Page 49 - Islands Business May-June 2022

Music Music

game and they went to the middle of the field and sang a song Ru says he is now working to sort out financial matters,
to the Warriors,” says Ru. “It’s the best project that I have “registrations and stuff like that. Once we have all that
ever put together, nothing to do with my music but more to sussed then we can make a good living. You just have to have
do with sharing music with our babies.” the right management who are there for you.
“I think COVID made my music more out there,” exclaimed
Inspiration Ru. “I think I got more recognised through this COVID. I did
Ru was born in South Auckland and raised in Otara, and more free lives at home and entertained people through
moved to the Cook Islands as a boy. COVID while people were locked up, frustrated and couldn’t
“It was very different being in the Cook Islands. I was a get out of their houses. So all they could do now is to turn
Kiwi boy who had never seen the ocean like that. I had never their phones on and there was this guy singing to them for
seen a big fish. I didn’t even know what a pole of a boat the next two hours in the middle of the night, keeping them
was. It was a totally new journey for me. It helped me with inspired.
my journey of life today. I now know the island side and the “I started to get 30,000 to 40,000 views every time I did
Aotearoa side and that has helped me with my music today. one, so just kept doing it all year. Now my views are 100,000
“Just seeing my family, my friends, my uncles and my to 200,000 all through doing these live streams through
aunties - all Cookies playing music - inspired me to do the COVID. Before that, I was just a guy people heard on the radio
same. But I’m not fluent in my language, I’m more a South but didn’t know my face because management only promoted
Auckland boy, so I’ve taken my art and given it a 120% in the music and not the guy’s face.”
the same way my whanau in the Cook Islands would perform However, he acknowledges COVID also hit the South
our cultural songs. So, I try and make them proud in my way Auckland and NZ music industry hard.
because they know I don’t speak the language – I’m still “A lot of our artists depended on it - the live shows they do
learning it. What I do is for my Cook Islands people, my mum, to feed their families. I lost a few shows through COVID but I
my dad and my grandparents.” just didn’t let it affect me. I just decided to stay positive and
keep playing lives (live music streams online). People were
His creative process sending me stars and I was earning through that.”
“Creativity, I think comes from the man upstairs and time
alone,” says Ru. “If you can sit there in a room by yourself editor@islandsbusiness.com
long enough, you’ll start to create things inside your head.
You and the man upstairs will start to have conversations and
you’ll find your journey in life.” TRADE MARK CAUTIONARY NOTICE IN THE FEDERATED
The group has released two albums, Irie Inspiration and STATES OF MICRONESIA, PALAU AND THE MARSHALL
Localise It. ISLANDS
“I don’t want to write songs just to fill an album and have
ten albums and only one album is any good,” says Ru. “I want Notice is hereby given that Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd., a
to write ten songs that all mean something. So if it takes me Japanese company, of 23-1, Azumabashi 1-chome, Sumida-
20 years to write three albums then that’s what I’ll do. I want ku, Tokyo, Japan is the sole proprietor in the Federated States
three albums of beautiful songs that we can all relate to, that of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands of the following
is all our journeys of life.” trade mark:
They are working up a few new tracks.
“I have a new song on Spotify - it is called My
Communication to You,” says Ru. “I have done some
performances of it and have received some really good
feedback. The message is me trying to apologise to the world
if I have disrespected you in anyway. The best way for us to used in respect of:
communicate is through bread and water. The video of this
song is on my Facebook page.” Class 32: Beers; non-alcoholic beverages.

The business of music Class 33: Alcoholic beverages (except beers).
Ru says the biggest challenge he has faced in his music
journey is management, and that he has realised over the The proprietor claims all rights in respect of the above trade
past 15 years “dodgy things have been happening”. mark and will take all necessary legal steps against any person
“Management can be the beginning of the end,” he or company infringing their said rights.
continues. “To overcome this, we would bring the law in,
bring lawyers. We don’t do it the way South Auckland would DAVIES COLLISON CAVE PTY LTD
normally do it and put up your dukes. So, the only way to win 255 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
is to do it the right way and get the law involved and get what Telephone: +61 2 9293 1000; Email: MHeathcote@dcc.com
is rightfully yours.”

Islands Business, May-June 2022 49