The Rise of Ryan Redwood

Music lies at the heart of East Anglia.

From The Brickmakers and Ipswich Corn Exchange to the LCR and the Waterfront, the local music scene continues to grow every day, allowing new musicians to take to the stage for the first time, establish an audience, showcase their talent and network with others!

On 19 September, The New Music Generator (NMG) Awards 2025 took place at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds, celebrating the diversity of musical talent that exists across our region.

I recently caught up with indie rock singer and songwriter, Ryan Redwood, who was nominated for an NMG Award in the ‘Rock’ category. 

We discussed his journey as a musician, his recent release ‘The Back Room’ and the importance of the music community in East Anglia.

How are you feeling after the release of 'The Back Room' ?

I’m feeling very positive about it all! It seems to be going down very well, people are connecting to the lyrics and the meaning behind the song.

I try not to think too deeply about the impact the song might have because I believe that if you think too much about what other people may think, you’ll probably never write another song.

I like to concentrate more on serving the song in terms of its sound and its story, and if that hits people where it needs to, then that’s enough for me!

What inspired you to get into music?

My earliest memory of being “wow I want to do that” was watching the Green Day live album 'Bullet in a Bible', which was their Live Show at Milton Keynes Bowl.

I think seeing how all those thousands of people reacted to their music was the thing that really got me hooked.

From then on bands like Oasis, Foo Fighters and Arctic Monkeys had a massive influence on me.

Describe your creative process!

My creative process can change a lot depending on how I’m feeling or where the inspiration has come from.

I write a lot of one-liners down on my phone to start with and sometimes I’ll centre a song around that, or I’ll have a specific topic I want to write about.

Once I’ve got an idea of the lyrical content, I’ll put some chords together and build the song up from there.

I do a lot of rough demos either on voice notes (with me mumbling the lyrics with the acoustic guitar) or in logic, which are more full band type demos. Then me and Azza get together and flesh them out until they’re sounding huge!

Have you faced any challenges during your journey as a musician?

I’ve had two bands that didn’t work out before I went solo so I’ve had challenges along the way!

I’d say the best way to overcome any challenges you may face within the music industry is to try and remember why you’re doing it in the first place, keep grounded and to work with people who genuinely care about your ideas or believe in your project.

Where do you look for inspiration for your music?

It comes from anywhere to be honest!

I think the best inspiration is the inspiration you don’t expect, the little bits of magic that happen when you’re not striving for it. The random one-liner your mate might say to you or the out of the blue guitar sound you might stumble upon when flicking through your amp settings. That’s when the best stuff comes out, when it’s unexpected.

How did it feel to be nominated in the 'Rock' category at the NMG Awards?

It was an honour.

It’s always lovely to be nominated and get a little nod of recognition. 

Things like that can keep you going when things feel like they’re not going anywhere. It’s always a good feeling.

What importance do the awards hold in the local music scene?

I think it’s important to recognise good music and how far our scene has come.

We didn’t really have a sense of community when I first came onto the scene, so it’s nice to see people coming together and celebrating their craft at those types of ceremonies.

What do you love about the music community in East Anglia?

If I’m completely honest, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with this scene over the years.

I think we’re now in a place where everyone seems to be coming together often and a lot of the musicians in the scene support each other, whether that be going to each other's shows or sharing their latest release.

There’s definitely a good grassroots mindset coming through and I think that’ll be the catalyst of driving the scene forward.

What is the best piece of music advice you have received?

I don’t like to name drop too often but Jon McClure (Reverend & The Makers) told me to “Always be your authentic self, be who you want to be, not what anyone else tells you to be” - that’s really stuck with me.

What advice would you give to any aspiring musicians?

I’d say to keep plugging away!

If you believe in what you’re trying to do and you’re writing good songs, there’s always a place for you in the industry, even when people tell you to stop or throw negativity your way.

As long as you’re believing in what you’re doing, you’ll achieve what you want to achieve.

What do you aim to achieve in the next five years of your journey as a musician?

I’d like to tick a few more bands off the 'I’d like to support' bucket list that I’ve got and, if we’re really reaching, I’d like to be living off music and making a stable income from it (if anyone wants to help make that happen, give me a shout!).

If you want to keep up to date with the electric music of Ryan, make sure to head to his Instagram (@ryanredwood58)!