Ruth B. photographed during making of her video for the single ?Dirty Nikes?, 2020. Image by Gabriel LN.
Is Canadian singer-songwriter Ruth B. the new Tracy Chapman" She has a soulful voice, thoughtful and concerned lyrics, and a growing wave of followers around the world. She also has some of the most creative videos around. Oh, and she speaks fluent Amharic. LUX speaks to her about the music business, social media, BLM and whether playing the piano matters
Ruth B. is a musician very much of her generation. Born Ruth Berhe in 1995 in Edmonton, Alberta ? her parents had emigrated from Ethiopia to Canada ? she started posting short videos on the now defunct Vine platform in 2013. One of these fragments of a song gained thousands of likes and eventually became her bestselling single ?Lost Boy?, which in turn has received over 500 million plays on Spotify alone. That song features on her album Safe Haven, released in 2017 on the Columbia label. Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine
This kind of rapid rise in the music industry is one that has been made especially possible by social media. But it has also been made possible by Ruth B.?s own skills as a singer and keyboard player ? her warm, soulful voice and subtle piano style have won her fans across the generational divides ? and by her dedication to her art and her ambition to have artistic control over her songs and videos.
Like most musicians, Ruth B.?s career has been put on hold during lockdown brought about by t...