The Tamesis
In the video for Ryan Beatty’s new single “Secret Language,” released today as the first single from his fourth album, sweet fortuneSet to arrive later this month – the musician stands under the blue skies of Hockney, California, tossing a paper airplane into the air. We follow him as he runs in a sun-bleached pink T-shirt and jeans down Hollywood Boulevard to the bright lights of Las Vegas and into the pristine white sands of the New Mexico desert. Next, he was on the Texas plains, where a biblical thunderstorm appeared in the sky and a rainbow streaked across the sky. Then he was running through the bar-lined streets of Nashville and down a Louisiana road covered in Spanish moss.
Finally, Beatty ran through the streets of downtown Manhattan, caught the paper plane as it landed on Boston’s Charles River Esplanade, and collapsed on a bench to catch his breath. (After his Forrest Gump-like adventure, it’s no wonder he needs a little time.)
“The experience of making this video has been by far my favorite experience of making a music video,” Beatty said via Zoom from his home in Los Angeles, just days before the video was released. “What I’m most proud of is that when I look back on it, I see myself. There wasn’t any feeling. The team was small, but we all had a lot of passion and a real sense of freedom in the making. I think that shows.” His only qualm? “I ran in cowboy boots all the time, and my calves definitely took their toll,” he said with a laugh. “But it was important to me to keep the spirit of the video. It’s about seeing how far your heart can take you. I know it sounds corny, but that’s how I really want to feel.”
After all, if there’s one thing Beatty is known for, it’s how to take those big, sweeping emotions—first love, heartbreak, loneliness—and reveal them in a whole new way. This razor-sharp wisdom can be attributed, at least in part, to the fact that he has lived several different lives as an artist. He first rose to prominence as a teenager by posting covers on YouTube, and at 18 he left his management and record label after they tried to market him as the next Justin Bieber. In 2018, he released his debut album, Intimate, Alternative R&B Influenced boy wearing jeans;Two years later, the more experimental, electronic dream about david. (In the process, Beatty’s profile has also been boosted by his work with buzzy hip-hop group Brockhampton and a 2019 collaboration with Tyler, the Creator. Igor.)
In 2023, he released a masterclass work calicoa delicate, heartbreaking maelstrom of acoustic guitar and swirling strings that charts the tumultuous emotional aftermath of a breakup. His intricate film songwriting skills also caught the attention of Beyoncé, who recruited him to work on Cowboy Carter– You can detect his ear for tender, sensual lyrics on “Protector” and “Bodyguard,” the latter of which he also provided backing vocals. (His contributions earned him a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.)
