Getting Real with Ryan and Rory: From “Tonight, Tonight” to Opry Nights: The Rise of Ryan & Rory

Get Real with Caroline Hobby

Nashville Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ryan & Rory are one of country’s most exciting new duos. Ryan Follesé first broke out as the lead singer of Hot Chelle Rae with the global hit “Tonight, Tonight.” Though he found success in pop, the son of two legendary Nashville songwriters always felt pulled back to country. He found his perfect match in Rory, a powerhouse vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who cut his teeth at the Myrtle Beach Opry playing 300 shows a year.

Broken Bow signed them on the spot, and the duo released their self-titled EP last summer. They’ve since dropped more singles like Them Boots, Truck Stop, and Together Again with Jamey Johnson—who rarely collaborates, but declared, “If I were a gambler, I’d bet it all on these two.” With millions of streams, a Grand Ole Opry debut, and undeniable chemistry, Ryan & Rory are just getting started. Their new song “Girls are Pretty” drops Friday!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:16.3	Caroline, she's a queen of talking, Hey, what's on your mind?
0:22.9	She's getting really not afraid to feel.
0:24.9	Take a soul to soul.
0:26.1	Just let her flow.
0:27.5	No one can do it quite like Caroline.
0:32.2	It's time for Caroline.
0:34.7	I'm so excited to be here with Ryan and Warory. Here we are. Best intro. Best intro right there. I love it. I mean, it's a pretty big deal. Okay, I'm going to have you put that microphone right up to your mouth. Hello. There we are. Ryan and Rory. Stoked to be here. I mean, Ryan, I've been knowing you a long time. Through most of the walks of my life, yes.
0:56.7	I mean, because y'all are, you're only 25, Rory, I heard. And Ryan, you're, you have to be.
1:03.0	Just turned 23. Yeah. Yeah. I know. Young buck. But I've known you because your parents, Adrian and Keith Boll say some some of the best songwriters in town. When I was getting started in Nashville, your parents, I think I wrote like my second song with your parents. And how was that for you? It was amazing because your dad, like, sent a production of it. And I was singing. I was like, oh, my God, I could be a star. Because they made me feel like
1:27.8	I could be a star. That's amazing. Yeah, he's, they're, they're, they're legends. They really are.
1:32.0	Still to me, I mean, like, they're, they're, you know, they're my parents. I feel very spoiled having that kind of upbringing, but they're, they're amazing. Do you feel that way for growing up with them.
1:24.3	Was it like,
1:24.9	did you know you're destined for music?
1:26.8	I,
1:27.4	oh,
1:27.8	absolutely.
1:28.7	And they knew it too.
1:29.6	I mean,
1:29.8	they were putting money away for college for me. up in them. Was it like, did you know you're destined for music? I, oh, absolutely. And they knew it too.
1:45.7	I mean, they were, they were putting money away for college for me. And it was just like, I mean, they just knew that I wasn't. You didn't go to college. It went into cards. Where are you going to go to college and you're meant to be doing? College is at home. I mean, I got the best, you know, best publishing songwriting school going right there in the
1:42.4	four walls. That is true.
	...

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