Ryan Ross Hernandez on The Ellen DeGeneres ShowTuesday, May 7th, 2013
Ellen: Our next guest is one of the most recognized and respected names in music. He has rarely been able to perform live in the past two years due to vocal chord issues. Now he is finally back. Please welcome the talented musician, and my good friend, Ryan Ross Hernandez.
Ryan Ross Hernandez steps out as his own song
"California's Sweet Unknown" plays, dressed in denim jeans with a few rips, brown boots, and a jacket over a unbuttoned plaid shirt, and a white shirt underneath. He gives a small wave over to the audience at hand, before giving Ellen a hug, both share a few whispers before taking a seat.
Ellen: Hi Ryan.
Ryan: Hey.
Ellen: So first off, today on the show, will be your first live TV performance in a long time, correct?
Ryan: Pretty much, yeah. I don't think I've actually played on any television show in probably three years.
[audience applause]Ryan: Thank you. The vocal issues have been around for about two years, more or less. It took me a while to recognize it. The first year was making the record on and off, and the second year has been not being able to tour.
Ellen: I've wanted to ask you, because the process to your recovery was a long one. I know for a period of time, you could not speak at all.
Ryan: Yeah, some of that period of time was on strict vocal rest, just not talking by choice, so it could heal. But there was a time where, after I had the botox injected through my neck to freeze my vocal chords. At the point, I couldn't speak even if I wanted to. So that was about two or three months where I had to give the person I'm having a conversation with my iPad and then I would type on this bluetooth keyboard. If I made a typo I was screwed because I couldn't see what I was typing on the iPad.
Ellen: And we were talking backstage a little bit before the show, you told me that there was an entire month where you didn't leave your house.
Ryan: That's correct. I thought for a moment that, "oh, I can't talk but I have this form of communication, maybe it's cool." It was fun to talk that way for a few weeks, but then I got bored. Until I could speak at some rate, I just stayed in the house, play guitar, watch movies, hang out with my girlfriend when she was around the house.
Ellen: It's interesting though that this was such a problem for you. What exactly did you have?
Ryan: I had this thing called a granuloma. It's simple how it happens, just this growth that is caused by a variety of reasons. It could be acid reflux, overuse of your vocal chords. It's something that you have to go silent to let it heal or else if you continue to speak and your vocal chords keep crashing, it'll just remain there.
Ellen: But now it's fully gone, right?
Ryan: Yeah, it's been gone since January, that's the first time I went to the doctor and got word that it was all gone. But I had many botox injections to pretty much freeze my vocal chords, so that takes sometime to wear off. I should be back at 100% by the time the tour starts in June or July.
Ellen: What was the botox treatment like?
Ryan: Well I just want to say it's very strange to be 34 or 35, I was 34 when I got the treatment the first time. It was strange getting botox at 34 years old. [chuckles] But yeah, they just inject botox through my neck, to my vocal chords. Now with that it prevents my vocal chords from hitting each other, and the granuloma can heal.
Ellen: That must have been a scary experience though, just having a huge needle injected through your neck.
Ryan: The thing is I went to see this great doctor and he explained the wole botox treatment to me, so I thought cool, I'll come back in a week or two. But no, he did it right then and there.
Ellen: Did they give you anything for the pain? I'm guessing it must have hurt.
Ryan: It hurt, but no, there was no putting me under for this. I was fully aware that I was having this thing put through my neck. I'll admit I started crying.
[audience laughter]Ryan: I wish I were kidding. What really got to me was that I knew in about three days, I wasn't gonna be able to speak. So right after I had that done, I remember in the parking lot I called everybody I could think of. I called my manager, I called my mom, I called my girlfriend, I called my best friend. I just told them I loved them. It was sad experience because even my manager started crying when I called him. At least I wasn't the only man over 35 crying at the moment.
Ellen: While the experience was obviously a difficult one, I imagine you had a lot of time to write about it.
Ryan: I actually didn't write at all during that time. I need my vocals to write. And I won't be writing about the experience itself. A lot of other things happened in my life during that time for me to write about, rather than the whole vocal issues. I have so much more respect now for singers. Now that I can return as a full musician, singer-songwriter, I want to enjoy playing music that much more.
