He later seamlessly transitioned to “Cinnamon Bread,” his warm tone matching the song’s lyrics of seasons changing and security in a partner. Acoustic guitar complemented his tenor voice, and I could not help but sway back and forth as I continued to snap more photos. One moment had him bending his body back to absorb the pure white light from above – making him look even more angelic.
He paused to thank the audience for being there with him for his last tour stop. I could tell how much Los Angeles meant to him; he and his family moved from Northern California to Santa Clarita to support his music career as a teenager. Beatty’s boyish grin lit up the theater as he continued into “Andromeda,” a song about contentedness in life and watching one’s family flourish despite it all.
As I made my way into the general audience, he started to sing the first song off of Boy in Jeans: “Haircut.” The crowd started singing along with more intensity at this old favorite. I thought to myself wondering if Beatty would play “Cupid,” an even more beloved song from Boy in Jeans that he rarely performed during the Calico tour.
Ryan Beatty must have truly been an angel hearing my prayers because soon after, he led into the chorus of “Cupid.”
“He’s the only one on my mind / he’s the only one I call / when I’m feeling reckless”
All of a sudden, I was 16 years old and writing out my math homework while transfixed on his music videos all over again. I rocked back and forth to take the moment in.
I quietly sang along with the rest of the crowd, slowly coming to terms with the fact that four years ago I would have never imagined that this moment would happen someday. I peeped past tall concertgoers to see Beatty repeatedly tapping his palm against his chest.
After several more rounds of choir practice all around me, Beatty led into the seven-minute wonder that was “Hunter.” The vivid imagery of deer running in a forest and driving on lonely countryside roads colored my mind without the lights onstage changing away from their whiteness. As soon as the song concluded, crowds around me exploded into applause for a minute straight. Beatty and his band slowly walked off stage, and the applause deafened me even more.
The group returned for an encore set. The songs “Multiple Endings” and “White Teeth” warmed my heart and let me sway alongside the crowd. Beatty joked multiple times before each song that it would be the last one of the night. He then covered “Vincent,” originally sung by Don McLean.
“Starry, starry night / paint your palette blue and gray”
I kept glancing up to the Wiltern’s ceiling, imagining the stars that must have been smiling down on us past the confines of the theater.
The last song of the night was the last song from Calico: “Little Faith.” Beatty wove a tale about medicating for mental health issues, interjecting with commentary about his relationship with his religious mother. The crowd became one living being waiting with bated breath for him to hit every note. I took a moment to breathe and reflect on the spiritual experience I witnessed so far. So many of my wildest dreams came true that night, and my belief that live music could touch the hearts of thousands strengthened. I made a hand heart and held it as high as I could during the final applause.
I left the Wiltern amongst a flurry of fans seeking photos, bootleg merch sellers, and bacon-wrapped hot dog grillers. Taking one last look at the marquee emblazoned with Ryan Beatty’s name, I smiled as I recounted the once-in-a-lifetime experience I had just experienced. Ryan Beatty is more than just a former teen heartthrob, an R&B crooner, or a revitalized folk singer – he is a figure that demonstrates solidarity, comfort, and love to anyone who searches up his name, reaches for their earbuds, and presses play.
Listen to Ryan Beatty’s latest album, Calico, here:
