"Krone" interview

Ruby Waters: “Every person hears a song differently”

Folk rock, indie pop, alternative songwriting: Canadian Ruby Waters is reluctant to be pigeonholed.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Goodlive Artists, Ruby Waters)

The sound of Canadian Ruby Waters is often described as "Charli XCX in slow motion". The 26-year-old singer/songwriter released her debut album "What's The Point" a few weeks ago and presented it at Vienna's B72. She gave the "Krone" an insight into her exciting life in advance.

Ruby Waters is already a minor star in her native Canada. Her EP "If It Comes Down To It" was nominated for the prestigious "Juno Award" in 2022 and even during the pandemic she managed to impress with several singles. A few weeks ago, she released her debut album "What's The Point", on which she not only deals openly with the topic of sexuality, but also looks at life from different angles based on personal experiences. After a support gig in the fall of 2023, she played her first Austrian headlining show at B72 in Vienna a few days ago. Beforehand, the 26-year-old took the time to tell us about her exciting life as a musician.

"Krone": Ruby, you recently played a concert in Vienna. How did it feel?
Ruby Waters: The show at the B72 was the last headlining show of the tour, which was great and will end with a few festivals. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back. Now I'm going on tour to North America, but before that I'm taking a break. (laughs)

In the fall of 2023, you made your Vienna live debut at Flex when you accompanied Alexisonfire frontman Dallas Green with his solo project City And Color.
Dallas was just great. There were a lot of people there and some of them were already wearing my shirt, which surprised me in a very positive way.

How much different was your first headlining tour here in Europe? What were the biggest challenges?
It was quite a trip. I've been on a headlining tour in Europe before, but not in Austria. It's not a big challenge though, because back home in Toronto I played on the road for years. It was smaller than the stages here, but those gigs remind me of when it all started. In Europe, people like to dance to my songs, which is cool. (laughs)

You started out as a street musician at the age of 13 and played in Canadian bars. Did that help you lose your stage fright early on?
I still get stage fright before every show, but it's okay. The time steeled me on the instrument. I practiced every day and was able to improve enormously as a result. You also get used to performing in front of other people, which is very helpful for the bigger stages.

Were you able to take anything from these early experiences that is useful to you today?
I don't really know, I'm sure some things have stuck with me. I would advise everyone to say yes to every gig and every show that comes your way. Play in front of one person with just as much passion as in front of 100 or 1000 people, because they all deserve it just as much. You have to enjoy every gig because it's wonderful.

Are you someone who likes to jump in at the deep end?
I'm actually someone who physically likes to jump in at the deep end because it refreshes me and clears my mind. (laughs) I'm someone who likes to try out everything that comes my way. That's what makes life exciting.

Your debut album "What's The Point" came out at the end of May. It took a while because you first really caught the eye back in 2020, but the pandemic slowed your career down a bit ...
Yes and no. But maybe everything would have been worse if it hadn't been for the pandemic in terms of my career. A lot of people have lost their lives or loved ones and had to go through severe crises. Whether I can sing in a bar now or not is a rather unnecessary "problem" in my eyes. Even if it is of course important to perform and performing has a healing effect - at that time it was just a trifle.

Is that one of the things that "What's The Point" reflects? That you should put your worries and problems into perspective?
Yes, absolutely. The album title is ambiguous. You can ask "What's The Point" in a positive way and honestly mean it that way. On the other hand, of course, I refer to the fact that too much talking and rambling doesn't make sense. You can see the album from both perspectives, depending on your feelings and mood. Of course, we could analyze it in terms of depth psychology, but that's not the goal. It's just an album title and life is crazy. (laughs) When you look at the state of the world, so many problems seem insignificant. The title also alludes to that. Just relax, chill out.

How long did you work on this album?
To be honest, it took a few years. Some of the songs are very old, but I've adapted them again and again. I actually worked on the album for about two years. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. (laughs) But that only applies to the music, otherwise I don't care about much else. But a first album has to be right. It has to fit and sound good. Now it's here and I think to myself: "What now?" (laughs) But at some point you have to let it go. Even if you've reworked songs a hundred times, at some point you have to release them. I like the idea that each person is an artist in their own right and hears each song differently. That helps me finish them.

Many artists find it difficult to share personal songs and accept the interpretations from outside. Sometimes they are completely different to what the artist originally intended.
There is something to that. A lot of people like my sad songs and I get sad myself when people share their personal stories with me, which are often heartbreaking. As an artist, you don't think that your songs can have such a profound effect on others. At least not at the beginning. But that's part of life and that's why you make music or art.

