A backstage conversation, advice scribbled on a brown napkin and a five-year-old’s cheeky remark. The story behind Ryan Evans’ new duet with Payton Taylor has the kind of details a country songwriter could hardly resist.
Released on Friday 13 November, ‘Somethin’ You Don’t Know’ brings the Wolverhampton singer-songwriter together with Nashville-based Payton for a song about the excitement of falling for someone. Written by Ryan and produced by his longstanding collaborator Ryan Pinson, it was recorded across the Atlantic, with each artist contributing from their home country.
For Ryan, the partnership has delivered more than the record he imagined. It has given him fresh confidence about where his music could take him next.
A meeting worth remembering
Ryan and Payton first connected backstage at Buckle & Boots Festival in Switzerland, where he seized the opportunity to ask for some guidance.
“I was a bit cheeky and asked her for some industry advice,” he recalls. “She wrote it on a brown napkin with a marker pen.”
He still has that napkin, a keepsake from a conversation that would eventually lead to something neither artist had planned. When Ryan later found himself needing a female voice for a new song, he took his search to social media.
“I knew instantly I needed a female singer on it, so I put a little advert on socials,” he explains. “It blew up and people were tagging from all over.”
Among the responses was Payton, offering a simple message: “Throwing my hat in the ring.”
“That was literally it!” says Ryan.
Her voice offered precisely what he wanted: a “great retro tone” that suited the direction he had in mind. What began as a request for advice had become a musical partnership.
Get to know Ryan Evans
Ryan Evans is a Wolverhampton country singer-songwriter who fronted Midlands band The Clocktower before pursuing a solo career. Named Best Singer/Songwriter at the 2019 Black Country Music Awards, he released his self-titled debut album in October 2025. The record spans upbeat songs including ‘Boots On’ and ‘Bar Closes At Midnight’ alongside reflective material such as ‘The Hardest Part’ and ‘I Promise’. His live experience includes sharing stages with Kezia Gill and Maggie Baugh.
A song title from an unexpected source
The phrase that became the song’s title arrived during an ordinary moment at home. Ryan’s five-year-old daughter turned to him with a teasing announcement: “Daddy, ner ner, I’ve got something you don’t know.”
Rather than letting the moment pass, he heard the beginnings of a song.
“Instead of telling her off for being rude, I said, ‘Kid, that’s a great name for a song!’”
That childhood taunt became the starting point for a different kind of secret: having feelings for somebody and wanting to tell them. Ryan describes the song as capturing “that excitement when you’re falling for someone and can’t wait to tell them”.
Two voices were essential to the idea from the beginning. Payton’s involvement fulfilled an intention already there in the writing.
“Oh, definitely it needed to be a duet from the get-go,” he says.
“Instead of telling her off for being rude, I said, ‘Kid, that’s a great name for a song!’”
Wolverhampton meets Nashville
The recording process connected RML Studios in Wolverhampton with Payton’s home studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Ryan recorded his vocal and all the instrumentation with producer Ryan Pinson, whose involvement brought the familiarity of a working relationship stretching back through his musical life.
Payton recorded her parts in Nashville before sending the individual recordings across for the Wolverhampton team to work with.
For Ryan, her contribution helped realise the character he wanted for the track.
“Her harmonies really brought the song to life,” he says. “And I feel some of her phrasing has given it a more authentic country vibe.”
The first rough mix provided the moment of confirmation. After imagining how the two voices might work together, he could finally hear the result.
“I’ve got to be honest, as soon as I heard the rough mix, I was jumping up and down like a little kid!” he says. “It genuinely sounds exactly how I wanted it to sound!”
“As soon as I heard the rough mix, I was jumping up and down like a little kid!”
Get to know Payton Taylor
Payton Taylor is a Nashville-based country singer-songwriter originally from South Jersey. Inspired by her grandfather’s records, she developed a soulful style rooted in traditional country, honing her craft in Nashville’s honky-tonks. She has opened for Charlie Daniels and made her Grand Ole Opry debut at the Ryman Auditorium.
A former American Idol participant, she initially accompanied her sister on guitar before being encouraged to sing herself, earning a golden ticket with ‘Angel from Montgomery’. She has also just completed a UK-CMA and Nashville Nights tour of England and Wales alongside Blue Foley and Stiko Per Larsson.
Two grafters, one shared ambition
Working across an ocean might sound complicated, but Ryan credits Payton with making the collaboration straightforward, including the work surrounding the release.
“Payton has been a diamond, so down to earth, and has helped me so much with promotion,” he says. “Nothing has been a chore for her. I’ve loved having someone else on board with this release.”
He found more similarities than differences in their approaches.
“I feel we are both grafters and just absolutely love country music,” he says. “Definitely on the same page and work very similarly.”
Having another artist invested in the song has reinforced his belief that sometimes two heads are better than one. It has also encouraged him to look towards Nashville with greater confidence.
“It means everything,” he says. “I’m genuinely so happy that Payton wanted to be a part of my song. It’s definitely given me more confidence to take my music across to Nashville, for sure!”
Asked whether they might perform together or make more music, Ryan replies only with an eyes emoji. Nothing is confirmed, but he is leaving room for a little intrigue.
For now, the duet connects a chance festival encounter with a song sparked at home. And somewhere along the way, a brown napkin became a souvenir worth keeping.
‘Somethin’ You Don’t Know’ by Ryan Evans and Payton Taylor is released on Friday 13 November 2026. Written by Ryan Evans and produced by Ryan Pinson at RML Studios, Wolverhampton.
