Breathe

Breathe By Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger

New York is the state of origin for many a talented musician. Recently I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see one such musician live in Clearwater, Florida. His name is Ryan Star, also known as ‘The Dark Horse’, and through his music he has impacted his listeners in a very heartwarming way. Ryan truly connects with his fans not only through the popular internet sites of Twitter and Facebook but literally through entertaining for them and talking and laughing and interacting with them as he did this past weekend in Clearwater. The fans are his inspiration behind his songwriting and his lyrics.

There is a meaning behind all of his songs. “Breathe” is a perfect example. The song was written about someone very close to Star and this was his way to tell her that everything is going to be ok. You just have to breathe. Not only that but this song was a favorite of Star’s manager who has since passed away and Star sang the song at his funeral.

Ryan has taken “Breathe” to a whole new level. Unemployment has risen in epidemic proportions in the United States. Star felt that he could bring attention to this problem through the video and so he highlighted it by featuring real New Yorkers who have been laid off and searching for work. To expand this even further, he created a new website called www.breathe4jobs.com so that prospective employers could reach out to individuals featured in the video. The unemployment crisis has touched individuals in every profession and that is evident in this video. One of the featured individuals has been hired due to this effort.

Ryan Star has released four albums/CDs in a time sequence of 2005-2010. (Songs from the Eye of an Elephant, Dark Horse – A Live Collection, Last Train Home EP, 11:59)

His interest in music sparked from the time he was just a kid growing up in Huntington, Long Island, New York. He was a contestant on the second season of CBS’ reality show called ‘Rock Star’. Tommy Lee’s band called SuperNova was looking for a lead singer to front the supergroup. While he did not win the lead on the show, ironically he was a bigger winner because this gave his career a jolt and put him straight into the spotlight. His songs have been featured on the TV show ‘Lie to Me’ and in the movie ‘P.S. I Love You’. He has done numerous videos and tours with a tour in the works now. Star has even earned a BMI TV Music Award in May 2009.

For all you fashionistas, Ryan performed at the Fall 2011 WTB Fashion Show recently presented by Richie Sambora and Nikki Ward.

One of Ryan Star’s largest accomplishments is now going on tour with and opening for none other than Bon Jovi.

If you visit Star’s website, www.rstar.net, you can also see an ‘Eat Well Guide’ listing all of Star’s favorite eating spots while on tour and this encompasses the entire United States. Ryan and his band seek out great restaurants in their travels and share their findings with all their fans.

Ryan Star’s talent is going to take him very far in this decade and his personality and down-to-earth demeanor will continue to attract fans and followers all over the globe.