Music Thursdays: Ryan Kinder / Mali Music

By Nathan Young on March 20, 2014

This week on Music Thursdays, I am talking about two different artists from Alabama and Georgia that both have different genres of music, but are great to listen too!

Ryan Kinder

Ryan Kinder is a country music artist from Alabama that now is based out of Nashville. Ryan was signed to Bigger Picture Group and is now working on a full-length album, produced by Keith Stegall, Jen Ketner, and John Kelton. Ryan was raised in Hoover Alabama in the Birmingham Metro and while playing other sports, he found his passion which was music! Soon, it became apparent that music was what Ryan was meant to do. And thanks to his older brother’s budding career at The Music Garden, a Southeast booking agency. Ryan began to write and perform music in front of audiences, while still in high school.

Ryan soon played in the historic Alabama Theater, and continued to play while enrolled at the University of Alabama. While in college, Ryan performed at fraternity events and bars near campus. And music is not Ryan’s only passion. Inspired by his mother and grandmother, he took cooking classes along with jazz lessons and learned audio technology, a trade Kinder claims he would pursue had he not found his place as a recording artist. In 2009, Courtney McGukin discovered Ryan, and urged him to take trips to Nashville to collaborate with seasoned songwriters Jen Ketner and Luke Sheets. In those sessions, Kinder continued to refine his skills and learned to guide his own creative energy.

Ryan Kinder was signed by Bigger Picture Group in 2011, and is currently working on his first full album. Ryan Kinder is looking forward to the road ahead, and is thankful for the opportunities that have come his way. This young up-and-comer is poised for a soaring music career that will keep him on the road, in the spotlight, and on the radio. Look for his new album sometime in 2014! To get a taste of his music, here is a music video from Ryan Kinder called “Tonight.” I liked the animated lyrics in the video!

Learn more about Ryan Kinder at: http://ryankinder.com/. Follow him on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ryankindermusic and on Twitter @RyanKinder

Mali Music

Last week, American Idol featured this music artist from Georgia on their show, and his music was great! If you missed it, here is his American Idol performance of his song “Beautiful!”

Mali Music reveres and respects the power of his chosen art form. The singer, songwriter, and producer recognized music’s impact at a very young age, treasuring it as a gift. At only eleven-years-old and without any formal training, he would get behind the keyboard at a local Savannah, GA church and play for hours in front of a packed house every single Sunday. For the young performer, it became about inciting physical, emotional, and spiritual change with nothing more than a beat, a melody, and a smile. And while he was in school and recording songs in his bedroom, he was also playing football! This guy was very busy!

After creating his first online profile, he gained a lot of followers very quickly. A flood of booking requests came in from around the country, and his statistics began to skyrocket. He soon released his first independent album, The Coming, and sold a lot of his orders from his parent’s garage. Over the next year, he started playing sold out shows across the country leading up to the release of his sophomore effort The 2econd Coming in 2009. However, 2011 saw underground R&B’s “best kept secret” get out. And he was invited to the BET Music Awards, and after his performance, it got the entire industry talking! After talking to a lot of music executives, he signed with Mark Pitts’ ByStorm Entertainment label at RCA Records in 2013.

Mali is living proof of that. With his dedication and vision, he’s about to tap into music’s power like never before. He wants to inspire others and realize their full potential. As he says “It’s about living, thriving, and prospering. It’s about following those pure and innate impulses to realize your full potential. I hope I can be the key to unlock that in somebody listening.” Here is another taste of music from Mali Music. This music video is called “Ready Aim.” Good music!