A borough musician has used his creative talent to make his debut album at home.
Ryan Brown, 28, from Ramsbottom, creates alternative pop rock music using electronic dance music and hip hop lyrics as inspiration.
His album, titled Alive, which was made in his bedroom using an old laptop and a microphone bought from a charity shop 10 years ago, reflects his life over the past four years.
Ryan said: “I took a lot of my lyrical inspiration from hip hop and rap, using words that wouldn’t rhyme if you said them out loud but fit within the context of my music.
“I also used artificial intelligence tools as an easy way to create music videos on a budget.”
His parents encouraged him to take piano lessons when he was aged just four but Ryan found it challenging.
“I hated the piano because I couldn’t play rock,” he said.
“I once deliberately put my fingers in a door but still ended up doing lessons, just with swollen fingers!
“Pop punk was a heavy influence in my life when I was younger. I wanted to be like Billie Armstrong and dyed my hair jet black when I was a teenager.
“Learning the guitar seemed like the next step for me so I applied for lessons at school but places were limited.
"I didn’t get through and it put me off playing the guitar for 14 years.”
Despite the rejection, Ryan decided to start writing his own music and released his first song when he was aged 19.
READ NEXT > Irish singer 'in demand all over the world' to play gig in Bury
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the Bury Times morning newsletter as well as our breaking news alerts
READ NEXT > New café with 'delicious' food and drinks opens in Bury town centre
He said: “One day, a bright yellow guitar turned up at my door and I had no idea where it had come from. It turns out I bought it online while I was blind drunk.
“That sparked the idea of creating a 'Gorillaz' type band, but after some practice it didn’t work out. I did create one song at that time which had real meaning and inspired me to create the entire album in a similar vein.”
Alive is due to be released on Friday, February 23. You can listen to Ryan’s music on Soundcloud and Spotify.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here