Broadway's Ian Ward Returns With a Stirring New Take on "Ocean Eyes"

Ian Ward’s “Ocean Eyes” has the kind of precision most artist spend many years trying to fake. As Ward steps out from every character he has ever played on stage, he finally lets his own pulse lead the story.

What stands out in this version of the song is not a show of vocals but a more intentional and lived in sound. Ward has a voice big enough to fill a stadium, but in this song he chooses closeness over volume. He allows the feeling to unfold naturally, and that decision gives it a real gravity.

Listen here:

There is tension running through the track. The concept is like standing in front of someone who once meant everything to you and realizing they still do ... but just not in the same way. Ward does not rush with this but lets the complexity stay in the air.

The production is what plays into this clarity. There is a simplicity in the musical arrangement and the harmonies drift in and out as if they are half conscious that way that memories surface when you are finally brave enough to sit with them. Everything supports the story.

And here's the thing. This doesn't sound like a Broadway performance and it doesn't sound like a rock frontman just trying to show off. It very much sounds like the real Ian Ward - the storyteller who has lived enough to understand that the quiet truth. This is a version of him that is unguarded, genuine and raw in the best way.

Ward says:

“This version of Ocean Eyes came from one of those quiet moments after everything falls apart,” says Ward. “It’s not a breakup anthem … it’s more like an afterglow. When you’ve cried it out, grown a little, and suddenly see that person’s face again in your mind. I’ve always loved this song for how it captures that ache and tenderness. My cover is about what lingers … beauty, pain, memory, and grace.”

He treats heartbreak like the grown-up thing it is, in a slow burn kind of way, showing that "Ocean Eyes" is not just another cover in a crowded stream of covers. It is Ian Ward stepping into himself fully as an artist in his own right, choosing vulnerability over volume and proving that sometimes the boldest move an artist can make is to tell the simplest truth.

This is a bittersweet and beautifully handled version.

About Ian Ward

Ian Ward is a Brooklyn based singer, songwriter, actor and creative force whose career has already spanned more than two decades.

He made his professional theater debut at just eight years old and has since performed on Broadway, toured internationally, appeared in film and television and even earned a Golden Ticket on American Idol.

As a recording artist, Ian Ward brings together the worlds he knows best - both the depth and talent of a stage performer and the instinctive storytelling of a pop rock songwriter. His debut EP One Shot introduced audiences to his mix of soaring vocals, honest lyricism and songs rooted in reinvention.

Offstage, Ian is the founder of Mutual Street Entertainment and the creator of Hitmaker Collective, a coaching program supporting emerging songwriters. He has collaborated with music icons including Idina Menzel, Pat Benatar, Kristen Bell, Sir Tim Rice and Ryan Murphy.

Ian Ward continues to develop his music forwards with writing, producing, teaching and reshaping his creative identity with every new project.