In a world of fake news and filters, where falsehoods travel faster than fact, Ruth Royall is on a mission to keep things real.
What began last summer as a statement against false, filtered and unrealistic beauty standards on social media, singer/songwriter Ruth’s #KeepItReal project gained huge momentum with peers and fans all joining her to help create a much more honest snapshot of reality.
We discussed it with her last August as the campaign took off and it’s since developed into a full podcast, hosted by Ruth, that launches this week.
“The Keep It Real community have been an amazing part of what was a very tough year for many,” says Ruth. “The courage and positivity of the group just blows me away!”
The podcast launches this week with episode one which features an extensive interview with fellow singer and songwriter Eva Lazarus and features contributions from the real life world.
“I decided to start a podcast because it seemed clear that the conversation needed to keep going. I get a huge amount from Keep It Real on a personal level, so I wanted to explore my own beliefs and learn more about mental health and the media,” explains Ruth. “It’s clear that Keep It Real is fundamentally a community, so I wanted to include people’s personal stories in the podcast as well. This is where the idea for ‘Keep It Real Short Stories’ came from. Anyone can contribute to these, they are about 5 minutes long and give the community an opportunity to share their story and be a part of the podcast.”
You can find the podcast here and more details on the Keep It Real campaign on Ruth’s website. To get involved in the Keep It Real Short Stories drop Ruth an email on hello@ruthroyall.com or via the Keep It Real podcast Instagram. Episodes will be fortnightly and future guests include fellow vocalists Tempza and Riya.
“Interviewing the guests has been amazing, it’s made me realise how much we are all affected by the same issues,” says Ruth, who’s appeared on the UKF network many times and released on labels such as Hospital Records, Viper and Shogun Audio. “It’s also a massive credit to how open the D&B community are. There are so many places that people can go and feel supported, loads of artists speak out about mental health which is amazing and there are all sorts of initiatives that have been set up such as Heads Bass from Pyxis and Breathe & Bass which is a mindfulness mix series. I loved making the podcast and I’m already working on a second series with a new producer. So fingers crossed everyone enjoys the first series!”
Mindfulness and honesty; Ruth’s Keep It Real mission continues to breakdown falsehoods, battle BS and push for a much more authentic and truthful reality for the D&B community and beyond. With almost all of us suffering lockdowns and restrictions, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. For added community involvement, the artwork for the podcast was provided by DnB Illustrated and is now available to buy. £5 from every sale will be donated to mental health charities. Tune in to episode 1 with Eva Lazarus now.
Follow Ruth: Instagram / Facebook / Soundcloud