Interview met Ryan Craddock

Voor dit interview sprak ik met Ryan Craddock, een artiest wiens muziek mij de afgelopen tijd écht heeft geraakt. Ik heb enorm veel respect voor Ryan. Niet alleen voor zijn openheid en eerlijkheid, maar ook voor de manier waarop hij emoties omzet in krachtige, energieke en aanstekelijke melodieën. Zijn nieuwste emo/pop-punk album Infinite laat een rauwe, persoonlijke kant horen, met thema’s die variëren van innerlijke strijd tot groei, herstel en zelfexpressie. In dit gesprek gaan we dieper in op de inspiratie, het creatieve proces en de persoonlijke ervaringen die Ryans muziek zo uniek maken.

For this interview, I had the chance to speak with Ryan Craddock, an artist whose music has genuinely moved me in recent time. I have a great deal of respect for Ryan. Not only for his honesty and openness, but also for the way he transforms emotion into powerful, energetic and deeply catchy melodies. His latest emo/pop-punk album Infinite reveals a raw and personal side, touching on themes that range from inner struggle to growth, healing and self-expression. In this conversation, we explore the inspiration, creative process and personal experiences that make Ryan’s music so distinctive.

Ryan, congratulations with your new album Infinite. It feels deeply atmospheric and emotional.
Can you tell us how the concept for the album came to life and what kind of story or mood you wanted to express through the songs?

Thank you! I think it all started with the title track, 'Infinite'. I hadn't written any new music for several years, but in April 2023 I got the itch to make something new with no intention of releasing it. It was just a way for me to let out all of these dark thoughts and emotions I'd be feeling over the past couple of years in a completely free way – I wanted to just write something that was 100% honest and open with no thought about what any potential listener might think about it. It was just for me.

But when the song was finished, I realised that it was perhaps one of the best songs I'd ever written and I wanted to make more. Slowly, over the next 18 months, I allowed myself to just write as and when it came naturally, and eventually that spilled out into a full length album. I guess the only thing I really wanted to express through these songs was complete, unfiltered honesty – partly as a weird but useful therapy session for myself, and partly as something that I hope can be genuinely relatable to anyone out there struggling with similar depressive thoughts.

When listeners play your music, what do you hope they feel or take away from it?

I think one of the best things about music is that a listener can take what they hear and interpret it however they want or need to in that moment. I hope that anyone who listens to Infinite does exactly that – one person might love it for the catchy, uptempo pop-punk elements, whilst another might connect to it emotionally, relating to the pain and trauma in the lyrics and using that for comfort. All of the above is great. I just hope people love it.


Your album dives deep into neurodivergence and the challenges of living in a neurotypical world.
How has your own experience shaped the emotions and stories behind these songs, and what do you hope listeners who share that experience will take away from your music?

It's absolutely at the centre of every track on the album. Each song draws from my own experiences, whether the topic in question is struggling to cope with life's challenges as a neurodivergent person, or much more trivial things like teenage heartbreak, and they wouldn't exist without the personal experience that went into their creation. I wouldn't want to speak for every neurodivergent person out there, but I think something we regularly feel is a sense of wanting to surround ourselves with others who truly understand. I hope this album can be something that people can truly connect with – I hope it makes them think, 'yeah, this is how I feel too, I'm not alone with these thoughts'.

Every artist has those key influences that shape their sound.
Who or what has inspired your songwriting and production style the most, whether musically or emotionally?

My musical influences are a little all over the place, but for this record in particular, I was definitely most inspired by emo and pop-punk bands like Youth Fountain, Knuckle Puck, and The Story So Far. Youth Fountain in particular has been a godsend for me in recent years – I love the passion in each and every song and there's just something about their music that tickles my brain in just the right way.

Music often evolves with the artist.
How has your sound changed since you started making music, and where do you see it heading in the near future?

It's changed massively. I actually started this crazy journey by making comedic, overly-happy acoustic pop songs about Nintendo video games on YouTube. I guess the transition from that to such a dark, mature release like Infinite might seem a little wild from the outside, but internally, it makes so much sense. I just make the music I want to make at any given time, and so each project might be surprisingly different from the last. With that in mind, I honestly don't know what music I'll be making in the future. There are no restrictions, and no objectives, and I prefer it that way.

Ik wil Ryan bedanken voor zijn openheid en zijn bereidheid om zijn verhaal te delen. Zijn muziek zit vol energie, emotie en herkenbare momenten die veel luisteraars zullen raken, zeker degenen die zich soms anders voelen in een wereld die niet altijd meebeweegt. Het is bewonderenswaardig hoe hij zijn persoonlijke ervaringen heeft omgezet in kunst die zowel troost als kracht biedt.
Ik blijf zijn werk met veel plezier volgen en kan iedereen aanraden om zijn album Infinite een kans te geven.

I want to thank Ryan for his openness and willingness to share his story. His music is full of energy, emotion and relatable moments that will resonate with many listeners, especially those who sometimes feel different in a world that doesn’t always adapt to them. It’s inspiring to see how he has turned his personal experiences into art that brings both comfort and strength.
I’ll continue following his work with great enthusiasm, and I highly recommend giving his album Infinite a listen.

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