Ryan Innes

Listening to the soulful voice of Ryan Innes, it’s natural to assume the bearded crooner has always dreamed of being an artist and performer. It’s hard to imagine that the former contestant and fan favorite on NBC’s The Voice almost never pursued his passion for music at all.

Growing up in tiny Thatcher, Ariz., Innes was raised in the traditional musical environment of a small town. As a youth, he was classically trained on piano and sang in the Phoenix Boys Choir and local church musical groups. Although he enjoyed performing in these settings, the traditional and classical music didn’t quite connect with him on an emotional level. It wasn’t until he was introduced to R&B that Innes began a deep and personal involvement with music that would begin to change his life.

“The first thing that really caught my attention was a Boyz II Men album my friend gave me,” Innes recalls. “It was like nothing I’d experienced before. These people really express their emotions through their music and voices. It was completely different than the stuff I had grown up with. It really opened my eyes to music’s ability to speak to the listener.”

Although Innes continued to develop a connection with music, he never gave serious thought to pursuing it until a period of great personal tumult in 2003 caused him to reexamine his life goals and aspirations.