Do you agree that as an artist you have to be in a difficult emotional situation yourself to write the best songs or is that just an often used cliché?
Difficult, that's a good question. I think it's more of a cliché. When I write songs, I actually always feel quite good, that's a basic requirement for writing. But I like the person who invented that phrase. Somehow there does seem to be something to it.

When writing songs, do you often realize that some lyrics or songs are too personal and intimate? That you have to rework or tone them down before releasing them?
I've definitely had moments where I've gone a bit too flat or intimate in personally difficult moments and then fortunately went over it again before the song came out. First and foremost, though, I try to go out with the lyrics as unfiltered as possible. If they come from me, they have a certain right per se to be shared with others.

The single "Adult Swim", for example, is a very offensively sexually charged song. You like to play with topics that are still often taboo. Is that deliberate, to go against it?
Many artists sing about sex and if you enjoy sex, then you can celebrate it. Sex plays an important role in many people's lives, so you can talk about it openly. I've never understood why such topics are approached so cautiously because they are part of everyday life. You can write a hot song, why not? The songs on the album are all quite personal. I've always written stories, but they're never just fictional. I can't do that either.

Since you - like everyone else - are constantly developing, growing and getting older, do you sometimes find it difficult to recognize yourself in older songs?
Oh yes, that's definitely an issue that I've thought about. I don't like singing a lot of songs anymore, but people ask for them. It's a fine line for me because of course I respect the people who like my older songs. I generally grow out of my songs pretty quickly, it's been that way since the earliest days. You work on songs for two years and then they're already old. I haven't found a way out of that mess yet. Of course, from a fan's perspective, I can understand that people want to hear certain songs by their favorite artists, so I try to fulfill that wish, even if it's not always that easy for me. The important thing is that people want to listen to my music. Everything else is a luxury problem.

For many artists, the biggest worry would probably be that the song they like the least will end up being their biggest hit.
(laughs) I can understand that, but I'm still a long way from that, so I can't comment on that. I would try to change or adapt the song. Like a kind of remix, so that you can like the song again.

Another strong single on the album is the song "Growing Pains", where you play with a lot of vocal layers and show off your vocal talents. Does the song have a heavy background?
It's a small, sad song that I wrote very quickly. I was thinking about something negative in my life and somehow the song wrote itself. When it was finished, I felt a lot better and it was like I was in a different, more robust body. I experimented with a theremin for the first time on the song, it's such a crazy instrument. You don't even touch it, it's pretty sick. I really had a lot of fun with that.

Do you want to keep using new instruments in the future and keep challenging yourself in this respect?
I really wanted to use a theremin, a harp and a mandolin. I've fulfilled these wishes and now I've reached the point where I'm starting to hoard instruments. (laughs) Let's wait and see. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to practicing. I buy everything together and then they gather dust in the corner.

Your parents are actively involved in country music, so you grew up with music from a very early age. Did that encourage you to pursue your career? Normally, parents are often against their children devoting themselves entirely to art ...
They were great at taking away my fear of the stage. Canada is a pretty Catholic country and my parents often played in church on Sundays. As a teenager, of course, I was dead set against country and everything that goes with it, because you're naturally striving against your parents and want to do everything in a way that annoys them. (laughs) It took me a while to learn to appreciate their songs and style. I often went to concerts with them and chilled backstage while they were playing. You inevitably learn to get a feel for playing live and touring, which certainly helped.

So you've made your peace with country by now?
Absolutely. But it took quite a long time. Without classic country there wouldn't be much else, I realized that. Country is more popular in North America than perhaps ever before, but I don't like all of its sub-styles. I can't stand the pop country that populates the charts. It's not my world at all, but the old classics, which are very close to folk and soul, touch me. But I don't have to lie to myself either - after a few beers, I'm also roaring along to the hits. Party fashion on. (laughs)

In folk music, the lyrics are very poetic and incredibly important. Is that also the case for you, or does the music itself have top priority?
It's much easier to tell a story in folk music. There the lyrics are the focus and you can get intimate. For me, lyrics and music have the same importance. You can write the best lyrics in the world, but if you can't convey them well musically and get them into people's ears, it's a waste of time. I enjoy lyrics, even if they are sometimes sad and come from a very deep place in my heart.

Do you feel it when a song is finished and doesn't need any more changes? Do you feel it instinctively?
I mainly feel when something is still missing. Maybe I can't always pinpoint exactly what it is, but you just realize that only a few nuances are missing to finish a track for the album. From there, you have to dig to find the last few percent. With "What's The Point", however, everything came together pretty quickly, which surprised even me.

Do you already have plans for the second album or more songs? Is there anything in the pipeline?
I have. Maybe it will be an acoustic album, but maybe not. I'm still working out a few details, but it could definitely go in that direction.