First on SoundCloud: Studio Sessions Berlin featuring Ruuth

Last month we launched our new content series, First on SoundCloud: Studio Sessions Berlin with San Holo (go behind-the-scenes here), and this month we entered the booth with indie-pop singer-songwriter Ruuth to discuss everything from her first upload to her newest music.

Hailing from the German island of Wyk auf Föhr – population sub 8,000 – Ruuth started playing piano when she was six. She notes Regina Spektor as her first musical inspiration and the call to be a musician, was quite literally, Spektor’s song “The Call,” from the 2008 movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It wasn’t until 2017 that Ruuth decided to pursue music as a career, but with a uunique (with two u’s) voice and insatiable drive, in that short time she’s already built up a solid following and reputation as an artist to watch on the indie electronic scene.

Ruuth’s voice is like a buoy – a stoic yet flexible force that holds steady while bouncing above a surface of troppy synth and choppy percussion; her subtly-textured melodies cohabiting organically with the man-made electronic foundation, like wildflowers peeking through concrete. This uncontrived sound is no doubt due in part to the fact her process is au naturale. She says that when writing a song, she first puts down a few chords and later, layers on a melody. And as for the words: “First I do a lot of mumbling, but then the lyrics seem so obvious if you get the atmosphere going.”

When Ruuth came into the Berlin studio, she recorded her latest single, “So Heavy” – an electro-pop ballad that’s about a singular relationship but begs the universal question, “Why does it have to be so heavy? / Why do we drag each other down?” The earnest lyrics petitioning positivity are reminiscent of Ingrid Michaelson’s “Be Okay” days and the moody electronic intrigue is on par with MØ or Pascal Pinon. The end result? A hopeful anthem anchored in meaning.

Ruuth has spent this past year writing all over the world, with the likes of Emmit Fenn, Graham Candy and YOUTNOTUS. Her debut single “All About,” released in May, hit #1 on blog aggregator Hype Machine – and based on our working sesh preview, “So Heavy,” is sure to follow suit.

So watch the quick video below to learn more about an artist you need to know, because what’s next in music is first on SoundCloud.