Nashville Predators star Ryan O’Reilly is well-known as one of the most beloved players in the National Hockey League — but it’s his surprising off-ice passion project that’s throwing even his most ardent fans for a loop.
O’Reilly, 35, and his longtime friend Kelly James — known as Mac N Cheeze — are preparing to release their first-ever children’s music album, titled Pizza Party, the result of decades of O’Reilly honing his skills.
“I think it was my 16th birthday and I got a guitar,” O’Reilly exclusively told Us Weekly. “I started to learn on that. Over the years, I kept getting better and better. Once I had kids, they didn’t want to hear what I wanted to play. They don’t want to hear Pearl Jam. They want to hear songs about chickens and be silly and laugh and dance.”
O’Reilly and his wife, Dayna Douros, share three sons and a daughter, ages 8, 5, 3 and 1.
“We started making up our own songs and had our own little test audience,” O’Reilly explained. “They would love it. The songs just kept getting better and better.”
O’Reilly and James, who met during major juniors as teammates on the Erie Otters, kept the music in-house until Douros came to the table with a suggestion.
“My wife was like, ‘You should record some of these children’s songs. It would be fun to have them in the car,’” O’Reilly recalled. “Kelly and I were like, ‘Yeah, why don’t we take it a little more serious writing these silly songs to try and make them as good as we possibly could.’”
Living in Music City, O’Reilly was able to reach out and recruit some heavy hitters to get the ball rolling.
“We got connected with a fellow Canadian, Chris Kimmer, who drums for Thomas Rhett and has his own studio,” O’Reilly said. “We molded these songs a bit better. We came in and said, ‘We want to make these and be able to share them with our friends and family.’ We didn’t really think it would steamroll into this. People just kept wanting to get involved.”
O’Reilly said they were “pushed” to get into the studio and record the music in an attempt to leave behind a music legacy for his children, however unexpected it might be.
“How funny is it for my kids when they’re, like, 12 years old to look back and be like, ‘Dad was playing hockey and here’s his album?’” he joked. “It’s just a hilarious concept. They must just think, ‘What is dad doing?’”
For James, who is a proud uncle, the project provided an opportunity to create music for his nieces and nephews — but it was also a unique opportunity to spend time with his friend.
“Ryan and Dayna, they’re just very special people,” he gushed. “They work really hard and it’s not easy. They put a lot of work and effort into this and their kids. There’s just certain guys that come about it honestly. Maybe it sounds funny to say, but there’s a bit of a special aura around guys like Ryan.”
He continued, “You forget that they’re just a dad. They’re able to be such good dads and such good players and then Ryan is able to do this. They’re good husbands. Honestly, it’s inspiring to be around guys like that. Maybe it’s the hockey thing where you want to play up to the guys you’re around. There is something special about being around their family while this is going on.”
Pizza Party will be released on April 10. The album title’s track and Mac N Cheeze’s song “Coconut” are currently available on streaming services and YouTube.
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