Irish-born singer-songwriter RuthAnne has written songs for some of the biggest names in music, but now she’s ready to reveal her own story.

After landing her big break in 2006 with JoJo’s hit single Too Little Too Late – which she wrote aged 17 and went on to win an ASCAP Pop Award for – RuthAnne penned global mega-hits including Britney Spears’ Work B**ch and Niall Horan’s Slow Hands.

She released her debut album ‘Matters of the Heart’ in 2019 and, now engaged with her first baby on the way, RuthAnne tells Retro Pop about her EP ‘The Way I Love You’ and how marriage and motherhood have changed her musical outlook.

You’ve written so many massive songs for other artists, but on your new EP ‘The Way I Love You’ you lay yourself bare. How do you find singing your own songs?

I find the reaction from people is like, ‘Oh, my God. You’ve got a great voice!’ And sometimes it’s kind of a surprise. 

Also, because of some of the songs I’ve written, I think the stuff that I write for myself is a surprise to people, because it’s somehow different. It’s a bit more soulful, a bit more Amy Winehouse… 

But, it’s nice to show that different layer of what I do, as a writer and as my own voice. So I like that kind of reaction from people.

Is writing for yourself a different process to writing for others?

I’ve learned over the years how to do that. It’s hard when you first start out, because you’re all over the place in your head. But I worked out over the years that my job as a songwriter is really to tell the artist’s story. 

If I’m in with another artist, I’m really there to tell their story and to get their story out of them – kind of like a therapist – and to guide the song and craft it with them, to their style of music. I definitely can put in pieces of my own story and my own influences, but when I’m writing for myself, it’s really all about my story; being my own therapist and really being honest and vulnerable. 

When I was younger, I enjoyed hiding behind other artists, but as I got older, it was time to tell my story. So now it’s become very easy to differentiate between the two, and it’s very clear when I write a song for me that it’s for me, because the stories are very personal to my life. 

There’s a linear narrative throughout the six songs on the EP. Did you write them in real time or retrospectively?

These were written pretty close together. My first album was a journey through my 20s; from heartbreak to hope to love. I was an Irish girl living in LA. It was Hollywood, heartbreak and finding yourself as a woman. 

As I moved back to London, that’s when I started writing these songs, about coming out of that situation, finding love with my fiancé, Ollie, and stepping into my womanhood. There’s a lot more identity around the songs and a lot more true authenticity of who I’ve become as an artist and as a person. 

There’s a thread in the songs of strength and love – loving myself and having unconditional love in my relationship – but also going through some mental health stuff. So, a lot of my songs are written in real time in the chapter of life that I’m in, and this body of work felt like it was ready to go because now I’m entering another chapter of marriage and motherhood. 

How does Ollie feel about your music – especially the more personal tracks?

He’s actually a songwriter as well. He wrote Safe Place with me, which is probably one of the most personal ones. And he wrote Flaws with me. 

I don’t really write with a lot of other writers, because I kind of have my own vision and I just want to tell my story. I write with so many other writers for other projects that, for my project, I keep it quite self-contained. 

But Ollie knows me so well; he actually came up with the title Safe Place. So he can bring out other things in me that he knows I would love like, ‘Oh, what about this title,’ and then it just inspires me. He’s a muse to me in a way – and also a great writing partner. 

It’s funny, though, cause I’ll be like, ‘You know, I’m writing this about you, and he’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I know… I hope it’s about me!’ [Laughs] So it’s actually really nice that he’s involved in the storytelling, because he’s lived it. 

I guess that works both ways, in terms of you writing about him?

Yeah, totally! It definitely works both ways. He’ll be like, ‘I wrote one about you today’… but we also write songs that are about nothing, by the way! [Laughs] If we’re working with other people on breakup or heartbreak songs or stuff like that. 

But it is nice to have someone that knows you so well, that can be a part of your project. It works out nice.

How about motherhood? I know you’re pregnant right now,  have you found that experience has influenced your writing already?

Definitely. As I go through the chapters of my life, I write about what I’ve experienced, and I kind of became an expert of heartbreak in my 20s. Heartbreak was always the easiest thing for me to write about and love was always a struggle. But as I’ve now gotten into a healthy relationship – and we have a dog, so I feel like I’m already a puppy parent – and then being pregnant, it’s definitely starting to influence and shape my music. 

