Ryan DeBenedetti is no stranger to the Phoenix music scene, having produced music since he was around 15, and spending a majority of his free time drumming for bands like Twinstarr, Chalcogen and The Ruminations. But now, it’s his turn to step into the spotlight with his new solo project, Arjayade.
The venture is hip-hop and soul-inspired, and DeBenedetti’s concept for it is unique. He writes, produces and drums on the entire track and then brings on another musician-most often one of his friends or mentors-to complete the piece with their own lyrics and raps. He views Arjayade as a chance to finally put out work that’s completely his own; something to explore and grow with as he continues his music career, and that’s very evident in “In Your Arms.”
“I like to experiment. So with the single that I’m releasing, we had my friend hit his vape really hard so there’s a harsh inhale sound starting his verse, and it came out cool so we kept it.”
DeBenedetti wrote the beat for “In Your Arms” last summer, inspired by some of his favorite alternative soul artists. He originally wrote a hook for the song while working on the beat, but quickly found out singing wasn’t his strong suit, so he got his girlfriend Brazille Dos Santos to sing and his friend Quincy Scott to rap on the track, ultimately sparking the idea to create Arjayade.
Recording began in the fall of 2023, after he finished writing the chorus. After only two recording sessions using the high quality studio equipment his Arizona State University program offers, everything was coming together.
“His [Quincy] verse is really interesting. The hook is about ‘do you want to be with me? I want to be with you,’ and his verse is the other side of it with ‘I want to be with you, but I don’t know if I’m in the right space to be with you’, which I think is cool because he put his own spin on the hook.”
As part of his experimental and unconventional approach with this new project, DeBenedetti decided to release “In Your Arms” on his 21st birthday, making it an even more memorable day with plenty of reasons to celebrate. “I know the standard idea is to drop singles on Fridays, and this and that, but I just figured I want to make this project exactly my version of what I want to do. I don’t want to go too heavy on promotion; I want it to be just as natural as possible.”
It’s clear this project is all about bringing individual ideas and visions to life through identifying our own strengths and getting support where needed with the art of collaboration. In addition to having friends and mentors sing and rap on his tracks, DeBenedetti also worked with friends to shoot promotional videos and photos all over Downtown Phoenix, and had a high school friend design the album art.
Arjayade’s first EP will have five tracks, and is slated to come out at the end of this summer. It has influences of alternative R&B and modern jazz, making it a very personal piece for DeBenedetti. Right now, he has everything written, drums recorded and collaborations lined up, so the next few months will be full of recording vocals and mixing the tracks.
Listen to “In Your Arms” here.
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