Footballer Ryan Babel announces autobiographical album

Esteemed football player Ryan Babel just unveiled his plan to drop his autobiography in the form of a full-length studio album later this year. Instead of taking the typical route and writing an autobiography, Ryan sees music as a more holistic way to tell his life story so far, so he decided to combine this special occasion with making his come back in the music scene after more than a decade.

Already well-known for his career as a footballer which has seen him play for Ajax, Liverpool, Hoffenheim, Besiktas, Galatasaray, and in two World Cups for the Dutch national team, some fans may recall Ryan Babel’s music career 12 years ago including his debut on Dutch hip hop heavyweights Lange Frans & Baas B’s 1-2tje, followed by an appearance on Ali B & Darryl’s summer hit ‘Eyeyoo’, and collaborations with Rotjoch and Hef’s Hefvermogen.

“The idea to start working on an album came after being asked to write an autobiography during the first lockdown last year. My training schedule was put on pause and I suddenly had a lot of free time. Music felt like the most natural form to tell my story, which is why I’m sharing different periods of my life and career on the 8 tracks that make up my debut album. It will be an eye opener for those who know me for my football career only…”

On April 2nd the first single ‘Young Champ’ will be released, which shows off his sharp rap flow and serves as the first chapter in his musical autobiography. The single is released via, Ledo, a new music distribution and ‘collab house’ platform for music makers and content creators to connect and reach new audiences through creative collaborations. Content creators can use the track via Ledo’s Free Music Library to make their content stand out.

Well-known for his soccer career, playing for Ajax, Liverpool, Hoffenheim, Besiktas, Galatasaray and in two World Cups for the Dutch national team, Ryan Babel is now making waves in the music industry. His love for music began during his childhood, soaking up the sounds of Surinamese bands like La Rouge and La Caz while growing up in Amsterdam’s Bijlmer neighbourhood. Dabbling in a few bands with his friends as he got older, he sang and played keyboards — but it was discovering rap music around the age of 16 that was to be his calling. His exploration into the music of Dutch rappers like Ali B, Lange Frans and Baas B coincided with signing his first contract with Ajax, and his new-found fame brought him into contact with some of these stars. But despite this growing success and passion for his music, some people weren’t happy with his decision to pursue football and music at the same time. This negativity made him retreat from making music himself for a long time. Instead, he decided to continue his interest in the industry by setting up a music management company to help develop other artists. He now sees music as a more holistic way to tell his story, rather than a way to hog the spotlight. That means that he’ll keep on helping to develop other artists, but he’ll also release music of his own.