Ash Tu-kay & Rebecca Ryan or Tu-kay & Ryan are an acoustic duo blurring the lines between alt-folk, Americana and roots music.
They have become known for their lush harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. Their songs encourage a positive outlook on life, even when things may be tough. They are optimists at heart and believe there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how small or distant it may seem.
Tu-kay & Ryan are advocates for supporting charities, one in particular is The Grey Dog Trust, based in Northampton. The charity focusses on 'Putting Young People's Mental Health Centre Stage'.
During lockdown of 2020/2021 Tu-kay & Ryan invited 10 other musicians to contribute to a song in order to raise money for The Grey Dog trust. The song was later made into a video featuring all the performers.
The resulting song and video can be seen below.
Rebecca is a singer/songwriter originating from the seaside town
of Aberystwyth in sunny Wales. She started singing at the age of
10, playing the pivotal role of the Star of Bethlehem in her primary
school nativity.
She went on to sing in choirs, spent many of her teenage years
in musical theatre productions and had a brief foray as lead singer
in a jazz band at the age of 18.
After qualifying as a drama/English teacher, work took over and
music took a back seat. However, up on moving to Northampton in
her mind 20s, she soon became lead singer for a soul/funk band performing
around the country at weddings and functions, becoming known for
her powerful vocals and range.
She began writing her own songs in September 2017, recording
her first EP in April 2018. She has quickly become known for her
heartfelt lyrics based around personal experiences and matters of
the heart; she has been known on numerous occasions to move people
to tears with her voice and delivery of her original material.
Originally from the small village of Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire;
Ash is today recognised as a Music Producer, Songwriter & Sound
Engineer. He is also the founder of the independent project recording
studio Tu-kay Records and record label Audio Vendor.
Ash started singing and writing songs at the age of six and over
the years since, he has practised bass, guitar, piano, drums and
percussion amongst other instruments, adding them to his repertoire.
Ash progressed to production as a means to record his own songs,
in doing so he developed a passion for recording. He subsquently
studied Creative Music Production at The Academy of Contmeporary
Music, Guildford, which culminated in the recording of numerous
bands and artists in a wide range of scenarios. Ash has worked with
and alongside a number of industry professionals throughout his
15+ years as a songwriter, performer & music producer.
Ash has accumulated in excess of 10+ years gigging experience
in bars, pubs, clubs, festivals and parks across the UK and internationally.
Ash has also successfully organised, promoted and engineered a number
of music events and festivals.
Ash has explored and recorded many different styles/genres of
music ranging across Rock, Indie, Acoustic, Reggae, Blues, Jazz,
Dance, Hip-Hop, Big Band, Metal, Folk and heavy experimentation
with sampling, MIDI and computer music.
