Jean Ryden to Release Debut Project 'Parallel Universe' In November

Parallel Universe, the self-written and co-produced debut project from rising artist, songwriter and producer Jean Ryden, is set for release November 10; pre-order/pre-save here. A new song, “Tired of Goodbyes,” taken from the forthcoming project, is out today; listen/share it here.

“Parallel Universe started after I had woken up from a reoccurring dream that felt extremely visceral,” says Jean. “Like almost all of the songs on the project, ‘Tired of Goodbyes’ started as a voice note at my piano. I don’t feel like I had ever really written about my grief, if anything, I feel like I actually avoided it up until that point.

During the time I was writing these songs I kept thinking about how, if one thing were different, would everything be different? Or is there some bigger force at play dictating my fate? The reality was that regardless of my introspection, there was nothing I could do to change the past—I was still lonely, angry and confused. These songs feel like journal entries of my experience navigating life after loss.”

“Tired of Goodbyes” follows previously shared tracks “Butterfly Effect,” “Parallel Universe” and “Chlorine,” Ryden’s cinematic debut single which is the subject of praise from Consequence and Ones to Watch.

Much of Parallel Universe finds Ryden grappling with the emotional aftermath of the tragic passing of her parents: traversing feelings of longing, loss and the overwhelming desire for a different world—a parallel universe—to take hold. Ryden explains, “I’ve always had this feeling that my life before everything continued on in this parallel universe, and I’m trapped in the wrong one.”

Ryden wrote, produced and performed the project across Los Angeles, recording between friends’ homes and studios and working with close creative collaborators Angela Ricciardi and Silken Weinberg (Ethel Cain, Albert Hammond Jr.) to create the overarching visual narrative that accompanies her debut project. The resulting eight tracks vividly examine grief and predestination through Ryden’s imaginative storytelling and string-laden arrangements. 

Jean Ryden began studying music at age three, when she started cello lessons as a child on Long Island. Music had long been in her family. Her maternal grandparents were founding members of the Long Island Philharmonic; her grandfather on her mother’s side was a session violinist who had played with Stevie Nicks and Chet Baker and her grandmother, Jean Ryden Eley, is the inspiration for her artist persona. Ryden’s Julliard-trained mother passed on the family’s passion for music, instilling a two-hours-a-day practice habit in her daughter. 

Ryden’s early training, combined with her study of producers like Rostam, James Blake and Sufjan Stevens, and lyrical influences Elliott Smith, Regina Spektor and Mitski, inform her classic pop songwriting and meticulous production. 

photo credit:  Angela Ricciardi & Silken Weinberg