Ryan Leslie- Inspiration & Innovator

Who is Ryan Leslie?

Shot taken from 5 Minute Freshen Up' Video

In summary, all you need to know about Ryan Leslie is listed here. Why enthuse so much over a once relatively unknown artist to the popular music World? The secret to Ryan Leslie (R-Les's) success started by subtly drawing in lovers of music (true music fans), those that dedicate hours to browsing online radio, forums, blogs, audio snippets, and video. A Harvard graduate, an intellect and a scholar, Ryan Leslie sussed the change in musical direction to the digital age and acted on it, maximising YouTube as a portal and hub to demonstrate his musical ability. Still you may ask, why has he not hit the mainstream charts? The secret to Ryan Leslie's success is in music production, producing for a range of popular (mainstream) artists such as Cassie, Fabulous, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Mary J.Blige, and the popular French R&B singer Matt Pokora. Watch how it all started for him below:

What Innovation?

Ryan Leslie was one of the first artists to become acclaimed by peers and fans through use of YouTube and MySpace, then (latterly) Facebook and Twitter. Not only does Ryan interact with fans, but he offers incentives, rewards, and raw studio talent. We don't tend to see this from many other artists/producers in the industry. One of the best marketing strategies was R-Les's invite via Twitter to his followers to take part in a studio session for the video '5 Minute Freshen Up'. One lucky girl got a studio session, and a feature in the video for the studio production of this tune, which can be seen below:

Studio Cut

Official Video

Check out Ryan Leslie's Next Selection Lifestyle Group site, founded and established by Ryan Leslie.

Why is Ryan Leslie Such an Inspiration?

Ryan Leslie has breached the bounds between music and the digital age, taking the initiative and thinking out of the box to give us all a taste of his genial musical attributes. Whether it be playing a wide range of instruments, using insane objects to create new sounds, utilising incredible vocalists, or using his incredible marketing acumen to hit his demographic (target audience) like a nail with a hammer! I've been a fan for over 6 years, when I first followed Ryan's MySpace page. 

So there you have it, even if R&B isn't your flavour, you can still have full admiration if you yourself are a grafter or social media enthusiast for how Ryan Leslie makes his living. If it pulls the birds (i.e. Sports Illustrated models), there's little need for many more words.

You don't need to be the most famous in the World to be the most admired.

As we say in the UK "Proof is in the pudding people!"

My Favorite Video Below!

Up and Coming Album

'Les Is More' is due to be released in late October 2012, with some fantastic arrangements and some songs already in the public domain on Ryan's YouTube channel. Check out songs such as 'Beautiful Lie' featuring beautiful girls and the stunning Mercedes SLS . Although this latest album has a lot of rap (not my cup of tea) compared to his previous more soulful R&B flavours, there's no doubt in my mind as to the quality of output from his work. I'll be one of the first to download from ITunes or import the CD Album from the United States to the UK. By chopping and changing his style somewhat for this latest album, it's more refreshing than regressing, showing us an even more versatile range of work.

As Ryan Leslie famously proclaims to his fans "“They try to put me in a box—it's impossible!" 

Trending- #LesIsMore

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Why Choose a UK Holiday?

Want a Cheap Holiday in 2012? Choose South West Wales

After travelling extensively abroad around Europe and the Americas in the past 20 years or so I'm going to give it a miss this year (2012). This August, I will be travelling with a group of gents (aged 20+) to South West Wales where I have spent many a school or Summer holiday. Some of us do have the funds to travel overseas, but the question is 'why travel overseas when there are so many places to visit in the UK?'

Spoils of South West Wales

When thinking of Carmarthenshire or Pembrokeshire Coast you may think that these areas are ideal retirement havens. You would be completely correct, however have you really discovered all that these counties have to offer? OK we're a bunch of mature (sporty) lads aged between 20-27 looking for a laugh, so the natural feeling was one of scepticism, wondering how to transform an ideal beach holiday to see the grandparents, and make this work for us. Our research has resulted in finding gems such as Heatherton Adventure Park (visited previously), Battlefield Paintballing and Quad Biking. There are also coastal walks between St Davids and Solva with plenty of great pubs along the way, and some night-life (albeit limited) in Tenby, Haverfordwest or Carmarthen, however we're up for a laugh, ready to down more than a few Ale's and have plenty of banter, rather than plenty of lagers and the dance-floor to follow. With one of the guys competing in Triathlon the following weekend, we may all have to follow his example and do a few morning sprints along the beach, and a bit of swimming in the chilly Irish Sea. Let's hope late August brings some of the fine weather we've been basking in, in recent months!

Beaches in South West Wales

Wrong! One of the finest beaches in Wales is Broad Haven, which can be located in Bosherston on the Pembrokeshire coast. Perfect for beach volleyball, French cricket, beach football & more with its white soft sand. The waves are also pretty good, so don't forget your body-board! If you're a keen surfer though, you may prefer to take your long-board to Newgale where the surf can rival the likes of Newquay.

Tenby, Saundersfoot and Amroth are fantastic for a kick-about or a little 5-aside with hard sand and vast open spaces.

Where to lodge in South West Wales?

There are plenty of B&B's, Hostels, Cabins, Caravans to stay. I tend to find (for most holidays) that TripAdvisor offers a broad range of opinions and honest reviews. There are plenty of idyllic hotspots along the coast with some fantastic sea views.  

