Exclusive Interview: Ryan Cabrera Takes Us On A Trip Down Memory Lane With ‘On The Way Down’ Re-Release

Anytime we get to witness an artist we’ve loved for years re-release one of their classics it’s a nostalgia filled serotonin overload! We’ve got to experience just that with Ryan Cabrera re-releasing ‘On My Way Down’ to celebrate the 20th anniversary! Not only did Ryan Cabrera re-release ‘On The Way Down,’ but he also collaborated with so many artists we have been longtime fans of like A.J McLean, and Joey Fatone, just to name a few! We were lucky enough to get to chat with Ryan Cabrera all about this re-release, and much more!

Listen to ‘On The Way Down’ (20th Anniversary) here!

You’ve accomplished quite a lot in the last 20 years! What was it like for you to revisit ‘On The Way Down’ knowing what success came after it? How did the creative process feel different than it did when you originally recorded the song?
Well, the tricky part was figuring out how to make a new, current-sounding version of a song that people already knew. So, we didn’t want to steer too far away from the original or take away what people liked about it in the first place. That said, we also wanted to create a whole new spin on the song, so actually, the super fun part was the creative process of figuring out how to do that.

What was your favorite track when you originally released Take It All Away 20 years ago? Is it still the same, or has it changed over the years?
You know what’s funny? It actually does change. Usually because of the live performance aspect. So, when I recorded the album, ‘Take It All Away’ actually was my favorite song that I had written for it just because it was so meaningful to me, and it still is, but I never really performed it live because it was so slow. So, when it comes to performance-wise now, actually, surprisingly, one of my favorite songs on the album is ‘Echo Park’ which I’m gonna start playing this year on tour!

If you could give one piece of advice to your past self who was working on ‘On The Way Down,’ what would you tell him?
Well, it’s crazy, as I wish it could actually go in reverse. When I first recorded ‘On The Way Down’ and the whole album I wasn’t really thinking too much. And what usually happens over years and years of recording and just experience, you end up starting to overthink. So I wish actually younger me self-recording the first album could have that talk with older me, self-recording all the next albums to stop thinking so much and just do it!!

Revisiting songs has to come with a multitude of emotions! When you’re planning a project like this, are you making new sonic choices, or are you trying to stay as true to the original material as possible?
Well, we wanted to do something brand new that was current and would resonate as if it was a new song. So we sped it up a little bit, added some more rhythmic beats. True to the original in terms of the feel, but with the vocal parts and a lot of the harmonies, we try to do something new and fresh.

As you and the team re-recorded ‘On the Way Down,’ were you reminded of the 2000s? What are some of your favorite memories of the time?
Oh, definitely when you’re doing it. It reminded me of TRL a lot. And there was just such a time that can never be re-experienced or redone, but it just gives you that amazing feeling of being right back, you know, at the TRL moment. Especially with how musical was in the early 2000s, I feel like it was such an original, cool period of music.

You are a supporter and friend of Backstreet Boys’s AJ McClean, Drake Bell, Hanson’s Taylor Hanson, NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, Nash Overstreet, and Walk the Moon’s Nick Petricca. Is there a song (or songs) of theirs you would like to feature on?
Absolutely, I would be honored to be working with any of those guys on their projects as well, so of course it would be rad. I’m a big fan of all of them.

If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing? What was your dream job as a kid?
I mean anything in the entertainment business, really, to be honest. I always just wanted to entertain and make people happy. I get the most joy when I bring joy to other people. So whatever aspect of work that could happen, that’s what I would be doing.

You’ve collaborated with so many incredible artists over the years. How do you decide who you want to work with, and how did you bring together such an amazing group for this new version of ‘On The Way Down?’
You know it, actually; it just happened organically. I’m a true believer that things need to be natural, and you shouldn’t try to force anything, so it all just came together how it was meant to. It was just friends of mine that I happened to be talking to at the time, and we would talk about music, and one by one, it all kind of came together.

As someone who’s made a career out of connecting with fans, what does it mean to you to have such a dedicated and passionate fan base that’s stuck with you for 20 years?
I mean, obviously, it’s incredible and so cool to still see familiar faces out there and hear stories of the first time they came and saw us. So I’m still very, very humbled and blessed to be able to perform and see people’s reactions to these songs, both old and new. A lot of our fans that have been with us from the beginning are now bringing their kids to shows and introducing it to a whole new generation of music – so that’s cool to see it come back full circle.

You’ve had such a wide range of creative experiences—music, TV, philanthropy. Is there another creative project or passion you’ve been exploring recently that we might see in the future?
Well, the goal is to always keep doing fun, exciting, and new adventures, especially charity work and projects that we can put together for charity. If I can incorporate music and friends and fun into something that does good for other people, then that is pretty much what I love focusing on.

If someone said they had to ‘Take It All Away’ what in your life would you beg to keep?
My hair!!!!!!! Hahahahha

We gotta say we are big fans of your wife, Alexa Bliss, and you as well. Which one of your tracks would you say fits her persona best? Can we ever expect you to write her entrance music?
Well, I have to say she’s a little bit biased so the answer is gonna be the song ‘Worth It’ because I wrote that one about her! And as far as interest, I mean, never say never

What do you want your legacy to be? If everyone could take just one thing away from your music/career, what would you want it to be?
 That’s a great question. I’d like to say that I wrote deep and meaningful lyrics that touched people. The lyrics helped them feel whatever they wanted to feel that day.

With all of the projects you’ve had since the beginning of your career, you’re simply unstoppable! Is there anything else we can expect from you in the near future?
Well, I’ve got some TV show ideas up my sleeve so you never know what will happen or not but that’s definitely be on the lookout for that!! 

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