Ryland James Clark (born 1999), known professionally as Ryland James, is a Canadian pop singer from Deseronto, Ontario,Adam Prudhomme, "Deseronto singer Ryland James set to headline international tour". The Napanee Beaver, January 31. 2020. whose self-titled debut EP was released in 2020.Nadia Neophytou, "Ryland James Dives Into the Water With His Debut EP". American Songwriter, September 4, 2020.
As a teenager, he was a competitor on the seventh and final season of The Next Star in 2014, finishing in fifth place."Ryland James tour includes stops in Burnstown, Ottawa and Waterloo". Arnprior Chronicle, January 30, 2020. Professionally, he uses his middle name as his stage surname, so as to avoid potential confusion with British singer and presenter Rylan Clark.
He released his debut single "Good to You" in 2017, and followed up in 2019 with "Say Goodbye" and his breakthrough hit "In My Head".Kirsten Spruch, "Ryland James Keeps Lost Love Alive in Sweet 'In My Head' Video". Billboard, August 1, 2019. Through 2019, he toured as an opening act for Alessia Cara on her The Pains of Growing Tour; in February 2020, his fourth single "Shoulder to Cry On" was released.Aynslee Darmon, "Ryland James Debuts New Music Video For Emotional Track 'Shoulder To Cry On'". Entertainment Tonight Canada, February 28, 2020. His self-titled EP was released in August 2020, and was followed in December by the Christmas release A Little Christmas."Rising star Ryland James on his new EP 'A Little Christmas'". Global News, December 23, 2020.
James received two Juno Award nominations at the Juno Awards of 2021, for Pop Album of the Year and Breakthrough Artist of the Year.Jackson Weaver, "Junos 2021: The Weeknd gets 6 nominations; JP Saxe, Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez score 5 each". CBC News, March 9, 2021.
He came out as queer in February 2021.Brent Furdyk, "Canadian Singer Ryland James Comes Out: 'Today Is The Day'". Entertainment Tonight Canada, February 9, 2021.
He sang the Canadian national anthem at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.
In 2023, he participated in an all-star recording of Serena Ryder's single "What I Wouldn't Do", which was released as a charity single to benefit Kids Help Phone's Feel Out Loud campaign for youth mental health.Brent Furdyk, "Feel Out Loud: Alessia Cara, Serena Ryder & More Canadian Artists Collaborate On New Single Promoting Youth Mental Health Initiative". Entertainment Tonight Canada, March 2, 2023.
Discography Extended plays Title EP details Ryland James Released: August 21, 2020 Label: 21 Entertainment, Universal Music Canada Format: Digital download A Little Christmas Released: October 23, 2020 Label: 21 Entertainment, Universal Music Canada Format: Digital download Heart of Me Released: May 23, 2025 Label: 21 Entertainment, Universal Music Canada Format: Digital download
Singles As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album/EP CAN CAN AC CAN CHR CAN HAC USAdult"Good to You" 2017 — — — — — rowspan="2" "Say Goodbye" 2019 — — — — —"In My Head" 85 9 33 33 — MC: Gold Ryland James"Please Come Home for Christmas" — 5 — — — A Little Christmas"Shoulder to Cry On" 2020 — — — — — Ryland James"Better Off" — — — — —"Water" — 23 38 36 39"Blame" 2021 — — — — — rowspan="8" "3 Purple Hearts" — — — — — "A Christmas to Remember" — 4 — — —"I Give Everything" 2022 — 22 — — —"Patience" — — — — —"River" — 6 — — —"Love on the Brain" — — — — —"You're Still My Man" 2024 — — — — —"Heart of Me" — — — — — Heart of Me"The Reason" 2025 — — — — —"Thank the Rain" — — — — —"Long Way Home" — — — — —"Pretty Things" — — — — —"Soul" — — — — —"Good" — — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
As featured artist Title Year Peak chart positions Album CAN CAN AC CAN CHR CAN HAC "Lean on Me" 2020 13 6 15 11 rowspan="2" "Save Me" 2021 — — 32 41 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Other charted songs Title Year Peak chart positions Album CAN AC "A Little Christmas" 2020 5 A Little Christmas "Last Christmas" 34 "Do You Hear What I Hear" 32
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