Ryan Gallagher, an American singer and former contestant on The Voice, has traveled to the Philippines multiple times and never tires of it. He considers Manila his second home and thoroughly enjoys spending time here.

"I feel like a Balikbayan box. I don't bring enough pasalubong, but I've been to the Philippines probably 30 to 50 times. I can't count, but it's been around since about 2013. I came over here. I was doing a performance in Los Angeles, and there was a Filipino and one of my friends, and he said, 'Would you like to sing at my birthday party in the Philippines?' and I booked like 15 gigs. So I was back and forth all year, and since then, I've come back at least once a year and have many friends here. And 99 percent of my friends are in the Philippines," said Ryan in a recent interview for CNN Philippines.

As he looks forward to celebrating the holidays in Manila, the 35-year-old hunk is in town to promote his holiday single, "The Feeling of Christmas." Ryan mentioned why he composed a Christmas song.

"I think it's nostalgia. It brings me back to when I was a little kid, where I felt stuck in that moment forever. And then you realize how quickly it passes. Like, I lost a ton of people in my life this year: my grandparents and then my uncle and then close family friends, and so it was," said Ryan, during a mini-press conference in Quezon City recently.

Ryan added: "Christmas is the time when people get kinder. They get warmer. And it's almost like a melancholy feel to it. But it's almost like a welcoming melancholy feeling, right? And so Christmas is how I grew up. I grew up in the snow in Michigan. So it's different from the Philippines, but the same spirit exists. I told one of the TV shows that the Philippines decorates every place I've ever been, and it's pretty cool to see, you know?"

"The Feeling of Christmas" is part of a 16-song Christmas album recorded last year "with 100 pieces of instruments live in part of Nashville, part of Texas, and then part of LA." However, It will have its full launch sometime next year.  

"So we recorded in the same studio as Frank Sinatra and 'Thriller.' And so there's a lot of magic on it, and we'll release it this coming year. So that's it. These things take years. I didn't realize how long these things took. I'm like, Oh, I can't just release. Okay, let's go. But so it'll be good this coming year. So we decided to release a song I wrote this year about 'The Feeling of Christmas,' " Ryan said. "My manager and I decided we'll have a soft launch this year. But it's already out there for people to listen to. Hopefully, next year, we'll sync with Hallmark movies or Lifetime."

Ryan remembered the process of composing "The Feeling of Christmas."

"I sat at the piano in Orange County and just started hitting the chords. And then, I realized I needed some help with the melody. So I went to my buddy Harlan Hodges, and he's a beautiful composer in Los Angeles. And we just started writing out ideas like that nostalgic thing, and it took about a day to get the actual thing down but then two more years to get the sound I wanted to sound like."

Celebrating Christmas in Michigan, Ryan said, involves having more holiday trees around, but he gave a deeper meaning to the holiday song.

"I wanted to capture the feeling of Christmas for me. I know it's different for everybody. But for me, it was all like, you know, the snow and the gifts and the presence of family and loved ones. But then I thought, Oh, it's Jesus's birthday. And what did he do? The story of Christmas is about Him coming into the world to save us, right? And so there's a part of my song that I talk about: worldwide, every boy and girl deserves to be loved. So if you see somebody down, help somebody out; that's what Christmas is all about. And so I wanted to write something that was dear to my heart, but also as fun as upbeat, coming out of Covid-19. Everything's a little down, so these Christmas songs are mid-tempo," he said.

A classically trained, world-renowned baritone-tenor, Ryan studied under the direction of George Gibson in Washington, D.C. He has shared the stage with artists such as Carrie Underwood, Josh Groban, Lea Salonga, Michael Bolton, and many other well-known names. 

You may also recognize him from season 19 of “The Voice” (Team Kelly Clarkson) USA on NBC or perhaps from ABS-CBN’s “I LOVE OPM.” Ryan has toured globally across Europe, Asia, and the United States, entertaining Presidents, dignitaries, and Fortune 500 companies and performing with philharmonic orchestras in major cities worldwide. In every performance, Ryan's voice, showmanship, and professionalism have never failed to be less than excellent and are the highlight of every event he is hired for.

"So I'm 35 now, and basically, my 20s were spent performing all over the world as I performed for Donald Trump's clients, Democrats, Republicans. It doesn't matter, right? We're singers, we have to perform, you have to be professional. Always. You always have to take the gig, and I've performed worldwide. I spent traveling and getting (gigs) which I wouldn't trade for anything. It was a lot of experience. 

"And coming off my 30s now, five years now, we had the pandemic for the first couple of years. And I've transitioned from being a performing artist because that's all I've ever done. It's just going to perform the same thing as a recording artist," he said.

Ryan has learned several Filipino songs during his stay and hopes to collaborate with local artists for future projects.

"I would like to perform again with Tito Martin (Nievera) and Louie Ocampo. I just went to his show. The last time I was here, it was beautiful. And so there are a lot of people that I would love to collaborate with - Sarah G. Got to meet her in LA once. 

"You'll hit somebody that would be a privilege to work with. it's just getting the time to do it. There are a ton of projects next year. I'm working on the show in LA, but we're going to bring it to the Philippines and we're going to include a lot of Filipino talents in that show that make it robust and make it successful," he said.

Ryan mentioned OPM icon Ice Seguerra, who he believes has a special singing voice.

"I love the voices here in the Philippines like Ice (Seguerra). That's my favorite voice. And I've always said that. It's not just his voice, it's the way he breathes that gives me a certain feeling. I worked with them the last time, and people were crying (*when he sang)," he recalled.

Asked about the possibility of venturing into acting besides music, Ryan said: "Hosting is okay. But I think it (acting) scares me. It's got to be vulnerable. Like always, people look at you in certain ways. I don't know, I like to hide. I'm shy. I may be too scared actually to step into the action."

With opportunities knocking on his door, Ryan has nothing but kind words for the Philippines, even if there's traffic. Manila will always have a soft spot in his heart.

"I'm very thankful for that because, you know, I've always said the Filipinos, like, especially in America and here, they've put food on my table for many years, and they've been very, very helpful, and encouraging to me in this crazy business. So when I'm here, it snowballs, and it's like gig after gig," he added. For booking inquiries please email: [email protected]