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10 Questions with ... Ruth B
April 18, 2016
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Photo Credit: Jiro Schnieder Facebook: www.facebook.com/RuthBMusic Vine: vine.co/itsruthb Twitter: twitter.com/itsruthb Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsruthb/?hl=en Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/analiadama/lost-boy-ruth-b-official-lyric-video YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCXc-hFBjZWFtwrIK91vHB8A
The 20-year-old Ruth B began posting videos to Vine in 2013 where her singing Vines (typically six second covers of popular songs) helped grow her a following.
The Canadian singer-songwriter's first single is entitled "Lost Boy." and can be found on her debut EP, "The Intro" and is rapidly moving into the Top 20 at Hot AC and also doing well at Pop. She originally released the song on her own but Columbia Records very quickly scooped her up and will be releasing her forthcoming album.
1). So, 2016 has started out pretty busy for you? Are you surprised at all by the success of your song "Lost Boy" which is quickly becoming a Top 20 hit?
Yeah, when I initially posted that Vine I had no ideas it would get as big as it did so I was definitely caught off guard.
2). Please tell us about the evolution of "Lost Boy"?
When I initially posted "Lost Boy" on Vine there was no song. It was just some words I threw together to a catchy melody. Once I saw the reaction to the vine I thought, 'Maybe I should turn this into a full song?
So I sat down one day and wrote the song." I wanted there to be more to the track than the cast of the children's classic. I made sure that it wasn't just about Peter Pan, fairies and pixie dust. I figured that some people were going to listen to it, so I wanted to make sure it had a message, something that people could take away from it. Everyone gets lonely and everyone needs a friend. You're bound to feel lost at some point in your life. It's a universal feeling.
3). Where did the idea for "Lost Boy" first come from? I read that it was inspired by the TV show, "Once Upon A Time" which I actually just started watching again. Is that true?
Well, I don't want to give you any spoilers, but season two is all about Peter Pan. So after watching the Peter Pan version, I went to my keyboard and I was really inspired ... I randomly say "I am a lost boy from Neverland, I've been hanging out with Peter Pan" and that was the burst of "Lost Boy."
4). Last night, I watched the video on Instagram of you hearing it on the radio for the first time. What were you feeling? What was that like?
I was on the road in Sacramento and it was incredible. I would never have imagined that a song I wrote in my basement would end up on the radio, so I was really happy and it was a great accomplishment.
5). Can you talk about when you first started posting video to Vine in 2013? How did that start?
For the most part in the beginning, I was just posting videos of me and my friends goofing off. But since I started singing, I started doing covers of popular songs but I always made sure to put my own original twist on it. So I started doing covers and then broke into my own original stuff.
Initially, I downloaded the app just for fun. But eventually i started singing on it. Little by little people started sharing and discovering me, and they started dedicating my posts to music and I saw a little opportunity in that.
6. Can you tell us what covers you did that you were especially proud of?
I remember I did a version of "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry, but it was so different from the original that you couldn't even tell that it was the same song. But I really liked how it turned out.
7. How are you working with social media to keep up with your fans?
Social media is really great to help me connect with my audience. It's great in that sense as it can help me keep up with them to see what they're thinking.
8). When do you hope to release your album how different or similar to your EP and "Lost Boy" will the album be in terms of subject matter? When can we expect to hear it?
It will be similar in the fact that all my songs are really honest and real, and vulnerable. It will be different in the fact that it will cover a range of topics, . It will be my story, my friend's stories, and every-day life inspirations. Every song is unique, but similar in the fact that it's really honest and it comes from my heart.
All my life all I really had was my piano, but I'm looking forward to branching out to adding more instruments. I'm hoping the album will be coming out later this year, maybe September if I'm lucky, but definitely soon. I'm always writing.
9). Has there been anything about the music industry so far that has surprised you?
The thing that has really surprised me is that there are so many people behind the scenes who do so much work, so it's been really cool to watch that.
10). At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I just want people to take way the fact that it's important to feel. In this day and age, sometimes our feelings are pushed to the side, and we sometimes just live every day without living in the moment. We live through our phones or something like that. It's really important to immerse yourself in the everyday lifestyle. Even though heartbreak and sadness can hurt, it's good to hurt and it's good to feel and that will eventually make you a stronger person with more substance. I just want people to feel. That's what fuels my songwriting it my experiences.
Bonus Questions
How have your shows been going?
The shows have been going really cool. It's been awesome to perform in front of people and not just into my phone screen. It's always awesome to get in front of people.
Do you have favorite covers that you play at your shows?
No, for the most part I do all originals. I've got about 17 songs that I've written, so it's been really fun.
Had you ever thought about trying out for a singing competition like The Voice or X-Factor?
No, because I'm from Canada so a lot of the comments were that I should go on a Canadian TV show. We don't have The Voice, and we don't have Canadian Idol anymore, so there wasn't much opportunity to do that here. But even if I was in America, I don't know if that is the path that I would have wanted to take?
How has your recent success affected your relationship with your friends and family? What do they think about all this?
My friends are all very excited about this, and they're really excited to see me pursue my dreams. It's really great to have that backbone, and to know that no matter what, I can always come back to them.
Who are some of your favorite artists? Who has continued to inspire you through the years? Who would you love to work with in the future?
I really like Ed Sheeran, The Beatles, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder and I like a lot of songwriters. I would go crazy working with Stevie Wonder That would be enough to make me happy for about 45 years.
* Special thanks to Leah Adams who conducted this interview.
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