Both women followed in their parents’ footsteps and carved a name for themselves as accomplished singers. The latest musicians to do so are twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, who have followed their father, cantor and opera singer Paul’s lead, and ventured into the operatic field.

“There are five kids in our family and all of us are singers. My two older sisters are country singers while my elder brother is an opera singer. Since our family covers a wide range of music, I think we should come up with a song featuring all our voices,” joked Ryan in a phone interview from London recently. ;;

With captivating voices and good looks to match, it is no wonder critics have branded the twins “the classical version of Westlife”.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, the 27-year-old twins who call themselves RyanDan were in London for a series of radio tours and promotions of their debut CD called RyanDan. ;;

RyanDan’s repertoire is mainly pop with a touch of opera. Top-notch singers such as American tenor-Hollywood movie star Mario Lanza and celebrated Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti are their primary inspirations.

While their peers would prefer to stick to the pop, rock or R&B genres, the twins are focussed on their own thing. “We are doing what we like best. Our music sounds different as it combines pop with opera,” said Ryan.

He explained their passion for opera had been cultivated since childhood as they grew up listening to the songs of Lanza and Pavarotti. As teenagers, they admired the pop harmonies of the Bee Gees, melodies of Stevie Wonder and smooth R&B vocals of Boyz II Men.

“We grew up admiring our father’s vocal prowess as an opera singer. This fuelled our desire to be singers. We have performed on stage, in plays and musicals since we were four years old. In high school, we shared the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” said Ryan.

When they were 18, they walked into the office of Sony Music in Toronto, with their buddy, Ohad Einbinder. With talent and some luck, they secured an audition with the vice-president and walked out with a record deal. In 1999, the trio formed pop band b4-4 and released its self-titled debut album under Sony Music Canada. The band rose to stardom after releasing three singles – Get Down, Go Go and Everyday and received a nomination for Best Group at the 2001 Juno Awards in Canada.

However, the twins were dissatisfied with pop fare and hype.

“Dan and I felt something was missing. We have always focused on injecting emotion into our songs and we wanted listeners to focus on our vocal interpretation instead of image. After much thought, we decided to change our direction and sing pop-operatic music,” said Ryan, adding that they had no formal vocal training.

The RyanDan album was produced by Steve Anderson (Kylie Minogue’s long-term musical collaborator), mixed by Ren Swan (Il Divo / KT Tunstall) and recorded in a private London recording studio owned by Grammy-winning songwriter Terry Britten (Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got to Do With It). For Ryan, the recording experience was simply overwhelming.

“Terry (Britten) has great vintage equipment including a sound desk once used by Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, and a microphone used by Frank Sinatra. The album was recorded in the presence of a 62-piece orchestra together with gospel and children’s choirs.”

The 12-track album comprises four cover versions of their favourite songs – Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler), The Prayer (Céline Dion and Andrea Bocelli), I’ll Be There (Jackson Five) and Bring Him Home (Les Misérables). The Prayer is dedicated to their mother, who has Parkinson’s disease.

The twins wrote two songs on the album – Tears of an Angel and Always. Tears of an Angel was composed in honour of their niece, Tal, who is suffering from a brain tumour, while Always is for their family.

Their soothing voices slide effortlessly from baritone to soprano, with emotion evident in appealing numbers Like the Sun, The Face and In Us I Believe.

Ryan explained that he and his twin share a close bond and are similar in their ways. “We try to stay positive, open and introspective in our outlook. It is important that our music reflects the depth and strength of our emotions. We pour our hearts and souls into our singing, and we want people to feel that passion.”

RyanDan’s eponymous debut CD, distributed by Universal Music, is now available in music stores.

The Star-ecentral