Listen to Vaughn Lowery chat with Issac Ryan Brown on the 360 MAG Apple/Spotify podcast.
Brown announces seven song debut EP Project, WHAT I’M ON, to officially release on July 12 through SSK Records/Universal Distribution
Actor and R&C/pop singer/songwriter Issac Ryan Brown has announced his debut seven song EP project, What I’m On, which will officially release on July 12. To celebrate his 17th birthday today, his friends and family held an exclusive launch party at his Los Angeles home. The EP will be released through Steven Machat’s SSK Records, distributed through Universal.
Machat, the man who executive produced and/or worked with Phil Collins, Leonard Cohen, Peter Gabriel, Bobby Brown New Edition, Ready for the World, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Bizzy Bone and Seal with Adamski to name a few, is at the helm of Brown’s EP release which will be available everywhere.
The EP will be a first for Brown, although he has made numerous special appearances as a musical artist throughout his longtime career run. ‘‘Detroit and Motown have greatly influenced the sound and energy of my music.’’
Currently in his fifth season starring as Booker Baxter-Carter on Disney Channel’s “Raven’s Home,” the on-screen son of the series star and exec. producer Raven-Simone.
Originally from Detroit, Issac Ryan Brown got his great break at the age of six when he dazzled audiences on “America’s Got Talent.” Since then, he has been regularly working in television, film, voiceovers, commercials, and he is becoming a singer. One of the best known is the Raven Series, ‘‘It has been so much fun, and I love everyone there and Ray is like a big sister to me’’ Brown says. They have a song together called ‘Win It.’ Not only Raven Symone is a reference for Brown but also Nick Cannon in his musical career since the rapper’s music inspires him. “I haven’t had any conversations with him, but I look up to him as a pop culture icon for the black community. ”
His voiceover credits include Puppy Dog Pals, Bubble Guppies, Miles from Tomorrowland, and The Stinky & Dirty Show. He enjoys volunteering at the Salvation Army in his additional time.
Additionally, Brown loves reading and coming from a poor reading town has created a small foundation to put books in children’s backpacks. ”Detroit is technically illiterate…There’s a link to my Instagram bio where you can go, and you can sign up to get your backpacks”. DETROIT stand up!! Returning this year for Brown’s annual FREE backpack giveaway, and this will be the biggest one yet. According to him ‘‘Come out and support several of Detroit’s local small businesses. Together we can continue to grow our community!’’ Click HERE to get more info about it.
In real life, Brown is quickly building an impactful future as an artist far beyond his renown as a popular young TV star – a journey which began at age six when he wowed the judges, including Howie Mandel (who called him a “superstar”) auditioning for “America’s Got Talent” with a spirited song and dance of “I Want You Back,” embodying Brown’s musical hero Michael Jackson.
During the pandemic lockdown, with “Raven’s Home” on indefinite hiatus, Brown got together with some pals from his native Detroit, headed down to Atlanta and recorded a few songs and shot some videos. In recent months, he’s been spending his time on weekends in the studio working on his upcoming debut EP with beatmakers Hollywood, K Young and Aroc and engineer and vocal producer C Minor. His songs include “Inch Away,” “What I’m On,” “Feel Like,” “You Do,” “Easy” and “On Me.”
“The EP captures my musical spirit of doing many things and is a reminder to people that I love to sing,” Brown says. “It’s great to have the opportunity to express all the things I love to do musically. The songs reflect my growth and how far I’ve come as an artist, with most of the lyrics based on personal experiences I’ve been through and things that I feel will matter to me and others as well. I’m excited to share this part of me and make music an equally important part of my future in entertainment.”
Believing strongly in giving back, Brown has a passion for charitable cause and inspiring young people to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams just as he has done. Concerned that many inner city kids growing up in his area of Detroit aren’t learning to read, he started a foundation called the “I Can” Literacy Foundation, whose mission is to encourage young people to set and achieve goals based on “I Can ____” sentences, like “I can read,” “I can run,” “I can fly,” or anything they set their minds to.
In 2020, Brown and his family started a backpack drive in Detroit, where they would fill backpacks full of books targeted to children – including novels, illustrated storybooks and beloved classics. This year, they partnered with a local school to conduct the drive and giveaways on a larger scale.
In between work commitments, Brown often performs and/or speaks at schools in Detroit and L.A., giving away backpacks, signing autographs and encouraging kids to believe anything is possible for their lives if they commit and work hard. “I let them know that, like me, you don’t know what you can achieve until you do it,” he says. “I came up in the same situation as they are, but always felt like I had the capacity to do bigger things in my life. I tell them wherever you live, wherever you are in life, great things are possible – and I’m living proof of that.”
Listen to Issac Ryan Brown’s music on Spotify
Article: Andrea Esteban, Vaughn Lowery