I’ve always wanted to be able to write love songs that are pure and real and authentic, but I had never experienced it. Now, I feel like being a mother, I’ve already started writing songs from a new perspective, which is good because as an artist, you need to keep moving the narrative on as your life goes on. So I’m really excited for people to kind of hear the next chapter. 

But of course, I want them to listen to this chapter first, because then it will all makes sense and my body of work will flow as a journey. The journey of life, really – especially from a woman’s perspective. Because I’ve really come into my womanhood, become involved in women’s movements and living the woman’s experience. I think that my music really reflects that.

How have you found your experience as a woman in the music industry? And has it changed at all since you started a family?

I don’t really pay attention to ageism or sexism in the industry, because there are so many artists who have gone on to families and still have their careers. I just watched P!nk’s documentary [‘All I Know So Far’] where she takes her kids on tour, so for me, it’s like, I don’t really pay attention to any of it. It exists… but for me, I make music and I’ll always make music. Even when I have kids, I’ll make music. 

But I don’t really need to focus my energy on that, because I think it would make me too angry. So I’m just gonna keep making music and being a mum. I have a studio now on my property, like an outbuilding studio that we built, so hopefully I can do both pretty easily.

When it comes to your careers as a performer and as a songwriter, how did you start out and how did the progression happen from one to the other?

I started off more as a performer… Well, I started writing songs when I was seven, but they were terrible! I was always entertaining everyone and singing, so when I was younger, it was always, ‘I’m going to be a singer.’ But I didn’t know if I was going to be a songwriter, because how do you know when you’re a teenager if your songs are any good? 

Actually, I’m a lot more comfortable [on stage], because singing has always been my thing… I just love it. I would sing for two people in a pub or I would sing for 20,000 – it’s just what I love to do. So I would say I was more of a natural performer and I really enjoy the rehearsals, the gigs, being on stage… it’s very natural. 

It took me longer getting used to writing the songs and not singing them. Having to give my babies away to other artists. But then I sat I find a lot of joy in that as well, because I get to write songs in all different genres and be a bit greedy as a creative. I don’t have to stay in one lane. So, I found the joy and the balance of being a songwriter and being a bit more behind the scenes. 

It’s nice sometimes to be in a gym or in a taxi and a song you’ve written comes on and the people have no idea that you’ve written it. I was at a pub the other day in my local town and one of my own songs was playing in the pub. I had my mask on and no one knew I was even there, but my nephews ran out and were like, ‘Auntie Ruth, it’s you! They’re playing your song!’. 

Those  moments are exciting, whether I’m the songwriter behind the song or the singer. But I would definitely say that performing is very much in my nature.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up?

Around my household when I was really young, it wasJames Taylor, Carol King, Leonard Cohen and Fleetwood Mac from my parents. And then from my two older sisters, they got me into Lauryn Hill – ‘The Miseducation…’ like changed my world – and  90s R&B like Toni Braxton, Aaliyah, Brandy… Mariah Carey was a huge vocal influence for me. 

All the big singers – Aretha, Etta James, and then Amy Winehouse was a huge influence for me, lyrically and vocally. But I’m also massively influenced by Coldplay, John Mayer and Jeff Buckley, so I’m kind of all over the map with styles and genres of music. 

But I think that’s good for me as a songwriter, because it means I can really dip into any genre, because I love a lot of different genres.

When it comes to big name artists, you’ve also worked on Diana Ross’ forthcoming single I Still Believe. What can you tell us about that?

I’m sworn to secrecy, but it’s actually really cool. It starts off in a certain way and then it goes to disco, so it’s a nice surprise when it gets to that classic Diana Ross sound. What I love about it is that it’s very nostalgic. It’s got the big band on it – it just sounds so great! 

I got to sing [backing vocals] on it and, just knowing that she heard my voice in the demo, that has given me absolute life. I was obsessed with the Supremes and their legacy, and I never would have thought I’d have a song with Diana Ross.

Finally, you’ve worked with so many artists throughout your career already, but who else would you love to work with?

There’s lots of newer artists that I love that I would love to work with? I love Arlo Parks and Joy Crookes… there’s lots of different people.  

As a legendary artist, I’d love to work with Lauryn Hill. I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen, because she doesn’t need me. She doesn’t need anyone. But I would love to be in a room with her and write with her, because ‘The Miseducation…’ is one of my favourite albums. 

But other than that, I’m just seeing what happens. I never would have put Diana Ross down, but now here we are. So, I guess I’m just gonna see where it all leads…

Listen: Hit songwriter RuthAnne returns with intimate ‘The Way I Love You’ EP