Ruby Amanfu

I’ve been putting in the work and I’m not gonna lie - it feels good to be recognized! Proud of these women (swipe to see who they are!) and of all who continue to daily beat the odds! #OnlyGoingUpFromHere #InternationalWomensDay @songcompwing @susanstewart77 @lynaurelius @grammys

It was an honor to chat with the one and only @JennaVonOy for this @StyleBluePrint Feature! We covered a lot, didn’t we, Jenna?! 🥰 Link in my profile to get to know me a little bit better… Love, Ruby

I quietly released an album today. All the songs except Track 11 were recorded in our little home studio. I wrote all the songs by my lonesome. All the instruments were played by Sam Ashworth - except for Track 4 which I played piano on and Track 10 which I played keys on (Shocker: I know how to play instruments sometimes😂) and Konnor Herzig played a stunning cello on that one as well. Track 9 has a mouth watering guitar solo by Thom Donovan who also hopped on engineering on that one. Katie Herzig and Sam played everything on Track 11 - for which I am eternally grateful. I “percussed” quite a bit on this project, too. Y’all know I can shake me a tambo. Sam designed the album cover. Thats a photo of a magnolia flower from one of the trees in our backyard he took. It was all mixed and mastered by Richie Biggs, who has turned into a big brother for me. A distant big brother cuz he lives in California, but one who is always there for me when I call. I have no label (by choice) to shout it from the rooftops for me, so just sharing it from my heart to yours. It’ll be available on all the platforms here soon. For now, please click the @spotify link in my profile and help me get the spins I need to get paid since they’re making it so hard these days 🫶🏾 Love Always, Me @rubyamanfu @smashworthsongs @biggs.richie @the_katie_herzig @kherzig7 @thomdonovan

Whether you’re getting on the bus in the morning for Alabama…or up to your ears in stress and worry…or having a birthday or anniversary…or just need to run through a field with or without your clothes on…add these 4 songs to your weekend playlist. I love you. Carry on.

Sorry this happened to you @BenedictCork . We independent acts can’t fight this alone, but we can do it together. Repost @Time : In late February, the British singer-songwriter Benedict Cork posted a snippet of himself playing a soulful new song. A few days later, Cork started receiving messages about the song’s release—which was odd, because he hadn’t finished it yet. Eventually, someone sent him the song, which was on streaming platforms under someone else’s name. This version of his song had been created with AI. Someone had seen Cork’s snippet, and, trying to capitalize on its virality, ran it through an AI music generator and posted the result in order to generate streams. Cork is one of a growing number of musicians facing increased competition or outright theft from AI music generators. Some musicians contend that AI is helping to democratize the creation of music. But many musicians fear the entire industry is sliding towards prioritizing machine-made slop, making it increasingly hard for rising or independent musicians to make a living. Tech correspondent Andrew Chow explains the growing world of AI music slop.

Thank you for listening so closely to “How Do We Get There From Here”. I can’t wait to share this album with you on May 8th.

Some distances aren’t measured in miles…but in conversations. We’ve all been there—standing in the middle of something that’s not working…but knowing that something’s gotta give. When the ink dries on our story…what will history reveal? Will we have been part of the problem…or a part of how we heal? How do we get there from here? Listen. Learn. Feel. Share. • • • Glenn Worf: Bass Fred Eltringham: Drums Rob McNelley: Electric Guitar Mike Rojas: Hammond B3, Piano Mac McAnally: Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocals, Synthesizer Eric Darken: Percussion Chris Walters: Keyboards Amy Grant: Vocals Ruby Amanfu: Vocals Kim Keyes: Background Vocals Tania Hancheroff: Background Vocals Gene Miller: Background Vocals Engineered by Chris Stone • • • Music Video Directed and Edited by: Joshua Britt & Neilson Hubbard • • • BTS Footage by Sam Ashworth • Scene 4 Captured by @RayDiPietro • Scene 5: Maryam Abolfazli • Ruby Amanfu HMU: Charli @PoshGlamNashville , assisted by @Pearl_Amanfu & Mary Beth Felts • Amy Grant HMU: Mary Beth Felts

These lyrics are questions I think we’ve all carried in our hearts. We’re a part of the problem, and we can be a part of the solution. How do we get there from here?

Every song has a story. So grateful to share this one with @rubyamanfu .

James Gadson. The kindest…most attentive…most present human being. The last time I saw his face was in August via an unexpected reunion, thanks to my bro @TommyLSims . It was like no time had passed, and we continued texting back and forth through mid October when I didn’t hear from him again. I have an unfinished solo album full of songs that he joined me on when I was living in L.A. in 2016 that the world may never hear, which is a travesty because every drum beat James ever played deserves to be shared with the world. Same goes for the other phenomenal musicians on that record. I hate these goodbyes so much. You’re never ready. I’ll love you and lift you up forever, James. Rest in Peace and Power.

Some moments behind the scenes of filming the music video for “How Do We Get There From Here” with @rubyamanfu . This song asks a lot of questions. The kind we can’t ignore anymore. I’m so grateful we got to bring it to life together.

There are no easy answers… but maybe there’s still a way forward. The music video for “How Do We Get There From Here” is out now on my YouTube channel.