After a short-lived career as one-half of the pop duo The Girl and The Dreamcatcher, Minnesotan actor and singer-songwriter Ryan McCartan caught a second wind as a solo artist. • Before music, McCartan was a Disney Channel star. In 2013, he joined the cast of Liv and Maddie as Diggie Smalls, the boyfriend of Maddie (played by Dove Cameron). • In 2015, McCartan and Cameron, who started dating while filming the series, formed The Girl and The Dreamcatcher. However, the pair broke up as a musical duo—and as a couple—the following year, shortly after the release of their first EP, Negatives. • After the breakup, McCartan pivoted to a solo career. He issued his first single, “When You Went Away”, in 2017 and followed it up with his debut solo EP, The Opposite, in 2018. • That same year, McCartan made his Broadway debut in the musical Wicked. • In 2021, McCartan released “Politician”, a single addressing his relationship with Cameron, his past abuse, and the state of the nation under Donald Trump.