At 16 years old, Rylan Wheeler is already realizing his dreams and he is bringing his friends and family along for the ride.
Wheeler’s latest EP, Paradise comes out on Oct. 7, following the life-changing single Dreams he released last year after he was discovered on YouTube by Cleopatra Records.
“My following has grown, my outlook on music and my life has definitely grown as well,” Wheeler said. “(Dreams) just added a new perspective into the music industry and everything that needs to be done to be able to be successful.”
He has been working on the new four-song EP for six months, logging 10-hour days at a Kelowna studio.
Each song on the EP comes from a personal place, Wheeler said, writing songs for his sister, his best friend. Adding even more of a personal touch, Wheeler brought family members and friends into the recording process putting them on the album.
Dreams was intended to inspire people around the world, but Wheeler is zooming in to a more personal scope with Paradise.
“I wanted them to sing on it with me because it made it so much better. It put another level to the songs that I didn’t expect,” Wheeler said.
His sister and friends were singers, however, his older brother, Brayden Wheeler, was a slightly different story.
“He was very surprised. He thought it would be very fun, and it definitely brought us closer and to another level. He got to experience what I love to do and what my dream is. He got to know more about me and more about what my goals are,” Wheeler said.
The two help promote each other online.
“He has a YouTube channel and he’s all online promoting myself and him, and we both have followings on YouTube and Twitter and stuff, but he didn’t sing much. I thought it would be cool to invite him on to see what he can do and put him in the background just to have a presence of him being there,” Wheeler said.
The two sang a chorus together on one of the songs.
“That’s the song that everyone is on. We’re all like a big family, there’s five of us and we’re all really close,” Wheeler said. “When I got the opportunity to do this album I thought it was a good opportunity to invite them all on. It’s really cool to have them guest singing on it with me.”
He is excited for the EP to get released, noting it is still a very early stage in his career.
“You just never know where it’s going to go too. It’s unknown, but it’s good because even if it doesn’t go far right now I just keep doing what I love and I have a record company backing me up … it’s perfect,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler can be found on Twitter @RylanWheeler_ or at Instagram.com/RylanWheeler.