Ryan Beatty has made his long–awaited return to music with his new album, Sweet Fortune, released June 26, marking his first solo project since 2023’s Calico. In the three years between albums, Beatty accomplished plenty outside of his own discography: earning an Album of the Year Grammy for his work with Beyoncé on Cowboy Carter, in addition to working with Miley Cyrus and Jack Antonoff.
On Sweet Fortune, Beatty continues to work with longtime collaborator Ethan Gruska, further solidifying the warmth and lush production that characterizes his music. Rather than let the production overcome his vocals, they pair well together, allowing Beatty’s voice to float throughout each track and be the focal point of the album.
The album’s lead single, “Secret Language,” introduces one of the album’s key themes: nurturing love across distance. The music video follows Beatty across the country, through sand, dirt, and rain, running from Los Angeles to Boston, professing his love for his partner. In an interview with Vogue’s Liam Hess, Beatty touches on this. He described the video as being “about seeing the distance your heart can take you,” a sentiment that’s mirrored in the song when he asks, “Did you hear what my words couldn’t tell?”. This line signifies the intimacy at the heart of the track. Even when separated by thousands of miles, Beatty makes a point to say that love isn’t only confined to spoken language; instead, it’s communicated through actions, devotion, and even the spit swear mentioned in the first verse.
At the center of Sweet Fortune is emotional surrender. Instead of looking for certainty, Beatty finds himself grappling with life’s most difficult questions—whether that be love, faith, or identity. Throughout the record, he allows himself to be vulnerable, sharing even the most uncomfortable thoughts with his listeners. This feeling is shown throughout the album’s title track.
On “Sweet Fortune,” Beatty joins forces with Clairo, who provides background vocals across the album. Here, he reflects on the affection he feels for his partner. In the chorus, he sings, “Wish on a star, little light in the dark / Let it all reveal what I always feel, sweet fortune.” Beatty views his relationship not as a pure coincidence, but instead as what you get when you let love take over. With this, he turns his sweet fortune into a frame of mind, rather than just a lucky break.
Across the entire album, listeners can hear Beatty opening his heart in a way that he hasn’t before. This openness carries through songs such as “Too Many Ways” and “Delancey.” On these tracks, Beatty provides some of the album’s most intimate storytelling. He reflects on love by prioritizing small anecdotes from his life over big confessions to let the audience in. On “Too Many Ways,” he sings about airplane rides and Boston cold fronts (“I look out of the airplane window without a worry in my mind / knowing he’s somewhere down below me blowing kisses to the sky”), making something that could be seen as an inconsequential travel memory into a sign of longing. His lyricism finds meaning in even the smallest of instances, something that sets him apart from his contemporaries.
Spiritual imagery is another theme that weaves itself through the record. Beatty lets it function as a means to explore trust and forgiveness. On “White Lightning,” he sings, “It’s my religious shame that keeps me en garde / Sometimes I don’t know what I want until I can’t have my way.” In this sense, faith acts as something connected to one’s self–doubt and a force for personal discovery. The lyric underscores the tension between wanting to keep control and learning to surrender it, something that pops up across the album. With the framing of spirituality as an everlasting internal debate, Beatty gives the album an emotional depth that goes beyond the romantic through–line of the album.
What makes Sweet Fortune so compelling is its acceptance of simplicity. Beatty never inundates listeners with unnecessary crescendos or emotional climaxes. Instead, his songwriting is the focal point. With his newest record, Beatty continues to establish himself as one of music’s most thoughtful songwriters. Rather than reinvent the wheel, he refines his sound and lets the introspection speak for itself.
