The music scene is always evolving, but what’s surprising is that musicians don’t necessarily have to play gigs to get their voices heard anymore.
In recent years, digital streaming and social media platforms have been helping musicians get their songs out there. And with a global pandemic that’s changed the way people interact with each other, more and more people talented people are building a loyal following online. During rolling lockdowns across the globe, both fans and musicians are turning to music to make the isolation feel more bearable.
In fact, the effects of the pandemic have become a wellspring of talent.
According to Vox, “quarantine concerts” are more popular than ever – and the performances are more intimate, too:
“Though they’re not quite like seeing a show in person, these “quarantine concerts” are playing a fascinating role in keeping the public arts alive while public life is on lockdown. Each live show is unique and unfiltered, revealing a side of artists that many fans don’t get an opportunity to see up close.”
With the rise of Instagram Live Stories, musicians can stream a live performance for as long as they want while users comment in real-time. This means that fans are having a lot more interactions with the artists they love.
Since 2020, social media has become the best global venue for live music.
Stacy Ryan, a young musician from Canada, has recently managed to build a large following of devoted fans by uploading videos of her beautiful songs onto YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Stacy began her online music journey three years ago. Her first video was a cover song of Dodie Clark’s Human. But even though she performed the rendition beautifully with only an acoustic guitar and her stunning voice, it only received around 7,000 views.
That’s a far cry from the amount of attention she’s getting now.
The young artist can play the piano, guitar, and ukelele. But her most powerful musical instrument is undoubtedly her voice. Stacy has an easy-breezy way about her – her voice is velvety smooth and lends itself best to jazz music.
Her voice is not strained like a lot of other female vocalists. In fact, she makes singing sound effortless.
Stacy oozes raw talent, and she often challenges herself by choosing songs to cover that don’t sound like they will fit in with her particular smooth jazz style – that’s what makes her performances so fascinating to watch.
She’s covered 70s disco classics such as How Deep is Your Love by the Bee Gees and Dancing Queen by ABBA. But instead of just faithfully reproducing the notes, she puts her own twist on the songs. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, she can adapt any song to any style!
Her “But folk” video series is particularly popular.
On her own YouTube channel, Stacy describes herself as “just a jazz musician,” but her fans beg to differ:
“As a sucker for vocal harmony in general, I can say that every time you do harmonies, it just hits on another level. There’s such a silvery clarity to your voice that cuts through and delivers such a gorgeous quality to any composition,” a fan wrote in the comments section of her latest video.
And another:
“Yes to Spotify! All your covers are incredible, your voice is so pure and talented, and your arrangements are always on-point. You deserve all the exposures and success you can get with such wonderful talent.”
And it seems that she really is receiving the recognition she deserves – her latest YouTube video has amassed over 59,000 views Since its release on 21 May 2021.
The new video is titled “Take On Me by A-ha but folk” – the title really says it all.
But if you’re skeptical about whether Stacy, a female vocalist, can transform an electro-synth cult classic like this one into a folk song, let me put your worries to rest and assure you right now that it’s absolutely breathtaking!
Stacy begins with a slow strum of the guitar and the song is unrecognizable at first – but as soon as she begins to sing, even the most diehard A-ha fan will realize that she’s absolutely nailing it.
She continues with that mesmerizing voice of hers, it sounds like warm dripping honey.
But, if you’re familiar with the original version of Take On Me, you’ll know that the real test is going to be that iconic chorus…
And when the chorus comes, Stacy absolutely kills it!
She hits those high notes with ease, backed by her own voice playing on a loop pedal for that famous echo effect. It’s truly magical! But you don’t have to take my word for it…
To hear Stacy Ryan’s folk version of the 80s synth classic, watch the video below!
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