INTERVIEW: Ryan Follese on When To 'Put A Label On It'

After several successful years fronting pop/rock band Hot Chelle Rae, best known for their multi-platinum single "Tonight, Tonight," lead singer Ryan Follese spent some time writing country music, and released his debut self-titled solo EP in the genre on September 2nd this year via Big Machine Label Group Records. Recorded in his hometown of Nashville and produced by Dann Huff and Cameron Montgomery, the EP features six songs, all of which Ryan co-wrote, and includes his new single "Put A Label On It." 

Follese, 29 years old, recently told us all about the meaning behind his latest single during an exclusive interview when he stopped by iHeartRadio HQ. 

[Buy the Ryan Follese EP on iTunes]

Ryan tells us "Put A Label On It" was inspired by the concept of "defining the relationship" (sometimes simply known as "DTR" for short). And if you're unfamiliar with this idea, it's all about having a conversation to label and define what your relationship actually is -- AKA "The Talk." 

On the meaning behind the lyrics for "Put A Label On It"

"It's about a really interesting kind of concept that I was not really aware of, and I feel like a lot of men are probably not aware of this. There's an expression that's called 'DTR' and I guess it's called 'Defining the Relationship.' And it seems to be a very important conversation that is not being had between a lot of people. When my girlfriend brought this up to me and told me about it, I was kind of like, 'How have I never heard this? Like why don't guys know about this?' And, it kind of just totally blindsided me, and I thought it would make for a great concept. This whole EP for me, and this whole record, has been about writing from real personal experiences, things that have happened, things that we all go through as people. And, I thought that was an awesome thing to talk about, relationship wise."

Ryan Follese Reveals the Signs Of When To "Put A Label On It"

So how do you put a label on it? When do you put a label on it? What are the steps to defining your relationship? Well, since Ryan wrote a song about it, we asked him. He tells us, "I feel like when the two of you are in that phase where your girlfriend is like, 'Hey, what are you?' Or your guy friends are like, 'What are you guys?' I guess guys call it a 'situationship' ... for a girl it's defining the relationship, for a guy it's like a 'situationship,' that's when the two of them don't know what it is. And when your friends start to ask you about it, and your girlfriend is around more, I think that's when you've got to recognize what it is, or else call it off. Because it's beneficial for both of you if you just are up front."

Check out the steps to "Put A Label On It," according to Ryan below:

Step 1: When you've had more than one Tinder date.

"In 2016, it is very labeled, whether it's Facebook, or Twitter, or whatever, I feel like if you go on more than one Tinder date, it becomes a little bit more serious." 

Step 2: When you start meeting each other's friends and family.

"I think when you start meeting each other's friends, that's definitely another step. Parents, that's another time. These are all small steps to putting a label on it."

Step 3: When it's social media official.

"It depends on how public you want your life to be. For me, I'm more private in that way, but I mean [when] you start posting pictures together, you are definitely getting in the 'label on it' zone, for sure."

Watch Ryan Follese's "Put A Label On It" music video below!