Ruby Moss

Here comes Ruby Moss! 14 year old Ruby from Dublin Ireland went straight to #1 with her first single release on her 14th birthday in July of this year. Ruby penned Ruby’s Song/Invisible last September when she struggled to fit in in secondary school. Ruby has been vegetarian her whole life and vegan since she was 8.

‘It is easy to relate to the lyrics of the song about feeling isolated because you’re different in whatever way.’

‘No-one wants to wait for me, wants to hang around, so I’m on my own another day, I pretend that to look busy, pretend that I don’t care, living on a lie I told myself. But in my head, I see it differently, I see everything another way.’

It can be difficult to fit in when you see ‘everything another way.’

Ruby goes on to sing that ‘things will get better, this is not forever, you are not alone’ bringing a message of hope that things won’t always be this way, that things can change.

Ruby’s musical career began when she joined St Patrick’s Cathedral Choir School in Dublin. This is a primary school attached to St Patrick’s Cathedral where students are immersed in music, beginning each day with singing. Learning instruments is encouraged and Ruby continued piano lessons here and took up the flute. During this time, she also joined a traditional Irish group, Comhaltas and learnt the button accordion. It was when Ruby first heard the organ played by Master of Music, Stuart Nicholson was when she decided that she wanted to learn the organ - ‘the sound of the organ touched my soul’, she said. Ruby was awarded a prestigious organ scholarship this year with Dundalk

Grammar School. She is currently on the lookout for vegan organist shoes – if you know where she can get them, please get in touch!

Learning the button accordion was inspired after seeing vegan musician Sharon Shannon play in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. It was at this event, Ruby also met multi-instrumentalist Susan O Neill (SON), who has also been a huge inspiration to her. Ruby guessed from some of the songs that Susan sang that she was possibly vegan too. Having role models like these two amazing women has been important to Ruby and Ruby hopes that she will inspire others to write and sing too.

Things will get better, this is not forever, you are not alone.

Ruby’s second single Shades of Grey, released on Wednesday 8th September, went straight to #1 in the iTunes singer songwriter chart. Ruby wrote, recorded and co-produced Shades of Grey in July of this year. Shade of Grey is first of a series of three songs that deals with urgency and difficulty communicating the need for change to prevent the worst effects of the Climate Crisis that we have caused and how we will all pay if people don’t listen up and make the necessary changes and go vegan.

“I’m hearing all the words you say

And knowing we must find a way To help you see the shades of grey

And in the morning When the day is dawning

You will hear the warning of the words I say You will see the shades of grey

You want things to stay the same

So I just have to say again Come and see the shades of grey I know you like things as they are

And change can seem so very hard Until you see the shades of grey

And in the morning When the day is dawning

You will hear the warning of the words I say You will see the shades of grey You will see the shades of grey

And finally we all will pay”

- Ruby Moss; from ‘Shades of Grey’

Both of Ruby’s songs are being sold in aid of two organisations that are important to her - Go Vegan World and Jigsaw for Youth Mental Health.

As the situation around climate change continues to worsen, more and more young people will need mental health support.

Jigsaw provides free support to young people all over Ireland. ’Go Vegan World is an organisation that is close to my heart because animal rights are intrinsically linked to human rights and environmental rights. Until all of our rights and our autonomy are respected there is room for none of us to be respected.’

Please support Ruby Moss by liking and subscribing to her on YouTube, and by following and playing her on Spotify.

You can contribute to both charities by buying the songs on iTunes or Bandcamp.

Listen to Ruby here:

https://rubymoss.bandcamp.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/rubymossmusic

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?

Toast with melty spread and homemade jam!

DO YOU COOK?

I’m learning, I can make a great pasta sauce!

BEST THING ABOUT LOCKDOWN?

Being close to the fridge and having more time to work on my music

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MUSIC?

I love ELO and The Beatles because they have so many different sounds. Susan O Neill has been a big inspiration to me. I have a ten-hour playlist on Spotify and I love every song I have added to it!

FAVOURITE SUBJECTS AT SCHOOL?

Music followed by everything else equally except for PE.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

Music is always on my mind but I also draw - mainly cats!

FAVOURITE TV SHOW?

SheRa and the Princesses of Power

FAVOURITE CLOTHES?

Denim shorts with leggings, t-shirts, comfortable shoes with lots of friendship bracelets

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO BE?

Home.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER SINGER SONGWRITERS?

Believe in yourself, don’t be afraid to try something different. Don’t forget to record those melodies when they come to you!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER YOUNG VEGANS WHO ARE STRUGGLING IN SCHOOL?

Know you aren’t alone, find someone to talk to who understands. Things are going to change for the better and more and more people will understand where you are coming from. Look at the amazing people like Sandra Higgins of Go Vegan World and see the work that they do. Don’t give up being you.