We all know Australia loves their surf rock and their thumping dance music, but is there another genre that we’ve all been sleeping on that might be on the verge of taking over? Sydney singer/songwriter Ruby Jackson thinks so.
Ruby, a soul and R&B artist, has long been a part of Sydney’s scene, nurturing a love for the genre — as well as jazz — ever since she was in school. Now, she rubs shoulders with Australia’s R&B greats as well as being part of the new school of artists she thinks are about to take over.
Ruby’s thoughts on whether Australia’s R&B scene is underrated? “Absolutely.”
“Being in Australia, we’re so far away,” Ruby told Jackson Langford on the latest episode of MUSICbible Australia.
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“And speaking on Sydney, it’s full of bubbles… it’s really ‘you gotta know’, ‘if you know you know’ type thing, and I’m so fortunate that I know. I know all the amazing musos that are around.”
Another thing Ruby Jackson says is underrated? Community radio.
“I think community radio is so important,” she said.
“It’s such a beautiful thing. The hosts I know on community radio are so, so passionate about local music. It’s so beautiful — there needs to be more awareness of that, and I feel like we could be tuning in a lot more.”
Ruby Jackson is the guest on the latest episode of MUSICBible. Outside of her thoughts on the country’s R&B scene, she also opened up about using nature as a throughline for storytelling, why Melbourne does community radio better than Sydney and whether songs are just too short these days.
Watch or stream Ruby Jackson’s episode of MUSICBible below, or listen to wherever you get your podcasts.
Stay tuned for more episodes of MUSICBible over the coming weeks, with guests like Mansionair, Anna Lunoe and more.
Jackson Langford