When Yellowcard broke up in March 2017, William Ryan Key not only took his final bow as frontman of that much-adored band, but he also took a step away from the spotlight to rediscover himself and his passions. Taking a sharp right turn from the pop punk that fueled his youth, he followed his heart and soon re-emerged as a different kind of artist with a handful of critically-acclaimed, introspective EPs that led AltWire to praise him as “an exceptionally honest songwriter with a far greater sense of self-confidence.”
Now, he’s ready to take another right turn… this time to enhance the way that he releases new music while keeping a close personal interaction with his fans.
Key is streaming exclusively on Twitch for a revolutionary way to present new music, interact with fans, and revisit old standards. “I am beyond excited about this partnership with Twitch,” he explains. “The last year has been such a challenge for so many musicians, and I myself have been searching for what my next opportunity might be for quite some time. I am honored that Twitch has considered me to be a part of their push to expand the music side of the platform. I think this is just the beginning of a long creative relationship that fans can be really happy about.”
Working within Twitch’s worldwide community of millions to create and build a virtual environment with his fans new and old, Key will be utilizing the global interactive livestreaming service to create an evolving and ever-changing music-based environment where he can unveil new music, refashion fan favorites, and important songs from their catalog, and interact and communicate directly with his viewers.
“Every week I will be streaming live from my home studio,” he explains. “I’m currently working on multiple new projects, and I’m looking forward to giving fans a window into my creative process like never before.”
Fans will have a chance to interact directly with Ryan each day as he crafts new music on the stream. Fans will also get to watch Ryan write and record new original music of his own, as well as a special collection of reimagined Yellowcard songs to be released in 2022.
One of the exciting elements he will be presenting for the first time ever is his new project, Jedha. Along with his longtime friend, writing, and production partner, former Yellowcard guitarist, Ryan Mendez, the two have been working on this new electronic and neo-classical musical collaboration and will be presenting new music for fans to savor.
Having explored the endless possibilities of Twitch’s universe, he’s eager to open his studio up to fans multiple times a week. “I’ve had the chance to start streaming for a couple of months just to get a feel for the platform, and I already see the potential for building relationships within the community,” he says excitedly. “There seems to be a level of support between artist and fan on Twitch that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
With his first episode launching yesterday, Key is ready for his fans to accompany him on his music journey and have them be an integral part of the experience. For Key, he’s just as excited as his fans: “I can’t wait to boot up and chat with everyone every day.”
Ryan’s Twitch channel is www.twitch.tv/williamryankey. The Jedha project can now be followed at www.instagram.com/jedhamusic.