With millions of Spotify streams and a high-profile history as a contender on season 12 of The Voice, Troy Ramey is an independent artist with impressive visibility.
While the New York-based singer-songwriter appreciates the network television exposure, he says that he was well on his way before the show invited him to audition. “I had a lot of things happening for me before The Voice came around,” he confirms. “The show isn’t about Troy Ramey as an artist and songwriter, it’s about singing. I had the best times, and I made friends I will keep forever. It also gave me a lot of confidence. After performing on live television, I feel like I can do anything.”
As an artist, Ramey shares his intimate autobiographical lyrics in an expressive voice of sandpaper soul. He remembers his primary influence in “Song Man” with these words, “My father was a song man/My father was a strong man.” It was his dad’s love of '70s singer-songwriters James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens that set Ramey on his course. “Growing up in Vermont, I didn’t have influences other than what my parents listened to,” he says. But it was the power of R&B that inspired Ramey as a vocalist. “The way those singers used their voices, it was an emotional mystery.”
While he loved music, Ramey says that initially he didn’t consider it a full-time profession. “I met my first band at 22 and was doing rock music in Boston, but I didn’t think about being in charge of my own destiny until I moved to New York. I fell in love with writing my own songs, and I became so connected that I couldn’t do anything else.”
Ramey’s song “Rosary,” speaks of his father’s passing and is a powerful entry in his song portfolio. He recently created a new version with the New York Fellowship Choir. This connection came through Derrick Wright, Adele’s touring drummer and musical director. “He brought in this world class choir to sing my song,” notes Ramey. “I couldn’t believe it was real. They took the song to a whole other level.”
Dante Lattanzi, a multi-faceted producer, musician and songwriter who manages Ramey, was behind the board for the track. “I wouldn’t have any career without him,” says Ramey. “I haven’t met anyone that I trust more than Dante. He’s got my best interests at the very top of the list.”
One of Ramey’s most recent releases, “Woman,” is an unabashedly poignant gift to his new wife. The accompanying video shows scenes from the pair’s recent wedding ceremony. “I’m the least romantic person on planet earth,” laughs Ramey. “When you’re writing love songs it can go corny really quickly. I’m afraid of that. But while it’s hard for me to express an emotion in real life, I can put it in a song.”
In the range of Ramey’s narratives, not all is lace gowns and wedding cakes. Witness “Adderall,” and the lines, “’cause I made your blood melt and boil like cheap wine and Adderall.” Ramey says this image reflects a feeling of pain from being a burden on a loved one. “I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety my whole life, and sometimes the roller coaster of being an artist and chasing this type of career can have a lot of ups and downs. It can have a huge impact on the people you love, especially your significant other. The image of ‘cheap wine and Adderall’––you definitely don’t want to mix those two together. It would be like getting bitten by a snake.”
Honesty, in his voice, lyrics and life, guides Troy Ramey’s destiny as an artist. As he explains, “Everything is up in the air and so different. Everybody has their own path. The more I accept that, the happier I am in my own career, no matter where I am in the journey. As long as I can continue to write songs that come from a place of authenticity, I will continue to put one foot in front of the other.”
