If anyone can silence a room, it’s South Africa-born, Melbourne-based musician Ruby Gill.
Ruby’s arresting lyricism and deadpan wit have already garnered them millions of streams, awards and radio play from triple j and every major metro station in Australia, to BBC6Music and KCRW over the pond. Known to bring even the most stoic to tears with profound reflections on society and self-awareness, Ruby’s “melancholic lyrical wizardry” has earned the reputation of unmissable, with accolades such as as Sunday Times’ Breaking Act (UK), Emerging Artist of the Year at Port Fairy Folk Festival, nominations for The Australian Music Prize (Mercury equivalent) and Best Folk Work at the Music Victoria Awards, and high praise from NME, CLASH, The Independent and more. Consistent reviews echo triple j’s Zan Rowe: “excuse me while I scrape myself off the floor.”
Ruby’s long-awaited debut LP ‘I’m gonna die with this frown on my face’ was released in 2022, packed with what critics are calling an “interrogation of social norms and [the] pressures of living out one’s young adulthood on a burning planet amid a postcolonial, neoliberal shitheap.” Now, they’re onto new music, with Some Kind Of Control coming 7 November - a new arresting single about grappling with control.
“Calm and resolute, but the force and power behind it is undeniable.” - KCRW
The feted multi-instrumentalist flew straight to the top of Australia’s music scene when she first landed in 2016, garnering millions of streams, playlisting and radio play on every major station in Australia and beyond. With captivating lyricism, effortless musicality and unforgettable honesty - reminiscent of early Joni Mitchell or Fiona Apple - Ruby’s recordings and performances have earned her the reputation of unmissable. The music speaks for itself, with their lyrics and quintessential humour almost always appearing in quotation marks.
In 2018, the songwriter’s debut single 'Your Mum' garnered millions of streams, rave global reviews and a full add from triple j in its first week. Her 2021 single 'you should do this for a living' (featuring backing vocals from Angie McMahon and Maple Glider) earned Ruby the Feature Artist spot on triple j unearthed, playlisting from Spotify, Apple and Amazon and airplay from KCRW, triple j, Double J and every metro station across Australia.
Ruby has since appeared on stages around the world, from Oppikoppi to Woodford, with accolades such as “Emerging Artist of the Year” at Port Fairy Folk Festival, and a finalist in NLMA’s Live Act of the Year (VIC) to their name, as well as high-profile support tours with the likes of Angie McMahon, Lime Cordiale, Missy Higgins and The Teskey Brothers.
