Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Ryan Berg, 27, of Dallas, Texas, auditioned with “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer. Gwen turned quickly. John turned midway through the performance only to discover he’d been blocked by Gwen.They wound up being the only two coaches to turn. Gwen said she loved the original sound of his voice. Gwen’s use of the block meant Ryan automatically became a member of Team Gwen.

Here’s more about Ryan:

* Ryan sang in church choirs as a child and taught himself to play guitar at age 16, which spurred his interest in songwriting.

* A 2011 graduate of Lake Highlands High School, he participated in school musicals there and was a member of Espree, the school’s show choir.

* He previously competed on America’s Got Talent, according to articles in the Lake Highlands Advocate.

* He attended Texas State University for a while. Upon his return to Dallas, he formed a band and performed as Ryan Berg and The Velvet Ears, described as an acoustic driven blues/jazz band.

* In 2017, Ryan released an eight-song debut album called The Velvet Ears. It consists of songs he wrote in high school and during his time in college. Check out “Sunflower,” the lead single from that album, below.

* From that point on, Berg and his band were regulars on the Dallas / Fort Worth music scene. In 2018, he was runner-up in a local radio station’s favorite artist competition.

* In April, The Advocate interviewed Ryan for a story on how artists were coping during the pandemic. He said one of the keys was using technology to collaborate with other artists from afar.

* To that end, he and friends created a cover of “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar and H.E.R., featuring the vocals of teen artist Remy Reilly. You can check out the result below.

* That said, Ryan couldn’t help but admit that he missed live shows during the shutdown: “We are lucky that we can continue to work together through technology, but the energy that we bring and take off the stage is sorely missed. I also miss the interaction between the audience and I. Looking into a camera lens feels fake to me, especially after having so many years to connect with individuals on a musical level.”

Ryan on social media:
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