I was introduced ‘virtually’ to a wonderful singer songwriter from Australia called RUBY FIELDS, she is releasing her debut album 'Been Doin’ It For A Bit’ on September 24th and we were keen to have a chat and find out a bit more about her ahead of the release date. Here’s how we got on….

You’re called Ruby Fields, you’re a singer songwriter from Australia, you have your debut album ‘Been Doin It For a Bit’ landing on 24th September, tell me something fascinating about you that you’ve NEVER told anyone before….

Any of my mates will tell you I’m a chronic overshare-er, get it from my mum, and love telling stories. So I hate to say, I’m an open book.

Looking at your merch site, you have a ton of pre-order options available for the new album, including coloured vinyl, hoodies, socks, shirts, playing cards but no cassette tapes……I thought these were making a comeback on the scene?

Good shout on that! I actually thought we might be doing a cheeky cassette so I’ll have to send one your way. Personally though, I don’t even have a player.

I read that you feel you gave the local music scene a much needed ‘kick’ with your raging debut EP, ‘Your Dad’s Opinion for Dinner’ – Tell me about the local music scene and do you feel it has got any better since the release of your debut EP?

I think anyone’s album bio has the tendency to blow smoke up their arse so it’s weird to comment on it all, but the local scene was actually pretty rife with mates of mine in bands and that’s what encouraged me to try as hard as I could to push myself to where I am. Definitely miss the days of local music and cheap beers on Wednesdays and Sundays at El Sol (Mexican tequila bar in Cronulla I ended up working at for 3 years). I think it goes without saying COVID’s ruined a lot of local (and large-scale) scenes.

I watched the pilot episode of Fred’s Shed and it just made me laugh, the way that you look to the camera reminds me of the early TV series ‘The Office’ with Ricky Gervais – Tell me a bit more about Fred, how the idea of the show came about and how you see it progressing?

I actually love the Office and Parks & Recreation, so the head-turn-to-camera shots are probably a huge rip off. Freddy’s one of my mate’s dads who fixed an acoustic guitar for me back in like 2013 or 2014. He loves swearing, surfing and fixing just about anything, and boy does he have stories. Could talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles.. sorta like me.

Do you see it becoming a full time venture where you diagnose guitar issues and faults and repair them? Maybe you could invite other musicians along, fix their guitars and then have them play a session for you in Fred’s Shed?

Yeah well Fred & I already do repairs and set ups, I guess we saw Fred’s shed as an excuse to build something a bit more fun for a change and get our mates involved and maybe have the chance to ask them questions they wouldn’t want to answer except to a friend in a more casual environment.

You said of the new album that “The finished product is a declaration of individual and artistic independence that reflects the complexities of growing up, making mistakes and ultimately making peace with one’s fallibility”. Do you think that the finished product would have turned out differently had you not had the time to reflect inwards on how you wanted to become a better person?

I mean, I think the album would’ve come out the same regardless. I also think everyone is constantly venturing to become a better person.. for me I just didn’t allow myself the time to begin for awhile. Coming straight out of high school and overcoming trauma (that’s still an ongoing effort) straight onto festival stages and into the world of it all was pretty hectic, and distracting. I think the pandemic gave me time to slow down and remember what’s important.

The lyrics to the songs on the album are a lot more personal than previous songs that you’ve released, ‘Song About a Boy’ in particular, do you feel that you have opened yourself up whereas previously, you would have been a little more ‘guarded’ about personal issues/matters?

Coming into the industry at 18 I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about yet. Back then, I’d just left high school, was keen to play shows and mostly act like a menace, so I feel my earlier songs reflect that, and the area I grew up in. Growing up, confronting things and connecting with people has definitely changed my songwriting and I think I’m not a child anymore who’s scared of what people think therefore writing to a certain criteria. The album is the start of me moving towards total honesty in my writing and I’m pretty excited to see where that goes.

Do you feel that this has helped you in any way in gaining acceptance for who you are as a person and a musician?

100% I’d rather be a good person than a good musician.

Do you think that your future work will follow a similar path or are you seeking a different approach to your music and sound?

Well, I’ve been writing heaps on piano and getting way more into strings so I’d say it could go anywhere. I’ve never wanted to lock myself in completely to any sort of genre. Just story telling.

Your track ‘Dinosaurs’ lifted from your second EP, ‘Permanent Hermit’ reached #9 in Triple J’s Hottest 100 and achieve ARIA Platinum certification, it also led to sold out headline shows across Australia and appearances at Laneway Festival and Splendour in the Grass. Did this exposure allow you to grow your fanbase quickly and if so, how active were you at the time on social media?

