When Twin caught up with London based lyricist Ruby White, she was shooting the final scenes of her first music video. In a South London location, where the walls are decorated with layers upon layers of graffiti, we found the her barefoot, spinning round and round for the camera. It was easy to see that the whole experience was new and exciting for her. We retreated to a nearby bar to sit down over a few drinks to get to know this up and coming vocalist, it was the person behind the voice that we wanted to get to know. On first glance she seemed vivacious, overtly creative and very friendly. Someone you certainly would want to go out partying with.
Ruby White is using the internet to her full advantage. Of course all the illegal downloading has caused an upheaval in the music industry but one way the internet is improving it is by making it accessible for people all over the world to come together and collaborate. Soundcloud and YouTube have made it possible for artists like Ruby to find each other and promote their work. Having trained her voice by singing the rap lyrics to 90’s Hip Hop songs, Ruby uses her jazz influences like Billy Holliday, Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan to her bring her music to life. The style of music she is engaged with is usually from L.A or Europe and she states that “at times the tracks won’t find commercial success but the producers have a deep passion for what they do,” and its obvious she does also.
When was the first time you realised music was your passion?
Honestly, I was about 6. My dad was in a reggae band called Jah Warriors, they supported Curtis Mayfield and played tribute to Bob Marley. When I found that out, that was it, my dad’s cool and that’s what I’m going to do. I grew up in Suffolk, so there wasn’t really much going on and I would drown myself in RnB and music. It was a way for me to find who I was. When I was young I would sing racy, provocative songs, like Adina Howard’s Freak Me and Aaliyah’s Four Page Letter which my parents weren’t too happy about and it became a rebellious thing which was much more interesting, the more forbidden it was in my household the more I loved it.
Would you say you learnt a lot through music?
I learnt a lot about myself. As I got older, I realised how influential music is. I used to be rebellious with my dad as he had an issue with the music I was obsessing over, but I can look back and understand – I wouldn’t want my 9 year old singing “freak in the morning, freak in the evening.” So I guess it didn’t always have the best influence on me. But in the late nineties there was a change; Spice Girls, Skunk Anansie, All Saints, more girl power and young women not singing about boys breaking their hearts wearing sexy underwear. I found there were these other types of women I could relate to, like Sade, strong women with strong presences. My mum always told me Sade is the epitome of woman.
What was it like the first time you performed?
I was with my grandparents in Tenerife and I donned a blonde wig. I think I performed Chantilly Lace by Big Bopper, Dorris Day Que Sera Sera or something. Then I performed at Jazz Café and Vibe Bar with a few other up and coming artists. The first time I was nervous, just hoping the words would come out, let alone sing, but I think if you’re not nervous, you’re kind of dead. That nervousness used to make me scared but now it’s a spark that lights me up. I would love one day to perform at Glastonbury, I’ve been and it’s a magical experience, Coachella would be the bollocks and in those dark and grimy jazz bars in New York, I’d be in utopia. And I have to say Ronnie Scott’s, it’s a British institution.
Who would you say has influenced the music you are making right now?
Both my dads. One who was in the reggae band, but also my step dad, he was a huge influence. He would listen to a lot of house, but also Massive Attack, Blaxploitation and Everything But The Girl. When I would hear Tracey Thorn’s voice, it was so dark and mysterious; she has a lot pain and emotion without needing to scream it. I didn’t have a gospel-like voice, a voice that was ever going to be typical RnB, so my dad gave me the confidence to be different and to express myself in another way. They were big house heads my parents, they would go to Adrenalin Village and Ibiza. I grew up around real house and those vocals, they would send shivers down my spine – you didn’t know who the singer was, it was just about the voice taking you to another place. I realised music had so much power and energy through house music.
How would you describe your sound?