Ellen: Let's take a break and when we come back we'll talk more with Ryan Ross Hernandez. Stick around everybody.
Ellen: We're back with Ryan Ross Hernandez. Before we go on to talk about your vocal problems a bit more and your Montana home. You were here last year, last May, and a big change has taken place in your life I hear. You're engaged to fellow pop singer Nadia Berry, correct?
Ryan: For now.
[chuckles]Ellen: What do you mean?
Ryan: I'm uncomfortable talking about her and my personal life, I don't like doing it anymore. It's a very private relationship. I can understand people asking me about her and stuff, before I have said too much and given some really dumb answers, but I'm not in that place anymore.
Ellen: Are you happy at least?
Ryan: You know, I'm... When you're in a relationship... I have a very normal relationship. You have good days and bad days, which is perfectly fine. When you spend enough time together, naturally you do go a bit crazy and you're not going to agree on everything. But if you love somebody enough, you'll work things out, even if one night you have an argument, in the morning you'll talk about it.
Ellen: Well you and Nadia aren't seen together very much in public. Every once in a while paparazzi's do catch you two leaving a restaurant and things like that, but you rarely attend any event together.
Ryan: We don't because our relationship is and always will be very private. In my opinion, working a red carpet or something of that nature with someone gives off a very.. it puts a spotlight on something that really shouldn't have a spotlight on. I just don't like that sort of attention on me these days.
Ellen: Last time you were here we talked about those interviews that got you in hot water, now over three years ago.
Ryan: Yeah, I've grown up. I have a wall between my personal life and my professional life. I know doing these interviews is a job requirement, but that doesn't mean I need to do and say these things that aren't my real feelings just to get everyone to like me. I tried that and nobody liked me, you know. I'm really happy since I've learned that it's okay for people not to like me.
Ellen: Well I truly hope the best for you, I hope everything is well with you and Nadia.
Ryan: Thank you, thank you. I'm trying to be happy, I'm doing everything I can to be happy. It's a journey to find love and figure out what's next. It's a slow process.
Ellen: It is, it is, and I hope everything works out well for you two. I really want to see you happy.
Ryan: Thank you.
Ellen: In this time off you were able to work on a television series, which is a very interesting way to take a break from music.
Ryan: It's different, yeah. Not a lot of people think a singer-songwriter could actually write a TV series, especially one that is suppose to run a full-length season. It was a challenge to get even a pilot off the ground.
Ellen: Well you were able to do it and the show called, Sweet Unknown, will be premiering on FX, next month, June 2nd. It's a really incredible cast. Nadia Berry, Isabel Mejores, Arianna Harley, among others. Of course you actually have a starring role on the show too.
Ryan: I do, that was fun to do. I couldn't be more proud of the work each and every person on the show, both on and off screen have done. It's very easygoing atmosphere, until the camera gets rolling and we all get serious about what we have to do. I'd say the table read themselves are more stressful than actually shooting the show.
Ellen: Why would you say the table reads were stressful?
Ryan: Well when you get a room full of actors, writers, producers, all of which have big ideas, the air does get a bit heavy. But I think the outcome has been wonderful.
Ellen: Have you finished filming it?
Ryan: Actually tomorrow we start filming the season finale through Saturday we'll be filming that episode.
Ellen: I certainly wish you luck with that, I'm sure it'll be great.
Ryan: Thank you, we're hoping it'll do well.
Ellen: So let's talk about a point you made earlier, that acid reflux could have contribute to the vocal issues you've had.
Ryan: Yeah, half of it is overuse of the vocal chords, just singing and singing and singing. Then the other half is what you put into your body. I'm 35 now, I can't just put anything into my body and then shake it off in the morning, it doesn't work that way anymore. My known love for scotch didn't help the problem.
[audience laughter]Ryan: It's just like I'm drinking delicious, wonderful, tasteful poison into my body. Which after a few glasses, you really stop caring about what time it is or where you end up sleeping that night. So I've just had to made the decision to only drink scotch on rare occasions and not drink it every night over dinner like I use to. I'm so much more boring now.
