From Piano Keys to Global Collaboration: Rylai on Fall For You
By. Alicia Zamora
In an exclusive interview with Alicia’s Studio, we caught up with Rylai, an alternative pop artist who approaches music with both care and conviction. His story starts in an unexpected place — sixth grade, buried in prep for Korea’s Science High School entrance exams. Somewhere in the middle of all that pressure, he found music, and it quickly became more than just a distraction. It turned into a way of seeing the world, a process he’s been chasing ever since.
His latest single, Fall For You, shows just how far that process has taken him. The track was two years in the making, pulling in musicians from three continents to shape its sound. Every layer — from the shifting guitar tones to the synth textures and vocal delivery — was treated like its own puzzle piece. The result is a song that feels alive, moving in waves, never letting the listener settle into one version of itself.
Rylai admits that singing on the track was the hardest part. Production comes naturally to him, but finding the right balance in his voice — the right mix of clarity and emotion — took patience. That willingness to wrestle with the details is what makes his music stand out. He doesn’t rush the process, and you can hear it: the songs carry weight without being heavy, beauty without being overly polished.
With more finished songs waiting in the wings, Rylai is already looking ahead. He talks about his work with a quiet confidence, not in terms of hype or numbers, but in terms of growth — for himself and for the people he collaborates with. Fall For You may be his latest release, but listening to him, it’s clear he’s just getting started.
Diving In
Rylai: Hi. My name is Rylai , but you can also call me Ryan. I make alternative and pop music, and yeah, let’s get to it.
Alicia: You’ve described your passion for music beginning in a quiet moment at the end of sixth grade. Can you take us back to that time — what was happening in your life, and what did that old digital piano awaken in you?
Rylai: It's been a really long time, and it's hard to know where to start. When I was young, I was a very good student, so my parents had high expectations for me. In Korea, there’s a special high school system called Science High Schools. Back then, if you got into one and studied hard, you didn’t have to take the regular college entrance exam, which gave you an advantage when applying to university and choosing your major.
Rylai: So in sixth grade, I was working hard toward getting into one of these schools. I stayed up late studying high school-level chemistry to prepare for the Chemistry Olympiad. Naturally, staying up so late made me sleepy, so to keep me awake, my father came up with an idea — he would play popular songs while I studied. That was my first real encounter with music in a meaningful way. Before long, I was trying to play those songs on a piano at home, and eventually I started creating my own. That’s when I realized I could write melodies that were both emotional and catchy. From that point on, I started thinking music might be the path I wanted to follow.
Alicia: Before you ever thought about releasing music, what did creating songs mean to you personally? Was it escape, expression, or something else entirely?
Rylai: I think it was more about expression. Melodies come to me naturally, and I simply shape them. They just appear in my head when I’m walking, eating, or talking. Once that happens, I start thinking, “What do I want to say in this song? What sounds would fit best?”
Alicia: If “Without You” was your introduction to the world, what does “Fall For You” reveal about you that listeners didn’t know before?
Rylai: Honestly, I don’t think listeners really knew me at all before. Now we’re starting to get to know each other. And not just me — the other musicians who worked with me on this song too. I hope listeners get to know them as well.
Alicia: You debuted in June, right? June 6. So it’s been two months since you started. How do you feel about all that?
Rylai: A lot has happened behind the scenes, and it’s been quite a journey. I’m really happy to be working with such amazing people, and now we’re finally bringing the song out to the world.
Alicia: “Fall For You” took over two years to complete. During that time, did the song evolve in a way that surprised even you?
Rylai: Not exactly. From the moment I first conceptualized the song, I had a clear idea of how I wanted it to sound. My focus was on how to bring out the highest quality and most compelling version of those ideas. But when Dylan re-recorded the drums and bass, the song’s quality went up even further. And the overdriven guitar sound came out exactly the way I had envisioned it — that really brought the track to completion.
Alicia: You wore so many hats in this project — producer, director, guitarist, vocalist. Which role challenged you the most, and which role felt the most natural?
Rylai: Being the vocalist was definitely the most challenging. This song has two different rhythms that coexist in one track, and making them flow smoothly meant I had to keep the groove extremely tight.
For example, there are the “na-na-na” sections — they appear three times with different arrangements. But each one actually contains 12 separate vocal tracks layered at once, all with different pitches and tones. Every syllable had to match perfectly. By the time we were still in the demo stage, I had already done over 1,000 takes. It took a huge amount of recording and editing. That was the real challenge. Directing, on the other hand, was the easiest.
Alicia: Why do you think being the director was the easiest for you?
Rylai: Because I had the exact sound in my head that I wanted, and I just needed to figure out how to communicate it to my team. That was straightforward compared to performing. Of course, describing sound with words is never perfect, but the bigger challenge was really on the other side. My team had to take what I described and actually create the sound. That’s much harder than me explaining it.
Alicia: With 92 vocal tracks, multiple guitar layers, and Moog synths, this is a dense arrangement. How do you know when a song is “full” without losing its emotional clarity?
Rylai: For me, a song feels full when there are elements that catch your ear no matter where you listen, and when all of those elements come together in harmony within the overall sound. That’s when it feels complete without losing its emotional clarity.
Alicia: This song brought together four musicians from three continents. How did that global dynamic influence the final sound?