To be honest though if you want the real British holiday, do it on the cheap by either grabbing a tent, or a cheap place to stay with a group of friends!

I'd like to thank 'ManVsWorld' for the pointers! Check out this fantastic travel blog.

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Has London2012 Inspired a Generation?

London2012 - Providing Inspiration and Future Legacy?

The power of the London2012 Olympics has not just been felt in the big city, but also across the World. With so many athletes competing on live BBC televised broadcasts and highlights reels, the profile of Olympic sport and the athletes themselves has increased. Most folk would have known about record holders such as Usain Bolt before the games, along with maybe a handful of other star names. Little did we know however, that hundreds more athletes would run through the finish line or stand on the podium for becoming heroes and major influences for the next generation within their respective sports.

From the opening ceremony on 27th July 2012, through the closing ceremony on 12th August 2012 the World witnessed not just elite sporting talent, but true sportsmanship, gamesmanship and professionalism that most other sports have lost sight of. Unlike sports such as football, there was no aggressive chanting against foreign nations or sporting peers, no foul and abusive language towards officials, no need for security when athletes wanted to embraced their supporters in the crowd. There were thousands of volunteers, taking annual Summer leave from their full time jobs just to take part in taking care of both athletes and the general public during the games. Their hard work and input and contribution will always be remembered. Their unwavering enthusiasm has definitely won us all over!

Off the tracks, or away from the water or the stadiums there was society from different nations mingling with each other. People from different ethnicities and religions all mingling- joking, sharing experiences, opinions, and more. This was a completely refreshing games, unlike any other sporting event the UK had ever previously witnessed. Not once did we here of any trouble, and anything worthy of any negativity was the Belarusian shot putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk being stripped of her gold medal for failing her drugs test. There's always one!

Yes it is far too early to be talking about legacies. Sports governing bodies such as UKA need to keep to their promise and mission of investing in both new and existing development programmes to keep producing superstars. The Government also need to stick to their word of investing further in competitive sports in schools and elsewhere. I'll pin my hopes on the first point here then!

London2012 Closing Ceremony

Future for Olympic sports in the UK?

Yes there are the mainstream sports such as Football, Rugby, Golf, Tennis and Cricket which are shown weekly, not just competed in every few months or every four years. This should not detract from the importance of the Olympic Sports and 'getting involved' in sports such as swimming and track & field. The likelihood of making it as a professional and successful competitive football player may be relatively small, however succeeding and achieving in maybe a lesser known athletic sport with less competition for places, but equally rewarding surely now now has to be the target and focus for many parents and their children in the future. The Olympics are the perfect reference point to draw inspiration for parents, not just to influence their children into being active and taking part in competitive sports, but for the children of the future to battle the national obesity issue and to learn the measures of success and failure! As much as I love football, the new heroes should not the glorified and overpaid Premier League footballers within teams, but individuals who have succeeded by being paid next to nothing to learn, and ply their trade with only a fraction of Lottery funding- if lucky! Heroes such as Chris Hoy, now the UK's most decorated Olympian.

All in all, team Great Britain had their most successful medal haul since 1908, resulting in being third in the medals table behind China and the United States. However, if these things were to measured 'per capita', Team GB have won! 

The time is not tomorrow, the time should be now. With the Olympics very fresh in the memory, it is high time that parents and their children take strides to identifying sports of enjoyment, and to nurture and develop  them into competitors and potential athletes. Let's all strive to push forward as many athletes for Rio2016 as possible, and the next generation beyond!

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Early Musical Influences

A Child of the 80s

Music quickly became a big part of my childhood, not just through listening intently to a multitude of sounds, but by being influenced by my very musical family, with my mother as a Professional Soprano and vocal trainer and my father being a violinist and pianist. Although learning to play a few instruments myself, I can't quite hit the right notes vocally, which is rather unfortunate - not just for me, but for those who have ever had the displeasure of hearing my incredibly sharp or flat tones :). Yes, as you are right to think, some vocals are just so bad, that no amount of training helps.

From a very young age, the sounds of all types of genres became embedded. Classical, the swinging 60's, funky 70's through to late 80's. Born in 1984, my earliest musical memories resonate from the late 80s, where I heard the likes of Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Pet Shop Boys, Elton John and Phil Collins on the radio & cassette player.

Alexander O'Neil- Criticize  

Whitesnake- Looking For Love

As diverse as some of the artists just mentioned are, I also became very fond of material from Pavarotti, and the 'Three Tenors' when grouped together with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.

Pavarotti & Lucio Dalla (Caruso)

Early 90s - The Dawn of Music Discovery!

As a 7 year old in 1990, I could already pick up a change of tide with popular music styles. This was the Electronic and Techno era beginning, with some Techno vibes from Snap, Haddaway and Corona to Reggae grooves from UB40, Shabba Ranks, Inner Circle. This is definitely where my musical soul was born! Yes there was also the development of Hip Hop and R&B, however this fell upon deaf ears at such a young age.

My very first radio to cassette recordings were from the DJ Dr Fox (Neil Fox) shows, and Radio1 Top40 on Sunday evening's, always listening intently to the chart countdown. I remember repeating both A and B sides of my collections continuously until the dreaded reel started to get caught, or worse CHEW UP! Was there ever a worse feeling as a child than seeing your favourite hits (which took so much effort to get in particular order) self destructing right in front of your eyes?

Haddaway- What is Love

Let me know you're own experiences, or sounds that have influenced the music you listen to now.

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