Meet Ruby Mae: "For as long as I can remember, music has always moved me."

Many dream of becoming a superstar, but Ruby Mae is on a mission to make it happen. With her first release, ‘Putting It Off’ available for streaming, Ruby Mae’s road to stardom is only just beginning.

Growing up in a small town in the Midlands, Ruby Mae describes herself as a  “small town bartender by day, global superstar by night”, and we wanted to know all about it. With an upcoming performance at Manchester's Trading Route for the launch of their Lagerhouse Sessions, read more about Ruby Mae’s music journey so far, her passions and how she juggles her Hannah Montana-esque life.  

Diving into music from a young age, Ruby Mae first got into playing instruments [guitar] when she was in high school, 

“I’d just discovered the world of indie music, you know, those sweaty boys with telecasters.”

From learning to play guitar at 13 to studying at BIMM Birmingham, and now releasing songs, we asked Ruby Mae to describe what her music journey has been like so far. “I remember the moment when I decided that I wanted to be able to play the guitar. I was still in high school, and I’d just discovered the world of indie music, you know, those sweaty boys with telecasters. I would watch the Arctic Monkeys play Glastonbury on YouTube while I did my homework. I loved the way Alex Turner would have thousands of people in the palm of his hands and how he was so effortlessly cool about it. I thought to myself, yeah, I want to do just that.” 

Continuing, Ruby Mae said, “My music journey has been a bit crazy so far, I’d say. I basically played on any stage I could at any given opportunity from the age of 13 to 19. I had a tricky time not being able to make my own decisions on how I wanted to carry out my career, and it has been quite suffocating for the last few years. Though for the last year I’ve been healing and I’ve had a team of beautiful people helping me craft my next project and next steps as an artist.” 

When it comes to forming a sound, many artists find themselves drawn to the music they’ve heard throughout their childhood, which can have a huge impact on their career. Influencing how they navigate the kind of music they want to create, explore, or even challenge. And Ruby Mae is no exception, with her sound being a fresh insight into soul. Vocal on how Motown and Soul impact her music, Ruby Mae shared how those genres highlighted themselves to her originally. 

“My mum has great taste in music, and would always have music playing, so I grew up around lots of reggae [Bob Marley]. Also, artists like Erykah Badu, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke. My first memory of music was probably hearing the artist Cherrelle, specifically her album ‘High Priority’. I remember the opening track when my mum would [always] play the CD in the car. I used to get really excited when it would come on, and how it would set the scene.” 

“For as long as I can remember, music has always moved me and as cringeworthy or cliché as it may sound. I have always felt it right in my heart.”

Expanding more on her love for music, including Motown: “For me, Motown music carries so much groove and excitement. I’m a sucker for a good groove. I think that’s what draws me to it so much. I also love how much emotion and pain soul music can capture. A Motown song that I will always hold in my heart would be ‘I Love Music’ by The O’Jays.” 

While based in the Midlands, Ruby Mae has taken her music across the country, singing original songs to sold-out crowds. And with the music venue scene being a force to be reckoned with, many venues can boast of being the musical origins of quite a few UK artists. No matter how big or small, music venues create connections between the artists and audience, closing the gap for music enthusiasts. 

Being no stranger to a good music venue to two, Ruby Mae talked with us about some of her favourite cities/venues to play in so far and what places she dreams of performing in. “I love to play in Manchester, I’ve done so many gigs in the Northern Quarter. I love the city and how much they love music, especially live music. They have so many great venues, big or small. My favourite venue we’ve played so far would probably be the Roundhouse in London, simply because of how beautiful it is. I would love to play in New York one day, and I would also love to play in France.” 

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Ruby Mae doesn’t shy away from showing the duality of working in hospitality while also trying to become a global superstar. Between sharing her music, covers, and her day-to-day life, Ruby Mae’s track to stardom has been very authentic. However, we wanted to know, if Ruby Mae were to become a global superstar overnight, what would that look like to her? “I’d probably move to London! I have lived in a small, boring town all my life. I yearn for culture, to meet other creatives who share the same crazy dreams as I do. I would love to obviously win a BRIT Award and a MOBO. My main aspiration is just to be able to sell out a venue (I don’t even care what size). I would just love to play my songs to an audience and have them sing them back to me. That would truly be an amazing thing. Just to know that the songs I wrote can connect with people.”

Already starting the year off strong, Ruby Mae recently released her latest single, 'Putting It Off'. And with new music on the way, Ruby Mae filled us in on what it’s really like to make music, especially with ‘Putting It Off’, and her upcoming song ‘Make You Feel Good’. “Making these two songs was a fun experience. It was the start of a new sound for me as an artist. I feel I’ve found my sound now, even though I’m still experimenting with things. Writing these songs was a moment of “ohhh this is the music I want to make”.

“I wrote these tracks with Glen Roberts and Rich Turvey. They have become my favourite musical duo; I love them both dearly. They allowed me to just empty out my brain into song form in a way that felt natural and really fun. We would pull inspiration from my Spotify library and just have a jam on bass and guitar or keys and see what stuck. It’s a really fun way of writing, which I think you can hear in the music.” 

Touching back on Ruby Mae’s sound, which she describes as a mixture of Amy Winehouse and Joy Crookes all rolled into one, we asked Ruby Mae if there was an artist she could work on a song with, who it would be and why? “It would be Paolo Nutini. That will always be my answer. He is my musical god. His voice is like liquid gold; it’s so full of soul and swagger. His lyrics range from being raw and honest to fun and sexy. I love that. I would make a fun, soulful song that was tailored for playing live (then I would make him take me on a world tour with him).” 

Manchester is a city with new events popping up daily, and there is another on the horizon that is bound to add something different to your midweek dinner. Known for providing Manchester with some of the tastiest chicken and lager the city has to offer, Trading Route is now adding to the menu with the launch of Lagerhouse Sessions on Wednesday, 18th February. 

With Ruby Mae set to perform at the first-ever session, she talked about what it is like to play live and how she gets prepared. “I love to play live, it’s my favourite part of being an artist. For me, playing live is a chance to really embrace the artist that I am, to let loose and connect with the audience. [Errm], I’m quite bad at prepping. I usually get changed in the bathroom or the tiny green room, quickly fix my makeup, down lots of water, then have a last-minute wee. Scribble the setlist down on a piece of paper and head to the stage. I don’t like to over-prepare for performances. I find I’m most natural and relaxed when I just have the songs I’m gonna play ready and no sort of script. I’m just unapologetically myself.”

With 2026 already being a pretty big start for Ruby Mae, we asked what else she has planned for the rest of 2026 when it comes to her singing career and more! “Releasing all the music I have in my demos file!! Last year was all about healing and rebuilding and figuring out the type of artist I want to be and how I’m going to do it. I have an EP planned to be released within the coming months, which I’m very excited to share with the world. I hope it reaches and connects with people in the way I want it to.”

Trading Route stands as one of Manchester's go-to locations for some juicy scran, and now with the upcoming launch of their Largerhouse Sessions, you can get live music, fresh pours, and big vibes.  Find more on Trading Route here.

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