Ruby Gill

If anyone can silence a room, it’s Joburg-born, Naarm-based musician Ruby Gill, whose arresting lyricism and deadpan wit have already garnered 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 her profound reflections, Ruby’s “melancholic lyrical wizardry” and unforgettable honesty and humour have earned her the reputation of unmissable, with accolades such as Sunday Times’ Breaking Act (UK) and Emerging Artist of the Year at Port Fairy Folk Festival to her name, 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’ debuted at #5 on the AIR Independent Album charts and was nominated for an Australian Music Prize and Best Folk Work at Music Victoria in 2022. She is now in the process of finishing her sophomore album, with support from Creative Australia, Music Australia and Creative Victoria. 

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 McMchahon and Maple Glider) earned 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, silencing rooms on sold-out headline tours and sharing high-profile lineups with the likes of Lime Cordiale, Missy Higgins, Stella Donnelly, Angie McMahon and The Teskey Brothers.

"She writes with compelling candour, self-knowledge, humour and insight....Her laconic delivery and minimal soundscapes call to mind the work of fellow minimalists and honesty brokers such as Laura Marling and Julia Jacklin"  - The Sunday Times (UK) 'Breaking Act'

"Built around sparse electric guitar chords and lingering piano keys with flourishes of considerate, impactful accompaniment, these quietly devastating songs accomplish a lot with a little."  - NME