I really try not too. I would say it has a mixture of darkness and light. There’s a certain lightness to the instruments that inspire my voice and my vocal range but there is also a dark gritty sweetness to it. I haven’t heard my voice on anyone else so to speak. I’ve been told my voice is jazzy, but my music isn’t jazz. I don’t have a word for my sound, I know everyone wants to hear a genre but I’ve learnt not to worry about that and I don’t want to be restricted.
What’s your writing process like?
I don’t necessarily sit down and write. If I hear something – it could even be just two seconds of an intro – and I’m instantly connected, I have to rewind and record something. It’s completely off the cuff. I never write and then record. I’ll hear something, record it and loop it through my phone, even if it’s just a few phrases, that’s then my idea. Sometimes I can build from it and then other times its complete crap. If someone sends me a beat, I’ll play it and if I feel it instantly, I go with it and find myself singing a whole three minute song off the top of my head, I then tend to make sense of it.
Tell us a bit about Coming Down. Who did you work with on the new track?
I like to search and find music constantly, it’s my favourite thing to do. I’ll spend six hours on YouTube & Soundcloud looking for new tracks. And with this one I found Evil Needle’s song, quickly recorded it at home and sent the rough version to a few people and it got back to the producer – he loved it! How amazing is that.
Where would you like your music to take you?
Without sounding like I don’t care, I just want to create. I’m not afraid who doesn’t like it, I just love music and as long as I’m pleasing myself I’m happy. It starts with me – if I can play my track fifty times on repeat and I still like it, I’m happy as shit. If someone doesn’t like the music I make, I can’t change that, but if someone does likes it, that does feels amazing. I want people who like music to like my music for what it is, people who don’t care what I look like or what I wear, but only the way my voice makes them feel. I don’t need mass success; I just need to be able to express myself. So, yeah the music I make is for me. Selfishly.
Who is making music at the moment that you appreciate?
I really appreciate producers at the moment. They don’t get enough credit if you ask me. You can get a lot of energy, a lot of heart from a voice, but without the music you haven’t got any soul. Sampha, Kwes, Sivey and Young Turks are making stunning music right now, and FK Twigs, as an artist she’s part of that energy and how it’s evolving. It’s a very exciting, but also challenging time to be making music right now, especially non-mainstream music.
Coming Down is quite a dark track. Do you find the dark moments in your life inspire you the most?
Definitely. Sometimes I think it helps me to be a bit down and surrounded by melancholy. Creatively, it can get a little frustrating being happy, I mean Pharrell, he really managed it with one word, but when I’ve gone through emotional battles, I’ve made great music. Even if no one ever hears it, it’s been my counselling session, really cathartic. But there are different emotions, like being in-love and love itself. I made a track called Magic one night and it dawned on me I was in love, I was so overwhelmed I freestyled the entire track in three minutes and to me the song sounds just like that feeling I had. You can create house music when you’re happy though, that’s the truth, it’s uplifting. But anything jazzy or hip hop, no. I tend to have to be slightly out of my emotional comfort zone to bring it.
What was it like shooting your first music video?
I really wanted to have a visual for my music, but when I shot the video I was nervous. Now, being a woman, this is the truth, there is a lot of pressure to be whatever the idea of perfect is. It’s crazy for females right now. I am happy to hide behind my music to a certain extent, but the reality of it is there are other dimensions to creativity and I wanted to do a video. I believe the universe brought Stavros [ST.AG] around to do the video, he really brought the song’s essence to life.
How are you getting your music out there at the moment?
Mostly Soundcloud and word of mouth, I have people emailing me from South Africa or Tel Aviv wanting to make music and collaborate. Soundcloud and Shazam – they’re my hero’s.
Are you planning an album?
I’m going to make an album, I’m just not in a rush. I want to build on tracks first, create a body of work that fits together. I want people to get to know me first, to start a journey with me really. As long as I wake up each day and I’m making music, I’ll be happy. An album will come along, and it will be amazing. I would want it to be themed, almost like a movie soundtrack or score. I’d like to make a cinematic and a live album, it would be exciting to write for a movie or series.
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