Music was always home for Lanning so it’s ironic that his first single is titled, This Is Home. Lanning blends the sounds of country and pop to give his music a unique listening experience for fans. The Southern California Native first started creating music in 2015 but dove into honing his craft in 2020 when his EP, Illegal was released.
Lanning is first and foremost a dad but is a creator by nature. He garnered 9 million streams on his debut single, 5 million subscribers on Youtube and was number #9 on the iTunes Charts when his debut album was released.
Courtesy of Bryan Lanning
In 2019 Lanning opened the doors of Cali Co. Music Studio, a professional atmosphere for local talent to gain their confidence, reach their goals and live their dreams. The successful and attractive brand has signed many amazing artists.
Besides running a business, working with other artists and being with his family Lanning is still focusing on giving his fans new music that relates to them in only a way Bryan’s music can.
BC: First off I wanted to congratulate you and your wife on your pregnancy! Are your little ones excited for a new addition?
BL: “Thank you! I’m not sure if they quite believe it yet, every time we talk to Ollie about it he kind of just goes into a blank stare but Finn is so excited, he loves babies and kids.”
BC: That’s so awesome and you have even more news. Two of your songs made the semi-finalists for the 2021 International Songwriting Competition.
BL: “I broke down in tears when I got that e-mail - there was so much work that built up to that moment, it felt so good just to get a little recognition from the industry. And not only to see two of my songs but my music video for a nomination too. Just to see that the story resonated with them, I just can’t believe it!”
BC: When was the first time you wanted to do music as a career?
BL: “I think it was a few years after I released my first single, This is Home. I was still Vlogging and it was something that actually took a toll on me - mentally, physically. I was staying up all night editing, trying to film all day with my family but also trying to be present with them.” Bryan confesses. “It got to a point where I was frustrated because I couldn’t create as much as I wanted to because I was kind of stuck in YouTube Land.” Bryan shares. “A few years later I decided I wanted to build my own studio, and start my own artist project. I knew I couldn’t do YouTube forever, and honestly music brings me so much joy. I will say it wasn’t until I wrote my first song in Nashville, with 5 or 6 people - and with Molly Stevens. I remember going to the bathroom, looking in the mirror and saying ‘this is what you were made to do’. That’s where it all clicked for me.”
BC: What challenges have you faced within the music industry?
BL: “It’s hard because people see me as a singer/songwriter and then they see my YouTube background and almost shrug it off like, ‘oh he’s just an influencer.’ The truth is vlogging found me accidentally, it’s not something I ever aspired to do. So trying break through that narrative is really important to me. Hopefully people will start to see me less as the Youtube Dad and see me as the singer/songwriter who has a Youtube Channel on the side,” Lanning laughs, “It will always be a part of me.”
BC: There are so many curveballs that can come at you, especially in the music industry - how did you over come those challenges when you were faced with them?
BL: “Honestly, there are days that I have to pick myself up. There are so many different avenues in this industry that can easily beat you down and I have been beaten down by them. It really just takes persistence, getting up in the morning, putting your head and knowing you are going to succeed and it’s going to make everyone who doesn’t believe in you really angry - it’s kind of exciting.”
BC: What dreams do you have for yourself as an artist and what dreams do you have for your music?
BL: “I’m so insanely jealousy of Walker Hayes right now - he’s on a tour bus with his entire family, touring the country, singing his songs every night, getting to have a blast and have his family there supporting him, that is so the dream. I want to take my boys and my wife on the bus and show them the world. I want to show them my world too.” Bryan shares. “The hope for my music is that is just resonates with other families, other parents and kids who are in families that maybe aren’t as strong as other families and who can find hope in that.” Lanning tells me. “It was the same with YouTube too, people watched our videos because they were looking for something they didn’t have. I hope the music gives them something they are looking for.”
BC: Getting those comments that your music has helped people, how does that imprint on you?
BL: “Oh man, It kind of just means I’m on the right track. When I see tweets from other parents (like with the preview for my new song, Watch Em’ Grow, people said it brought them to tears) that shows me that I’m doing the right thing.” Bryan says. “I sent a preview of the song to my buddy, Jared Mecham (a fellow YouTuber) and he sent me this video of him bawling his eyes out. It was a full circle moment because him and I had written songs together in the past and even though we’ve never released anything, we’re both on the same kind of career path - something unique to be with our families all the time it was really cool seeing his response. I also saved the video to use against him, like a true friend.” Bryan laughs.
BC: How do you overcome writers block?
BL: “I switch my brain to a different mode - when I’m not feeling the words or melodies I go, what can I do now? I can do visuals, I can work on music videos, I can work with the other artists that I have. I would say I have a lot to keep me busy. The last two months after I was done in Nashville recording my next project I got into a little bit of a rut and I ended up getting a lot of work done. Now that I feel more inspiration, I’m going through my notes and writing down hooks, titles and getting the juices flowing for the next project.”
BC: Do some of your older songs become more relevant now than when you wrote them?
BL: “My first song This Is Home is my number two, number three most popular track after six years, that’s incredible! I go back and listen to it and say yeah I could perform it right now and it would still resonate with fans. I think ‘Steady’ is another great example, we released that right before everything went kind of nasty for the country and it gives hope for the future.”
BC: What is your advice to those who want to come into the music industry?
