102 Music and Birds - with Ruby

Hear a musician reflect on how birds shape life and music.

This episode explores the connection between birds, place and identity – as artist Ruby Gill shares stories of growing up in South Africa, finding community in Melbourne, and listening closely to the natural world.

Resources

• Ruby’s website

• Ruby on Facebook

• Ruby on Instagram

• Ruby on Twitter/X

• Ruby on YouTube

• Bird Song by Cosmo Sheldrake

• Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine

• Blue Jay recording by Dan Lane (XC215532), African Paradise Flycatcher and Hadada Ibis recordings by Tony Archer (XC603822, XC686712) – licenced from xeno-canto.org

Meet the Guest

If anyone can silence a room, it’s South Africa-born and Melbourne-based musician Ruby Gill. Ruby’s arresting lyricism and deadpan wit have already garnered them 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 profound reflections on society and self-awareness, Ruby’s “melancholic lyrical wizardry” has earned the reputation of unmissable, with accolades such as Sunday Times’ Breaking Act (UK), Emerging Artist of the Year at Port Fairy Folk Festival, nominations for The Australian Music Prize (Mercury equivalent) and Best Folk Work at the Music Victoria Awards, 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.”

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