Dinosaurs definitely lead to an increase of listeners and the following year after it came out (2019) was a pretty amazing year of my life. I’d say I was pretty active on social media as I also lived with my bandmates. I kind of hate having to do content on my own and get a bit uncomfortable, so when I was always around the boys, it was a lot easier to produce more content.

Did you find that with the increased exposure, there was a demand from your fans to keep them informed more often via the social channels of your musical happenings?

I think social media is such an incredible way to keep everyone that’s interested in the loop. I never created a private account for myself so I think if I could go back, I would have. Mind you, I think it’s kind of cool that any listeners would be able to see a very genuine reflection of my life because nothing’s separate.

‘Your Dad’s Opinion For Dinner’ garnered enough hype to land you support tours with the likes of Ball Park Music and San Cisco, where did you tour with these bands and what would you say you learned from being on the road with them?

That tour was still one of the best tours ever. The boys and I got up to a tonne of mischief and I think when Ball Park Music were interviewed about it months later they said they had to stop drinking for a while afterwards. We toured all over Australia and they were so welcoming and inclusive, it was wholesome every minute of the way and we still consider them all super close mates. I specifically remember Jen from Ball Park comforting me and dropping some wisdom on me one night when I was missing a family event. I actually forget the words so I don’t want to misquote her, but it was super inspiring and made me run out on stage super keen to play.

Growing up in Australia must be different from growing up in the UK/USA, do you tend to follow more Aussie bands as a result or do you still get to follow the news of upcoming UK/USA acts too?

I’d say I get around everything, but it is way easier to keep track of my mates in Aus.

Which band(s) or artist(s) made you want to become a performer and start your own band in the first place?

I always loved to be a bit dramatic and sing to my parents mates and stuff growing up but I can’t actually pinpoint the moment I realised I wanted to be a band. I think I heard Courtney Barnett for the first time and went from playing covers at pubs to writing my own songs that I was finally keen to show people. Fast forward a few months and I was playing most Sundays at El Sol and even scored myself a spot on the lineup of Sounds of the Suburbs. Like I said before, the local scene was probably my biggest inspiration.

Your band is made up of three of your best mates, do you get along well? Do you tend to argue more because you know each other so well? Is there a peacekeeper in the band? If so, who is it?

Tas, Adam and Pat are three of my favourite people in the whole world, and we definitely get along like a house on fire, and we definitely have our differences and arguments, like any family. We genuinely are like a family, I’ve never felt closer with a bunch of people. I think more arguments came about when I was younger, but when you realise it’s so much more important to make your friends feel really good about themselves and actually pour energy into that, it’s so much better. It’s pretty unreal that a bunch of people believe in an idea or sound enough that they travel, perform and write together and care for one another. I think we all keep the peace in our own ways.

I’m interested to find out why you recorded the album in New Zealand and then, when the pesky Covid pandemic cut that short, you carried on in a studio in Byron Bay, was it always your dream to record it in New Zealand? If so, why?

My dad’s from New Zealand and I’ve been there once before so I was pretty keen to record the album there given the chance, who wouldn’t? Sucks that the trip was called short but we still got some crazy unique sounds and hold onto some beautiful photos and memories from those few days.

You’ve got some great people as key supporters, Triple J, NME and other online blogs, how does it feel when someone picks up your music and writes about it in a positive way? How do you deal with criticism of your work?

I think there’s varying degrees of criticism, and only a few of them I’ll take to heart. Any type of art or creation is so subjective. If I had written something distasteful or disrespectful that had genuinely hurt anyone, I’d want to be the first to know, anything along those lines. However, if it’s someone saying it’s not their cup of tea or they think it’s not finessed enough, I’d like to say I don’t think about it too much. It doesn’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea as long as it makes even one person feel less alone. The boys and I poured our souls into it for us, and for anyone that wants to listen. It’s amazing reading anything positive about that.

You don’t have any live shows listed just yet are you planning on celebrating the album launch date with a show and then embarking on a tour to promote it?

Well, with all of us still in lockdown it’s gonna be pretty tricky to have any release day/week shows. If the restrictions lift a little, the boys and myself were thinking of getting a house boat and drinking beers on it for the day. But yes, as soon as possible, we are absolutely itching to perform this album to everyone and have planned a pretty awesome show.

Finally, there are millions of bands out there, tell us about a few that you are grooving to at the moment?

Some great Australian bands I love and have been listening to heaps lately are Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird, The Goon Sax and Floodlights.

We’d like to thank Ruby for taking the time out of her hectic schedule to chat to us, keep up to date with all of her musical happenings below.

Instagram

Facebook

Merchandise

Interview by Steve Muscutt