Ryland James

Born on June 10, 1999, Canadian pop singer Ryland James Clark – known by his stage name Ryland James and not to be confused with British singer Rylan Clark-Neal – made his major-label debut in 2020 with a self-titled EP that earned him two Juno Award nominations for his trouble. Growing up in Deseronto, Ontario, he was surrounded by music from birth; his grandma played gospel piano, and he was encouraged to start singing as a child. As a teenager, he used the platform of reality competition show The Next Star to prove his mettle, appearing as a competitor on the seventh season of the series in 2014. He launched his recording career in 2017 with his first single, "Good to You," which he followed up in 2019 with "Say Goodbye" and his soulful breakthrough hit "In My Head." That year, he went on tour with Alessia Cara and the following February dropped his fourth single, "Shoulder to Cry On." His self-titled debut for Universal Music Canada, also released in 2020, received nominations for Pop Album of the Year and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards in 2021. Ryland James came out as queer in February 2021 and released a handful of singles that year, including "A Christmas to Remember" featuring Ralph and "3 Purple Hearts," which drew inspiration from a recent relationship and his experiences of coming out. A new single, "I Give Everything," arrived in 2022.