“Old soul” 23-year-old singer Chris Ruggiero chatted about his latest endeavors in the entertainment business.
From July 22 to 24, he will be playing South Point Hotel and Casino Spa in Las Vegas. “Most of the songs have been in commercials, TV shows, and movies over the years and a lot of them are still played on the radio, so even if they were born too late to have heard these songs when they first came out, chances are they’re going to know all the music,” he said.
“If they were around in the sixties, that’s even better – they’re going to know every word to every song. I’ll be on stage with Bobby Miranda who is the original lead singer of the Happenings – they had ‘See You in September’ and a lot of others – and Dennis Tufano, the original lead singer of the Buckinghams – they had a No. 1 hit with ‘Kind of a Drag.’ Bobby and Dennis had 16 hits and people just light up when they hear that same voice that came out of their radio when they were kids,” he elaborated.
On his inspirations as a singer and performer, Ruggiero said, ” I love music but what really inspires me is people. I don’t call them fans – they’re family to me – and I hope that by the end of my show, they feel like they’re family. I love seeing people smile.”
“That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning and motivates me to get on a plane to fly across the country. I love knowing that just maybe I brightened someone’s day or I was the reason they smiled for a little while” he said.
Regarding his biggest musical influences growing up, he said, ” I was originally inspired by singers like Paul Anka, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Valli – all of the pop and rock and roll singers of the late 50s and early 60s.”
“Later, I got turned on to more sixties music and I’ve since fallen in love with a lot of the music that Brian Wilson wrote, Lennon & McCartney wrote, Burt Bacharach wrote, etc. That’s what comprises my album ‘I Am Chris Ruggiero’ – all of those great songwriters of the 60s,” he elaborated.
Ruggiero opened up about being an artist in the digital age. “Well, there is nothing like someone holding an album or CD in their hands,” he said.
He continued, “When they come up to me after the show, holding my CDs and I autograph them, I know they’re going home with a real souvenir of the evening, they’re going to read the liner notes and learn more about how the album came about, the producer, the musicians, all of the people I have to thank for their help and all of that really means something. It makes it 3-D. It makes it real.”
“I love that they can hear any song any time they want but I’m a little old school – there’s nothing like holding it in your hands. I’m still going to create CDs with packaging – photos, graphics, all of the things that bring the music to life – as long as there are CD players left on this planet,” he added.
For young and aspiring singers, he said, “I think it’s important at some point to make a decision to take it seriously, if you’re serious about having a career. You can’t do this an hour or two a week and then wonder why nothing’s happening for you. I treat this like a full-time job and I think that’s why things seem to be working out for me.”
He continued, “I say ‘I’m very lucky’ sometimes but I learned from my parents that ‘luck’ is spelled “W-O-R-K.” When I signed with my manager and producer, he said ‘I’ll match your energy.’ I don’t think he knew I was going to put in 40-50 hours a week, or even more sometimes. I have a vocal coach, Bucky Heard – he is one of the Righteous Brothers – he says to me, ‘As long as there are two people working, I’ll be one of them.’ And that brings me to my next piece of advice.”
“Find someone who believes in you and then lock at the hip with them. It doesn’t always happen right away, but if you put in the work and put positive energy out there, people will notice,” he added.
He listed Paul Anka and Bill Medley as his dream duet choices in music. “I would say Paul Anka, who I haven’t met yet, or Bill Medley. Even though I know Bill, and he actually came to one of my shows, I’ve never mentioned it to him. I think at some point I might ask him,” he said.
“Also, I’m working on a Christmas album now and I just love those old 60s Phil Spector Christmas recordings, especially Darlene Love’s voice. I’d love to have her sprinkle a little bit of her Christmas magic onto my Christmas album. That would be amazing,” he exclaimed.
On his definition of success, he said, “Well, if you asked me a few years ago, I guess I would have given the typical 20-year-old guy answer: fame, fortune, fancy cars, big house and all of that. Having spent so much time with guys who have been entertaining all of their lives, now I think I’d say balance.”
“Being able to spend my time as I want. Spending time with my family and friends, who are so important to me – and spending time making music. Happiness, peace, feeling like I’ve put some more love into the world through my music and my messages – and maybe even making the world a better place in some way. I think that sounds like a successful life to me,” he concluded.
To learn more about Chris Ruggiero, check out his official website.
