Ryan & Rory

It took just one phone call for Ryan Keith Follesé (fall-uh-zay) and Rory John Zak to decide they were meant to be musical partners.

Ryan placed that call to Rory after a mutual music-business friend, Liz Morin, suggested the two consider working together. “It was like having your aunt set you up with someone, “Ryan remembers. “Before long, I thought, ‘Oh my God, my aunt’s right — this is the person.’”

Two hours later, they hung up as the duo Ryan & Rory.

The music Ryan & Rory have been creating since then proves that their first impressions were spot on. Ryan’s proficient songwriting and powerhouse voice fit hand in glove with Rory’s incredible musicianship and perfect pitch as a harmony singer.

But let’s back up. That phone call may have been the start of Ryan & Rory, but the pair separately put years of hustle and dedication into their careers before coming together.

Ryan is the son of country songwriters Adrienne and Keith Follesé. Keith co-wrote Tim McGraw’s double-platinum #1 single “Something Like That,” Faith Hill’s crossover hit “The Way You Love Me,” and Lonestar’s chart-topper “Smile.” Together, the couple co-wrote Martina McBride’s 1999 hit “I Love You,” a five-week #1.

“When I was growing up, I wanted to write my way out of their shadow,” says Ryan, who tried to do that as frontman of the Nashville-based pop-rock band Hot Chelle Rae. The group signed to RCA Records, scored a #1 song (2011’s “Tonight, Tonight”), won an American Music Award, and toured the world — but when they broke up, Ryan faced a crossroads. He could become a full-time songwriter for others, or he could take those songwriting skills and his proven voice and lean into what he grew up knowing best: country music.

“When I was younger, I thought if you decided to be a songwriter, you were giving up on being an artist — and now, I realize that it’s not giving up, it’s really digging in,” says Ryan. “The best artists are great songwriters, too, ‘cause nobody’s gonna tell your story like you.”

Rory, meanwhile, has been playing piano since he was a toddler growing up in Raleigh, N.C. By 17, though, he reached his own dilemma: As plans for college were starting to take shape, the Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach invited him to be their youngest-ever full-time cast member.

“I knew from a really young age that music was what I wanted to do, and I was gonna make that happen regardless,” he says. “But at that moment, it was a very tough choice. Should I do college now and start my music career later — or should I skip college to start my career right at that moment? I decided to bet on myself. Thank God my parents agreed.”

Since 2017, Rory has played more than 300 shows each year. He spent four years performing with the Carolina Opry six nights a week and has continued at that pace since striking out on his own in 2021.

Now both living in Nashville, Ryan & Rory have finished their first EP, slated for release this spring. The process of writing, recording, and rehearsing has shown them that their individual strengths create something together that neither could have created individually.

“Rory is a world-class musician, a really good writer, and a grounded, solid guy,” says Ryan. “I couldn’t have found a more perfect partner if I spent years trying.”

Ryan co-wrote five of the EP’s six songs — three with his family — and Rory elevated their arrangements and performance. Track by track, their vocal harmonies shine as they narrate comfort cocktails that sound remarkably like both classic and modern country.