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All Music Guide:
Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, born in 1979, are the two halves that make up pop-classical vocal power duo RyanDan. Brought up in an affluent suburb of Toronto, the Kowarsky brothers spent their early years watching their opera-singing father from the wings of local theaters. By the age of four both brothers had followed his lead and began performing in musicals and plays. The brothers' identical appearance allowed them to split roles, like the lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which they shared while still in high school. Weened on Pavarotti and falling in love with Stevie Wonder in their teen years, the Kowarsky brothers set their sites on the vocal pop world early. Accompanied by a friend, Ryan and Dan waltzed into Sony Music Canada's office in Toronto and sang in the lobby at the age of 18. They left with a record deal, which would go on to earn them their first platinum record. As members of the boy band B4-4, the Kowarskys were introduced to the public and inner workings of the music industry, but disillusioned with the banal, uninteresting music they had to perform. As they matured the brothers chose to strike out on their own as a pop-classical duo, writing and selecting their own repertoire. For their debut release, RyanDan, the Kowarskys collaborated with veterans like folk artist Judie Tzuke and producer Steve Anderson. Singles such as "Like the Sun" and "The Face" won a place on Canadian pop charts, an unlikely destination for music with such a classical slant. The record placed on Canada's Top 100 in the year of its release, 2007.
Wikipedia:
RyanDan (born December 5, 1979) is a Canadian musical, songwriting and producing duo, consisting of identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, whose music is a mix of pop, opera, and classical.
They were originally part of the boy band b4-4 (renamed Before Four for European later releases) that also included Ohad Einbinder. They later on worked as a vocal duo as RyanDan. They have also produced for a number of mainly Canadian artists including Blake McGrath, Shawn Desman, Danny Fernandes, Tyler Medeiros, Mia Martina and Massari and others.
Beginnings
Identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky were born December 5, 1979. The youngest of five children in a Jewish family, they grew up in the Thornhill neighbourhood north of Toronto. Their father, Paul, a South African who attended King David Linksfield (a Jewish day school in Johannesburg, South Africa), is a talented operatic singer who frequently sang as a cantor in synagogues both in South Africa and after immigrating to Canada. Their mother Adele Gould was also instrumental in encouraging them. She was diagnosed later with Parkinson's disease in 2004. In high school, Ryan and Dan shared the lead role in their school's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In band b4-4 / Before Four
At age 16, they presented themselves at the offices of Sony Music Canada, and attracted the attention of record company executives when they sang "Show Me the Way to Go Home" in the reception area. They were signed to a record contract soon after forming a boy band called b4-4 along with their friend Ohad Einbinder. They received a Juno Award nomination in 2001 for Best New Group, but lost to Nickelback. They also enjoyed some success in Germany as Before Four.
As RyanDan
They eventually wanted to cultivate a more adult sound and fan base, and in 2006, they moved to London to pursue their career. They recorded their album RyanDan with producer Steve Anderson, who has worked with Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney. The duo is currently managed by Dani Matte at The Management Trust and Sander Shalinsky.
Their debut self-titled album received critical acclaim including "The Face", which was co-penned by Stephan Moccio and for "Tears of an Angel" written by the duo in memory of their late niece.
They cite opera singer Mario Lanza as a strong influence on their music. Their song "Tears of an Angel" was inspired by the loss of their four-year-old niece, Tal, who died from a brain tumour during the recording of their album.
Music production
Ryan and Dan Kowarsky have also devoted their talents to production. Their experience includes songwriting efforts for several tracks on Blake McGrath’s “Time To Move”, including "Relax" and "Burn the Floor" , Mia Martina’s “Latin Moon” and "Stereo Love" , “Automatic” by Danny Fernandes , and a number of tracks for Tyler Medeiros.
