Ruth B

Ruth B
Birth name Ruth Berhe
Born (1995-07-02) July 2, 1995
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Genres Pop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
Years active 2013–present
Labels Columbia
Website ruthbofficial.com

Ruth Berhe (born July 2, 1995),[1] better known as Ruth B, is a Canadian singer and songwriter of Ethiopian descent, from Edmonton, Alberta. She started by singing songs on Vine in early 2013. In January 2015, she released her debut EP, The Intro.

Early life and education

Berhe was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta.[2] She spent some of her teenage years working at a local Reitman clothing store and described herself in an interview with The Canadian Press as an "introvert" with a social side.[3] She said she was "never the big party chick, but I was never the one always by myself at home." While working part-time she started to dabble in posting videos on Vine. She says she chose the six-second video service because it took less effort to upload short clips, compared to other popular services like YouTube.[3]

Berhe graduated from Ross Sheppard High School in 2013. She attended MacEwan University, but took time off her studies to focus on music.[1] She continued her education in Winnipeg, Manitoba before starting her singing career.

Career

Berhe posted her first Vine video on May 9, 2013, and started making singing Vines about a year later.[1][2] Her singing Vines, typically six second covers of popular songs, helped grow her a following.[2] In November 2014, she posted a Vine of her singing a line that she had made up, which was inspired by the television series Once Upon a Time.[1] It garnered around 84,000 likes within a week, which was unusual for her at the time. She took note of its popularity, with some of her followers commenting that she should make it into a full song.[4] It became "Lost Boy", which she posted on YouTube on January 18, 2015 and was released on iTunes on February 12, 2015.[5][6]

When the Vine clip first started gaining popularity, Burhe says she noticed that her life at school changed somewhat. "I’d be walking at school and they’d be like, “Oh, she’s the Vine chick.” It was cool to finally have something that I felt was mine," she told The Canadian Press in an interview.[3]

Dozens of Vine and YouTube users posted covers, which helped further its popularity and increased Berhe's following on social media. Record labels took notice and she then signed with Columbia Records in July 2015.[2] Her debut EP, The Intro, was released on November 27, 2015. It has four songs including "Lost Boy".[7]

Berhe entered the studio in early 2016 to begin recording her debut full-length album with Joel Little, a New Zealand producer who helped Lorde create her first album. She says she was writing songs long before the album went into production, so she had many songs to pick from when her label told her it was time to start putting something together.[3]

The singer says learning her songwriting through Vine helped her focus her thoughts and "make sure every line … is filled with the best message and melody it possibly can have."[3][8]

Discography

EPs

Title Extended play details Peak chart positions
CAN
[9]		 US
[10]
The Intro 20 52

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
CAN
[11]		 DEN
[12]		 NLD
[13]		 SWE
[14]		 UK
[15]		 US
[16]
"Lost Boy" 2015 14 14 41 19 97 24 The Intro EP
"In My Dreams" 2016 — — — — — — Non-Album single

Promotional singles

Year Title Album
2015 "Superficial Love" The Intro

Awards and nominations

Ruth B was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2016 for the 'Next Big Thing'.

Artistry

Berhe has listed Lauryn Hill, The Beatles, Carole King, Grouplove, Adele, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran as some of her musical influences. She said that "the one thing all my favorite artists have in common is they are all storytellers. Something that I try to incorporate in my music", in an interview with Idolator.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Edmonton singer Ruth B launches career in an instant". CBC News. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sperounes, Sandra (November 25, 2015). "Who is Edmonton's Ruth B? The latest online star to get a record deal". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Friend, David (November 15, 2016). "Edmonton singer Ruth B on life after Vine: 'I write full songs now, not just 6 seconds'". Global News. Global News/The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  4. ↑ Khan, Sarah (November 30, 2015). "Ruth B Talks Vine, The Intro & Getting Inspired By 'Once Upon A Time'". ANDPOP. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Lost Boy". YouTube. Ruth B. January 18, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Ruth B on Twitter". Twitter. Ruth B. February 12, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ Melanson, Jenna (November 27, 2015). "Interview – Ruth B". Canadian Beats. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ The Canadian Press (2016-11-16), Why Ruth B will always have a soft spot for Vine, retrieved 2016-11-22
  9. ↑ "Ruth B – Chart history (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ruth B – Chart history (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Ruth B – Chart history (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  12. ↑ Hit Listen Top 40
  13. ↑ Dutch Charts
  14. ↑ Sverigetopplistan
  15. ↑ "RUTH B | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Ruth B – Chart history (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Gold/Platinum - Music Canada". Music Canada. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Gold & Platinum – RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. April 7, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Ruth B "Lost Boy"" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. February 2, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Ruth B – Swedish Certifications" (To access, enter the search parameter "Ruth B" and select "Search by Keyword") (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. April 27, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  21. ↑ Wass, Mike (November 25, 2015). "Popping Up: Ruth B". Idolator. Retrieved December 11, 2015.

External links

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