[audience laughter]Ellen: No, I'm sure this makes you a lot more interesting actually. Last time you were here you said you were in the process of moving to Montana, how has the last year or so been living there?
Ryan: It's a beautiful, beautiful place. There was a period of time where I did spend all my time there, but with a lot of things around Los Angeles and New York, they prevent me from being there so much these days. But I try to go out there every other weekend. It's just gorgeous. I have the Yellowstone river flowing through my backyard.
Ellen: How's a day for you there in Montana?
Ryan: It's very normal, very natural. I wake up, I make a cup of coffee, I check e-mails, I go workout, I take walks. It's very difficult to take walks in Los Angeles. It's a small town over there and I love it. It's the kind of town where everyone knows each other on a first name basis, it's great.
Ellen: It sounds lovely, that's great to hear. And I hear you brought some gifts for everyone in the audience here today.
Ryan: I did, yes. We have a pair of tickets for each person in the audience, so they can come to the show in California, I believe it's in July.
[audience applause]Ellen: The tickets for the Break in the Clouds tour are on sale now. In addition online, we'll be giving away tickets to each show in the country on this tour. When we come back Ryan will be singing for us.
Ryan: Yes, I will be performing a song off the Break in the Clouds record.
Ellen: For his first live performance back on television, please welcome, Ryan Ross Hernandez.
As the illuminated giant walls slide open, Ryan is seen for the first time in a while with a backing band and guitar in his hand. Hernandez plays a very bluesy guitar riff to open the song, with the drums and bass soon joining behind him. From the last time he was see on stage, most of his band has changed, the only exception being his drummer and bass player, surrounded by fresh new faces on backing guitar and on the keys.
Well a Christian girl be getting divorced
That's what a girl gets for marrying young
Now her parents always disapprove
Just like they did when she showed them the ring
Yeah you love 'em, but you can never win with 'em
I think a good Christian girl
With liberal religious values
Is what I need in my lifeThe drums provide a gritter groove pattern, but it's still smooth, loose and colorful keeping in tact the chock-full of great licks by Hernandez.
She was born and bred in Santa Barbara
Always been a California girl under the sun
Now she's living her dreams aloud
She's got a whole generation to live for
And she thank Jesus for all that comes her way
I think a good Christian girl
Who can still wear a gold cross while making love to me
Is what I need in my lifeThe first guitar solo comes after the second chorus, the guitarist backing away from the microphone as he puts his entire body into playing a soulful, yet playful solo, changing his tuning drastically in the middle of the solo before returning to the mic.
Now, I know your bible disapproves of
Extramarital affairs
And I ain't one to offend your values
But now that she's a divorcee
I think we should meet up for drinks, someday
Honey, what do you drink?
'Cause I still have a fantasy
Of when the Christian girl herself
Shows up at my door, with no wedding ring in sight
Wearing the kind of dress she can't wear to church
And I let her inOn this occasion, joining the band are two back-up singers who provide harmonies in the background, to provide for Ryan's still healing voice. This is highlighted the bridge section of the song, where Ryan mostly focuses on his second solo in the song, returning to the microphone on occasion to sing over the backing vocalists.
A Christian girl
A Christian girl who has a bible in her bedside table
(A Christian girl)
A Christian girl
A Christian girl who prays whenever she need be
(A Christian girl)
A Christian girl who loves her Mama and Papa
(A Christian girl)
A Christian girl who remembers where she came from
(A Christian girl)
Now, now, now
That's the kind of girl I need to find
Something like a Christian girl
Something like a
(Yeah, yeah, I need someone like her)
I keep singing something like a Christian girl
I keep thinking something like a California Christian girl
Is what I need in my bed to relieve the stresses of my own skinAs the song ends with a faded riff, all the instruments ending in sync with each other. Ellen steps back into the frame, giving Ryan a kiss on the cheek as the audience applaud and cheer his performance.
Ellen: That was wonderful, wonderful. That song is on the Break in the Clouds album, which everyone in the crowd here today gets a copy of. We'll be right back, thank you for being here, Ryan.
Ryan nods his head modestly, leaning down to whisper something in Ellen's ear as they both share a small laugh as the show transitions to a commercial break.
