Ryan Perdz’s first major tour puts him alongside Daughtry, the artist he grew up listening to, while giving his debut album, Can’t Cry, a setting that suits its origins. The Buffalo-bred singer-songwriter built the record’s songs on acoustic guitar; this fall, he’s playing stripped-down versions for Daughtry’s audience and his own growing fan base on the 20 Years Unplugged Tour 2026.
“I wrote all these songs starting on an acoustic guitar, so they all translate acoustically pretty well,” Perdz tells SPIN. “It really lets your vocals shine, and the band is there to support the vibe of the song.”
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Acoustic performances foreground the writing
The softer arrangements recast the grunge-leaning “Sour,” “Heavy Eyes” and “Bluebird,” bringing their melodies and emotional core forward. For Perdz, playing them this way also reconnects him with the moments when the songs first took shape.
“Stripped-down acoustic versions always seem more raw and show the true emotions of the songs,” he says. “While you perform, all the emotions can come back to you that you were feeling when you first wrote them.”
Released in August, Can’t Cry turns personal struggles into guitar-driven rock. Perdz, 25, signed with Big Machine Rock in 2025 after building an audience with his soaring vocals, original music and social media covers of songs by Soundgarden and Nirvana.
Heartbreak, insecurity and mental health run through his songwriting. He says putting those experiences into lyrics has been easier than discussing them in conversation, and several songs on the album draw on things he rarely shares elsewhere.
“Throughout the record, I think I did leave my comfort zone many times,” he says. “Sharing the most personal lyrics ever about myself and experiences through my life that I don’t ever talk about. It’s a lot easier singing them in songs than talking to anyone about them.”
“Temporary” carries a personal message
The album’s single “Temporary” is about enduring difficult periods without giving up hope. Its message comes from Perdz’s own experience with fear of death and mental health struggles.
“‘Temporary’ is about not losing hope,” he says. “I’ve spent most of my life worrying about death and battling mental health. Every bad thing eventually passes, so this song is just a reminder to all the people listening to never lose hope in yourself. It all starts with you.”
The track is now reaching rock radio listeners, marking a milestone Perdz had imagined since he began pursuing music. “I feel like growing up, that was every musician’s goal — to hear your own song on the radio,” he says. “It’s definitely an earworm.”
Perdz wants listeners to hear the lived experience behind the songs. “When people listen to my music, I want them to know my lyrics are all true to my life. They aren’t just stories,” he says. “My life is my story, and I hope my lyrics can resonate and help people that maybe struggle like I do.”
A fan’s path to the same stage
Perdz grew up on his grandparents’ dairy farm in Upstate New York and started playing guitar at 10. Daughtry’s 2006 debut, released after the singer’s run on American Idol, helped make him a fixture in mainstream rock. For Perdz, sharing a tour with a longtime musical hero gives the current run a personal dimension beyond the career milestone.
“This chapter of my career is what I’ve been dreaming about since I first picked up a guitar when I was 10 years old,” he says. “I’ve worked every day of my life since then up to this moment. Being on my first major tour with someone like Daughtry is just totally surreal for me. Growing up, I’d listen to him all the time. I’ve been a huge fan since his first album.”
He also describes the tour as a chance to claim a place in a business where he once felt like an outsider. “Growing up on a farm in Buffalo, NY, really starting with nothing, I’ve always felt really out of place. I just want to prove that I belong here — up with my idols [that] I looked up to growing up. That helped me as an outcast in a small town.”
The first leg of the tour runs through November 14 and ends in Dallas. A second leg is scheduled to start January 23, 2027, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. With Can’t Cry finding new listeners and “Temporary” gaining radio play, Perdz is bringing the songs that charted his own path to audiences who may be hearing them for the first time.
Asked what his younger self would think of the moment, he keeps the answer brief: “I think my younger self would say, ‘I knew it.’”
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
