Phoebe Ryan Releases Animated Video For Single 'Fantasy'
Red Bank, NJ indie pop artist and singer-songwriter Phoebe Ryan recently released her animated music video for her single "Fantasy". This is the third single released off her debut album, How It Used To Feel which was released on June 26th.
Inspired by the psychedelic production of The Flaming Lips' 2006 album At War With The Mystics, a formative album for Ryan's music career, this single weaves a wistful story through percolating synths and cascading melodies. The wacky, technicolor video animated by Richie Brown steals glimpses at cartoon Phoebe's fantasies of bulging bodies, fortune tellers, and galactic journeys, all from the perspective of her pet parrot.
Ryan says about the inspiration behind the lyrics,
"'Reality' is about a time in my life where I was very dishonest with myself, trusting people who shouldn’t be trusted, and basically just living a lie because it was far less painful than the truth. I love the lyrics, they’re all straight from my dumb little heart, but I think the production of the song is what really hits me. It’s so upbeat and psychedelic, anthemic, bright, yet sorrowful."
She adds about the video,
"This is one of the most exciting videos we’ve gotten together for the album. It’s exotic. It’s erotic. It’s everything I see in my head when I go to sleep at night. Collaborating with Richie Brown was such a fun experience, not only because I’ve been a fan of his work for years (the first video I saw of his was Brick + Mortar’s “Old Boy” in 2014), but because it’s honestly hilarious being able to text someone so open to the weirdest ideas at all hours of the day and night. Crocs? Obama? BDSM? He’s a genius. I love his wild visions."
"Fantasy" follows the album singles "ICIMY"- meaning ‘In Case I Miss You’ - a testament to her sly wit and indelible ear for creating smashes, and "Ring." Opening with celestial synth flourishes, the lyrics in "Ring" were taken out of a lovelorn page of Ryan's diary and laments what could have been. The anthemic chorus exposes the raw emotion of the track as Ryan defiantly exclaims, "don't you dare put a ring on her finger."
Phoebe Ryan has been biding her time. Studying with Clive Davis' Institute of Recorded Music at NYU, Ryan headed to LA upon graduating in 2013, finding work as a songwriter for a number of artists, gradually making it all the way up the ladder to Britney Spears, penning "Man on the Moon."
Columbia Records saw a good thing and signed Ryan, leading to a fulfilling partnership that culminated in an EP, but ultimately, Ryan felt at her best guiding her own vision, returning to independent status and making her pop, her way. It’s all been leading to her debut album How It Used to Feel. In 2019, she’s released three singles including "ICIMY," all while finding time to support Carly Rae Jepsen on tour.
