The songs on Ryan Perdz’s debut album, Can’t Cry, began on an acoustic guitar. So it only makes sense that the Buffalo-bred singer-songwriter would be comfortable performing them in an unplugged setting. He’s been doing just that this fall on his first major tour supporting Daughtry — one of his earliest musical heroes.

As part of Daughtry’s 20 Years Unplugged Tour 2026, Perdz is bringing stripped-down versions of his songs to longtime Daughtry devotees as well as his own growing audience.

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“I wrote all these songs starting on an acoustic guitar, so they all translate acoustically pretty well,” Perdz tells SPIN, acknowledging the benefits of performing unplugged. “It really lets your vocals shine, and the band is there to support the vibe of the song.”

The arrangements offer a different take on the album’s grunge-influenced songs like “Sour,” “Heavy Eyes” and “Bluebird,” getting to the heart of the songs that propel Can’t Cry.

“Stripped-down acoustic versions always seem more raw and show the true emotions of the songs,” Perdz explains. “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 finds the 25-year-old artist turning personal struggles into epic, guitar-driven rock songs. In 2025, Perdz signed with Big Machine Rock after building a following through his soaring vocals, original music and impressive social media responses to his covers of songs by the likes of Soundgarden and Nirvana.

His songwriting often tackles heartbreak, insecurity and mental health — subjects he says can be easier to address in music than in conversation.

“Temporary,” in particular, is about holding on through difficult times. Its message takes on added weight given the experiences that inspired it.

“‘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 message behind “Temporary” is now resonating with rock radio listeners. With the single catching on, Perdz is reaching another milestone in a career he’s spent years working toward.

“‘Temporary’ being on the radio now means a lot,” he says. “I feel like growing up, that was every musician’s goal — to hear your own song on the radio. It’s definitely an earworm.”

A number of songs on Can’t Cry also draw on difficult thoughts and experiences that Perdz rarely discusses outside his songwriting.

“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.”

He hopes listeners who discover him on the Daughtry tour will connect with that personal side of his writing. 

“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.”

The tour is a personal milestone, too. Raised on his grandparents’ dairy farm in Upstate New York, Perdz started playing guitar at 10 and spent years working toward a career in music. He grew up listening to Daughtry, whose 2006 debut helped establish the singer as a fixture of mainstream rock following his run on American Idol. Now, Perdz is sharing a bill with the artist he once listened to as a fan.

“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.”

The experience also carries significance beyond the music.

“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.”

For now, Perdz has the chance to make that case one performance at a time. The first leg of the Daughtry tour runs through November 14, ending in Dallas. A second leg is scheduled to begin January 23, 2027 in Pine Bluff, AR. 

As Can’t Cry reaches new listeners and the fist-pumping, arena-worthy anthem “Temporary” finds its legs at rock radio, Perdz is beginning a chapter he’s spent much of his life working toward. Asked what his younger self — the kid who first picked up a guitar at 10 — would make of it all, he has a simple answer.

“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.