With new artists cultivating a viral hit and a fresh fan base daily, finding that hidden gem that speaks to your current vibe or personal situation is refreshing. 28-year-old Ruth Berhe, reigning from Edmonton, Canada, seamlessly stirs an indie-alternative sound with power vocals to morph relatable lyrics for Gen Z and Millennial women.
Before the Ruth B stage name was born, Berhe offers a glimpse into her world from the beginning. Raised within a close-knit family, she details how she’d always been pretty reserved with her music, mostly singing a few tunes to herself and the church.
“There was never one point where I was like, ‘I can sing.’ I think I remember when I figured that I could write and make music that was later on in life,” Berhe tells GU. “But in terms of a voice, it was something that was always there, for sure.”
After being more open to sharing her voice in early 2010 through the media app Vine, Berhe began developing The Intro, her first EP released in 2015. “Lost Boy,” the breakout track from the project, was inspired by the show Once Upon A Time; the song is written from the point of view of Peter Pan and feelings of belonging, imagination, and feeling lost and found. Starting as a preview of singing a few lines on Vine, it led her to become an overnight sensation and pushed her to complete the song. What began as an eight-second clip at 20 has now garnered 175 million views on YouTube and four times platinum in the United States.
“That’s where it started. ‘I’m just a Lost Boy from Neverland, usually hanging out with Peter Pan.’ I was frustrated because I was like, how is this the song that everyone likes?” Berhe says. “I’ve been singing it so much, and you’re young, and you want people to hear your better stuff. But now, I’m so appreciative of it. It’s my favorite part of the show anytime I sing it because I feel that connection with people, and I don’t even think I realized how deep of a song it is to others until I started performing it and hearing other people’s stories with it. The fact that something I made can provide that kind of feeling for someone beyond me.”
As she enters her 28th year, Berhe is ready to enter the mainstream scene confidently. Her vulnerability exudes as she dives into her new sound and what she hopes her music will evolve into. With her last two albums being Safe Haven in 2017 and Moments In Between in 2021, Berhe’s process is allowing her music to mature a bit before promoting the next project. Since her last release, she’s dedicated time to journaling her experiences and being open to the various stages of her life. No stranger to piano vocals, she aims to explore sonically but lets storytelling lead the way, which she describes as therapeutic. The songstress recently released a single titled “28” featuring Australian singer Dean Lewis, which helped her remember her intense songwriting capability. The track is now classified as a genesis of her new era.
“My main focus is always the storytelling aspect. I’m not going to run from that anymore,” she says sternly. “With music, you can get lost in the sound and what people want to listen to, which is also very important. If I’m not saying something that doesn’t matter, I don’t want to put it out. It has to mean something; it has to come from me.”
With Girls United ushering in the Era Of Disruption, we’re encouraging Gen Z to modify societal standards to forge their paths. In 2024, Berhe’s blueprint for disrupting the music industry is developing her way to being a one-woman machine from experimenting with storytelling and producing, most excitingly.
“One of my biggest goals is to produce and engineer an album. I want to make my best album this year,” Berhe says in anticipation. “Something that pushes boundaries is super honest, and meshes, different sounds, different eras, all the influences I love. Putting that in a project and telling the story of the last five years of my life.”