By Nada Henein
YEG indie-soul artist Ru released her newest single Hello Stranger on October 9.
Hello Stranger was written during a challenging time for Ru. The meaning behind the song is that as you grow older, you lose friends.
“I’ve always been someone who turns to music to align my thoughts,” said Ru.
Ru’s passion for singing started at a young age of four. Her neighbour noticed her talent when babysitting her and told her mom about how amazing her singing is.
Ru’s style of music is very diverse, dedicating her style of music to those she spends time with. She is inspired by indie, neo-soul, folk-pop and R&B music. She went from pop and R&B music to indie-soul music.
Ru focuses more on the purpose of the music, which for her is connection. She enjoys it because she’s able to connect with people on a daily basis and not limit herself.
“I like to not limit myself when it comes to goals. […] I like to focus more on the purpose aspect of things,” said Ru.
Rather than telling herself ‘five years from now I want to win a grammy,’ she focuses more on the present and what she can do everyday. Her main goal is to make personal connections everyday.
When asked about her story, she says she’s someone who learns from her mistakes and grows from them. She doesn’t beat herself down when making mistakes, rather she takes the time to grow from them.
Growing up, she always focused on school and sports and didn’t allow herself the chance to focus on music. Now that she’s in university, she feels like she has the opportunity to venture out with her music. For the past two years, she has been allowing herself to explore the music scene in Edmonton.
Ru’s newest song can be found on Instagram @rumanyonga as well as Spotify and Apple Music.
