Ruth-Ann Brown

For multi-award winning singer/ songwriter, Ruth-Ann Brown, making Reggae music was hardly a choice; it was something she could not run from. Their union has been as fluent as the success she has experienced to-date. Since the release of her five-song EP, RUTH, she has received two awards, been featured on Fox Network, interviewed by several radio stations across the world and featured in and on the cover of several print media. She has performed in and around Washington DC, sharing the stage with Reggae icons such as Freddie McGregor, Beres Hammond, I-Wayne and Ky-Mani Marley, just to name a few. Her performance at The Mansion at Strathmore in Maryland was historic, as the first Reggae artiste to be invited to the prestigious venue. In January of 2011 she sung the American National Anthem at a basketball game in Virginia, an experience she describes as “an honor”. Born in the mid 80’s in Jamaica, she was surrounded by the influences of dancehall veterans such as King Yellowman, Josie Wales and Jacob Miller. “Instead of going to sleep, as soon as my mother put me to bed as a young child, I would listen to the sound system playing across the street from my house until I fell asleep. Reggae was like a drug. I couldn’t get enough,” she recalls. As an adolescent, she enjoyed singing in the church choir and writing poems to express her pent-up emotions. By the time she became a young adult, her experimenting involved writing songs to instrumentals. In late 2005 her first single, ‘As It Is’, was released on the Di-Mon Cut label. This marked her entry into the music business. From then she has honed her art. “I can’t imagine music without emotions. When I make music, I want people to feel it as much as I do, so I try to connect with my emotions and release them into my work. When I touch the lives of others, only then will I be successful as an artiste”, explained Brown. Renowned music critic and writer, Stan Smith, describes her music as being, full of “thought-provoking lyrics, which are emotionally enraptured and sometimes easy going [and they] make her songs easy to digest”. Her music has also been described as soul- touching, passionate, intense, yet smooth, relaxing, tropical and warm. Roxroy McLean says in the Jamaican Sunday Gleaner, “What’s intriguing is that she approaches each topic with the same passion and zeal, which makes her stand out…” Brown credits Dennis Brown, The Cranberries and Sade as her greatest musical influences. In 2007 she was introduced to Rhoan Bromfield, owner and CEO of Bran-Nu Entertainment (BNE). She says this of the strong union they formed: “I have found something most artistes only dream of,” she explained with a smile, “Working with a label that gives me my creative freedom and gives me much needed guidance in a cut- throat industry is a fairytale. Without them, I would be a headless chicken. Furthermore, they believe what I believe where making rich, cultural Reggae music is concerned – it is live music and we will not take the digital route.” BNE has been a strong driving force in exposing Reggae music to unconventional markets, secure licensing deals with several airlines including Air France, a Kenyan airline and an Austrian airline. Presently they are strategically building a catalogue of songs for Brown’s much-anticipated debut album. The first release was a five-song EP, entitled RUTH, which is available on iTunes and Amazon. It consists of a smooth, yet intense flute-driven single, “Unfamiliar Feelings”, which has received tremendous airplay worldwide. The accompanying music video sat at the top position on several music charts in Jamaica. There are also more traditional drum and bass driven singles such as “Chillin’ with My Baby” and “I Love You”, as well as the acoustic numbers “Here Come the Critics” and “Jamdown”. In a review of the EP, RUTH, entertainment writer, Joseph Tortelli says, “Ruth-Ann Brown’s five-song EP expands and enriches preconceived notions about reggae artistes. The Jamaican singer-songwriter blends pop, soul, and acoustic stylings into her reggae-rooted compositions… Digging deeply into Reggae’s emotional power, these tracks unveil an expressive singer-songwriter with distinctive blue-beat pipes.” In May 2012, the EP, RUTH earned two awards at the 15th Annual Washington DC Reggae Music Awards for Best Reggae Recording and Best Female Reggae Recording. Brown also performed on the renowned FOX Network where she sang “Any Day Now” and “Unfamiliar Feelings” to aprox one million viewers. BNE are confident of the bright future ahead of her. “With the help of BNE and with Ric Zheron as my greatest support, I am looking forward to a long-lasting, meaningful career”, she said optimistically. http://www.facebook.com/brannuent http://www.twitter.com/brannuent