In Conversation with Ruth Gitau

Conducted by Bethany M

"My music focuses on the themes of youth and all the joys that come with it: friendship, love, sadness, and the odd existential musing. I blend honest, vulnerable, and occasionally cheeky lyrics with catchy acoustic melodies. I would describe my work as very relatable, but also deeply personal.

In May 2025, I released my first single, 'sad sad girl,' amassing over 1,500 streams and getting played on a community radio station. Since then, I have played a handful of festivals, including St. Helen's Festival, Flofest, The Leys Festival, and Hockley Hustle. I performed a Live & Local set at HMV Banbury and also performed a set as an emerging artist at Lewisham Music's Rooftop Sessions — a Tiny Desk–style live music night.

I share my music through my growing social media platforms. I post original music, covers, parody content, and music promotion on my TikTok account, where I have over 9,000 followers. My videos have caught the attention of artists such as Alessi Rose, Erin Lecount, Liana Flores, and Benson Boone, and one was even played on Capital FM. Being incredibly active in the small artist space has really helped me to grow organically online.

I released my second single, 'miss me now?' in August, and am releasing my third single, 'nice to meet you,' on January 5th, as part of an upcoming EP in 2026."

Who or what started inspiring you to further pursue music?

I think I grew up surrounded by music my whole life. I have a very Christian background, and I'm Christian myself, so I grew up in church singing in church choirs. I was really into gospel music when I was younger. I would sing with my sister. Then, as I got older, I just started loving it a lot more. I had my own a cappella choir when I was in secondary school as well. I loved writing songs, but I never really performed them when I was a teenager. I performed one of my songs at my school once, which was really fun, but then after some GCSEs, I decided that I would really love to pursue music as a career. I thought it's something that I'd like to do, and I think I'll do it quite well, so I am currently at a music college studying music. It's been really great. I've been able to make music with some of my college mates. As I wrote more songs as a teenager, I was like, "Oh, I'm kind of good at this." So why not keep pursuing it?

What artists inspire you?

My earliest influences are mostly gospel artists such as Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin. I discovered mainstream pop in my teenagehood, and artists like Taylor Swift, Paramore, and Olivia Rodrigo taught me not to underestimate the power of a girl and a guitar. Some of my personal favourite artists and biggest inspirations include PinkPantheress, a fellow Kenyan artist making personal bangers, and beabadoobee, whose music really changed my life. I also love the work of artists such as Essence Martins and Rachel Chinouriri, and I cannot go without mentioning the vocal powerhouse that is Beyoncé — her work ethic astounds me.

What is the song, or songs, that you have written that most represent you as a person, not just as a songwriter?

A song called "Sad Sad Girl." I think it really encapsulates my personality quite well. It's the first song I ever made and produced, but I listen to it now and I'm like, "This still resonates." It's very overdramatic and very tongue-in-cheek. I'm kind of saying really deep stuff, but it doesn't have as deep of a meaning to me as you could perceive it to have. I was really just trying to be funny, and I think that represents my personality. I'm quite cheeky, I like to be funny, and say kind of outlandish things.

If you had a set songwriting process, what does that usually look like?

I write all the time. A lot of the time, I get ideas or phrases in my head and I'll just put them into my Notes app. My Notes app is sick of me. Sometimes I'll actually sit down, get my guitar, and try to play things, and I'll come up with some words or phrases. I think all of my best songs, and the ones that I stick with, come out of very real-life situations where I have something I want to say and a message to convey. I get that down on paper. Otherwise, I write songs all the time, sometimes about nothing. I'll just write them because I think it's a cool concept. But I think the songs I tend to stick with are the ones that hold some weight to me. I write the words, and I always come up with melodies alongside them. I've never been able to just have words with no melody. Then I'll try to play something on guitar — some really basic chords, because I'm not a very good guitarist. Finally, I'll flesh it out and see what happens with it.

What has been the most surprising thing you've learned about yourself through songwriting and releasing music?

I think I didn't realize how much of a signature style and sound I have, and the sort of things that I gravitate toward. Especially at my school, I'm surrounded by a lot of other musicians. Seeing their songwriting processes compared to mine, and the different things they want to say, has made me realize I have a really specific writing style. It's been really good figuring out how I can change it as well. I also realized I have a very clear voice.

What's your favourite part about being an artist?

I was thinking about this the other day, actually. I've been trying to go to more concerts. I never really used to when I was younger, because it's a bit of an expensive endeavour. I think my favourite thing is that going to gigs and concerts feels like doing homework. I'm learning so much from watching my friends play and from watching the artists I love play. I'm so interested in the way people use their art to communicate their feelings, and I just love watching performances. I love listening to people talk about how they write their songs.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

I think I would have to say PinkPantheress. I'm really into the Gen Z pop girls, that's very much my vibe. I'm Kenyan, and PinkPantheress is half Kenyan, so I think we would get along really well. I love the way she writes her songs. Whenever I listen to her music, I think she has such a distinctive voice. A lot of the time, you can get distracted by the fantastic production and her amazing vocals, but when I really listen to the words she's saying, sometimes I'm like, "This doesn't make sense," or "This didn't happen." I just love the way she writes her songs, and it would be a dream to work with her. She also just seems like a really nice person.

If you have any advice for either your younger self or people who want to start releasing music, what would it be?

Don't doubt yourself. I think the most important person to believe in your vision is you. If you believe in yourself, you can make things happen. Don't let people try to tell you whether you can do something or not. Just do it, and learn in the process. Sometimes you're going to write a good song, and sometimes you're going to write a bad song, but always give it a try and make sure you believe in what you're doing, because that's the most important part.