BL: “If you’re a songwriter, put your songs out there as much as possible. I know it’s hard and we want to protect them and keep them to ourselves but showing them off to the world is a really special thing. We’re in a time where people don’t to wait and be hit with a grand presentation, they want to be in an experience from start to finish. If you’re just starting, you’re in a perfect position to have your fans follow you, grow with you, see how much you progress. Just don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You’re going to be looking back on your first video and it’s going to blow your mind to see how much you’ve grown.”
BC: Has it blown your mind looking back on your first videos?
BL: '“Definitely! I look back on songs that I released after This Is Home and say, ‘Wow! I wrote that?’ That sounded different in my head five years ago.” Bryan laughs. “It’s cool seeing that growth even in myself and to see that in my other artists as Cali Co.”
BC: You are so present on Social Media and you want your fans to be included in everything but are there ever moments when you feel pressure to post something or write more music?
BL: “I don’t know, I think so actually but I think that’s a part of our culture now. Everyone is posting and you have to rise above the noise if you want to be seen. It’s kinda something that I used to be very structured with, now I’m very casual with it. If you go to my feed its not curated, pretty it’s just my life thrown in your face and that’s kind of what I want it to to look like.” Lanning says. “For me it is all about balance, I hate staring at my phone, I have a pop up on Instagram that tells me when my thirty minuets is up so if I haven’t made my post within those thirty minuets I’m just done with it and let it go.” Bryan tells me. “It’s so easy to get sucked into this phone and I really like to be present with my family, my art and my people.”
BC: Your song, Watch Em Grow, came out on Thursday night, what can you tell me about this one?
BL: “This song is probably produced unlike any song I have released. Watch Em Grow has so many different layers sonically. You’re going to hear fiddle, organ, banjo, strings, pedal steel - you’re going to hear it all. It’s a folk/pop powerhouse. We wanted this song to feel organic, raw and authentic. We threw in all of our favorite instruments and so many amazing players came in from Nashville that day. This song was challenging though - I remember being in the booth, Daniel (Martin, Producer) is on the board and on the phone with his wife who is in California and she’s listening and says, ‘Daniel, this song is too low for him,’. And this song is the one song of the five I recorded in Nashville that I’m so excited about. I said, ‘shoot we’re not going to get this recorded, we’re going to have to come back in’. All the musicians said, ‘let’s raise it’ so we raised it right there in the booth, I sang along in the booth and we found it perfectly. The song came to life after Missy and I, one night put the kids to bed and we were having a glass of wine and relaxing and we could not stop talking about our boys. How much we have seen them progress, the challenges they have faced. We started writing the song, I wrote the hook and we took it to Daniel and Stefani who have kids as well and we crafted this song to just celebrate parents and kids. It’s honestly one of the most important songs I will ever put out.”
Cover Art for Watch Em’ Grow || Courtesy of Bryan Lanning
BC: Do you have a favorite lyric?
BL: “ ‘I could try to climb my way into a suit and tie, sell all of my time until there’s nothing left of me and watch em grow ’ .”
BC: Is there a music video coming for Watch Em Grow?
BL: “There is! We’re trying to wait for Ollie’s leg to heal a little bit more, he broke his femur so he’s still a little wobbly. There’s a shot I want to do of them running in slow motion in a field, we’re just waiting for him to heal a little more.”
BC: You were talking about how Watch Em’ Grow has an array of instruments, so with all of the instruments in this one song do you think you will experiment with other genres?
BL: “I don’t know if I’m going to experiment with other genres versus forging my own. That’s what I see happening for Watch Em’ Grow, it’s so modern, has a lot of great country elements in it but it also has so many great folk elements in it as well. I definitely think that the next couple of songs I’ll be releasing are shaping my sound into an authentic modern twist of things.”
BC: Have you found that difficult to forge your own sound?
BL: “I used to. I think because I have people behind me now, they watch my back and they help guide me in certain directions. I could feel that a song is totally me but they can tell me, ‘thats not really what you’re putting out’ so I think it’s a team effort - aligning with who I am, the brand I have and what I want to put out there.” Bryan explains. “Daniel is on the music side, he’s making sure every thing fits in with top forty country, top forty pop. Matt is on the visual side making sure everything looks clean, and I look hip,” Bryan laughs, “I’m a thirty year old dad so I need help sometimes. Having those people behind you is really important.”
BC: What are your thoughts on all the influence social media has on artists?
BL: “It’s exciting - I got to see social media blow up for me years ago and now I’m taking those same ideas and structures into the new world with these new artists. I get to play with things a little bit more. I think it’s a whole new beast we’re dealing with and we don’t know how to deal with it. TikTok has completely changed for music discovery, fan cultivation, community growth. That’s what you need to to do anything, especially the music industry. It can be scary and intimidating until you embrace it.”
BC: Do you ever wish you could be an artist and make music and just forget about posting and the social media side?
BL: “I think it’s unrealistic but there’s also part of me that having fans be in the moment with you, watching the community grow from day one to day one hundred is exciting. But, I’ve always talked about how it would be fun to put myself in a hole and create and pop out one day but there’s also not a lot of mystery to that.”
BC: What can fans be expecting aside from Watch Em Grow?
BL: “Watch Em Grow is the flagship for my next project, I’m really excited for it. There will be about five to seven songs and maybe some special additions. I’m really excited to get it out before Summer.”
BC: If you could say one thing to the world and the whole world would listen, what would you say?
BL: “Love yourself and love people.”