We Talk New EP & Taking Back Creative Control With Neo-soul Singer Ruti
She’s paving her own way since winning The Voice UK in 2018
Leading her own creative path with music, Ruti has blossomed into her work since her stage debut back in 2018. Crafting chilled melodies that take inspiration from Jazz and Pop and coining them to create her own unique beats as backing tracks to her soulful voice.
About to release her latest E.P entirely independently, we caught up with Ruti to see how she’s been getting on...
Hi Ruti, how are you? How has your year been so far all things considered?
It’s been a strange year for me, as it has been for everyone - I started the year on the Young Voices tour, it’s a huge children's choir concert series, it’s actually the biggest in the world and I was performing in Manchester, Sheffield, The o2 and then like a month later lockdown hit.
I’ve had to adapt as we all have an work from home, I was travelling to London a lot and then had to stop, it’s actually been quite nice to relax and do things at my own pace, spend time with my family as I still live at home, I’ve been lucky it's been okay for me.
Can you talk to us a bit about your career journey up until now? Any highlights?
So during 6th form I was on The Voice 2018 and I won! So basically that’s how I started, I’m only 20 now. I had a contract with Polydor and I was published which was amazing. It opened so many doors for me and such a learning curve, it was such an amazing experience. I released an E.P with them and did my first music video, but I’ve moved on from them now.
It's completely new, fresh and independent. I've got a team that I’ve put together with some help, some people that wanted to follow me on my journey from before, my manager is really cool and gets me as an artist - it's like a brand new project.
In terms of highlights, I will be back to doing the Young Voices tour again next year. They invited me this year as a special guest as I used to sing with them years ago which was sweet. Next year is the 25th anniversary - we both consider ourselves part of each other's story.
You’ve achieved so much at such a young age, can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind your music?
I get influenced a lot by what I'm listening to at the time - my newest single takes a lot of inspo from the Jazz scene, with Pop influences too - I find it hard to stick to one genre. ‘Closer To You’ has been influenced by this artist I had been listening to for a while Mac Ayres and his guitar riffs - I was trying to figure out my own as I play a bit of guitar also.
I had the riff months before, and couldn’t think of anything to write about at the time! It's about how I was feeling at the time, about a crush I had at the time - I don’t really write songs about that usually - I think and hope they have no idea, I don’t have a crush on them anymore so that helps.
I also find that I’m inspired by the seasons when I write, which influences the next project I’m working on, my moods are always really affected by the seasons - in good ways and bad ways. ‘Closer To You’ would be the Spring song, I’m so excited for the next single - but I won’t give too much away!
Can you talk to us about the E.P.?
Well I can say I have a track for each season, like it’s my view of that season - they are mainly happy songs though! I don’t think I could write sad songs now, I have and I used to do it all the time, everyone my age was doing that you know, covering Adele songs - who is one of my biggest inspirations I will add.
The whole E.P is another side to me and I am super excited about it - the sound is a little different to ‘Racing Cars’ my first E.P, it was super pop vibes which I still love and that E.P reminds me of how I started - I sound super young in it and now in my new music I can hear the growth.
I can’t give you a date for release yet but it will be later in the year.
Have you got anything exciting in the pipeline?
I can hint at the next single that’s coming out, it’s going to drop very soon! It’s another really warm song, it makes me really happy and I hope people like it - all my friends enjoy singing along - if it makes people feel good that’s what I care about at the moment.
Okay Ruti, we have a couple of fun questions for you before you go, if you could do a collaboration with any artist, who would it be and why?
Oh gosh! I mean I think it would have to be Lizzo, she’s different, she’s amazing, every time I see her perform I want to be up there performing with her so that would be my in, we would do something super groovy and funky!
Okay, one more! If you could cover any song, ever, what one would it be?
Okay, so this one I have covered before, it was the one that I did on The Voice with Tom Jones, it was ‘What A Wonderful World’ - I've been meaning to do my own cover of it for ages!
Thanks again Ruti for taking the time to talk with us - we look forward to hearing your latest single and E.P!
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