Rylai: Music is a means of expressing ourselves, right? Even though we each grew up in different environments and have our own unique personalities, we came together to create one beautiful sound. We’re very happy with what we ultimately achieved.
Alicia: Can you share a moment from the collaboration that reminded you why music is a universal language?
Rylai: I felt that in moments where, no matter where we came from or what kind of music we had made before, we all had the same reaction to what we thought was a beautiful sound. That’s when you realize music really is a universal language.
Alicia: You let some demo elements live in the final cut — was that about nostalgia or just the pure vibe?
Rylai: Just because something is called a demo version doesn’t mean it’s lower quality than the final version. We put our best effort into every stage. Before I brought in liner and fact into the production, there was an initial sketch, but I referred to every version before the final cut was locked as a demo.
Alicia: Independent artists often talk about freedom and challenge in the same breath. For you, what’s been the biggest gift of working outside the “major label machine”?
Rylai: The biggest gift is freedom. We were able to experiment musically in any way we wanted without time constraints. It was also my first time traveling by plane for the purpose of making music. In Korea, production tends to lean more toward DAW-based music rather than live recording, so breaking free from those limitations felt liberating. And of course, the way things work here is very different from how major labels operate in the United States.
Alicia: Aul, Ado, Seo Taiji, Kendrick Lamar — your influences span soul, J-pop, K-pop, rock, and hip-hop. How do these worlds coexist in your songwriting?
Rylai: I don’t really think in genres — those are just labels people created to sell music. In the end, people are drawn to lyrics that fit an emotional yet catchy melody, and to beautiful sounds that feel good to the ear. Tastes might differ slightly, but from this perspective, the music we make isn’t all that different.
As for how those artists weave into my songwriting — if you listen to each of them, you’ll see it. Each one has different strengths within the framework of good music. They just focus on different aspects. Studying those strengths, experimenting with them, and applying them to my own music isn’t all that difficult.
Alicia: Which song or artist recently made you rethink what’s possible in your own music?
Rylai: I make a constant effort to listen to music I’ve never heard before and keep exposing myself to new sounds. Recently, I started posting song recommendations on TikTok. We’ve already posted a couple of song list videos — the intro screen comes up, then it shifts to a screen capture of the song, and I add descriptions in the captions. If you check that out, you can get a glimpse of the music that has inspired me over the past year. We’re going to keep posting more of that content, and who knows — maybe one day I’ll end up making a song inspired by them.
Alicia: Your work follows an overarching narrative. Where does “Fall For You” sit in that storyline, and what chapter does it close or open?
Rylai: That might be too much of a spoiler. We already have a tentative track list, but I can’t share anything about it at this point.
Alicia: The finished track feels raw and alive. How much of that was intentional versus something that emerged naturally in the process?
Rylai: In sound design, it often happens that you stumble upon something while experimenting and decide to keep it as it is. For example, if a knob needs to be set at 80 degrees and someone asks if it could be off by two or three degrees, there’s no clear answer. So yes, sometimes we found sounds by chance. But the decision to stop tweaking and say “this is right” — that was intentional. I carried out those kinds of “accidental experiments” until every sound felt just right. In the end, we achieved exactly the sound and production we intended.
Alicia: There’s a sense of vulnerability in this song — what part of yourself did you have to tap into to make it feel authentic?
Rylai: Some of it comes from my personal life. We’ve all felt that frustration at some point — like when you don’t get back the love you’ve given.
Alicia: You’ve described this project as “Four guys, three continents, two years, one song.” What do you hope listeners take away from knowing that journey?
Rylai: Yeah, I hope listeners enjoy every single moment of this song. You know, the three chorus hooks each come back with a fresh arrangement. But beyond that, every part of the production — from the articulation and timbre of the guitar, to the sound design of the synths, to the tone and recording of the vocals — we crafted with care. We really put everything into making sure every sound feels beautiful and locks perfectly into the groove.
Alicia: If you could send one message to your younger self, the one just discovering music on that old piano, what would it be?
Rylai: Yeah, if there’s one message I could send, it would be this: The world we live in is full of clashing wills, with people carrying different thoughts and experiences. Because of that, what you’re trying to do won’t always happen easily or smoothly. Looking back, I realize I was just a naive kid living in a small bubble, viewing things through too narrow a frame and assuming the world would bend to my expectations. I also let my surroundings sway me far too easily. I’d tell myself to hold my ground more firmly and keep moving toward the path I truly believe in. Without learning to trust myself, I doubt I could have ever created a song like Fall For You.
Alicia: After Fall For You, what’s the next chapter you want to write — both in your music and your life?
Rylai: Actually, the upcoming songs are already finished, so I’ve already been thinking about them and about the next chapter in my life. I believe we’ve created something very beautiful, and I’m working with passionate, wonderful people. I just hope this song can lead to good opportunities for everyone involved.
Alicia: To end the interview, is there anything you’d like to say to the people who listen to your music?
Rylai: Oh, to everyone who listens to my music — I hope you have a great day. I hope you enjoy every moment of this song. Like I said earlier, we put a lot of effort into it. It has so many beautiful moments — lots of vocal harmonies, lots of catchy bits, overdubbed guitar that builds into a climax. Yeah… and I also want to say thank you for having me in this interview. I’m wishing you all a wonderful day.
Alicia: Thank you so much for letting me interview you. I’m excited for everyone to hear this song, and for your upcoming projects!