Ruby Francis: “The questions just lead to more questions.”
Ruby Francis takes us from London to Reykjavík, following her curiosity wherever it leads. Along the way, a J Dilla beat led to a DM from Jazzy Jeff, a retreat left her with five newly adopted “uncles”, and a chance airport encounter with Gilles Peterson came just after she’d been talking about wanting to play We Out Here.
A year on from Pages of Philosophy, its questions seem to extend far beyond the record. Lately, one from Florence Given’s podcast has stuck with her: “What am I pretending not to know?” We talk about the questions she’s still asking, the people she’s met along the way and her second home, Reykjavík, before following her lead through the city.
Pages of Philosophy feels like an extension of that questioning. Has that always been part of who you are?
I think it’s always been there. I’ve always been really intuitive but also questioning everything. I was speaking with my mum the other day and she said she’d get really annoyed at me when I was about five years old because I’d constantly be like, “Why? But why? Why does it rain?” And she’d have to think about why it rains. And I’d be like, “But why does it do it like that?” Always asking the why of the why of everything. I think even just working in music as an art form, you’re already aware that you can’t actually see music. It’s really visual for me as well. I think that’s always been in my blood.
What are some of the questions you’ve been sitting with recently?
I philosophise about life a lot, and I’m very interested in not just the physical realm that we’re in, but more spiritual realms and all these things that are going on that we can’t necessarily see. Also just human behaviour and psychology and how we deal with being alive really interests me. Around that time, I was going through a lot of heartache and my perception of reality was shifted a little bit because I was looking at the world through so much pain. But then before that, so much love and being so in love. Having to heal through that process helped me gain perspective over life. The questions just lead to more questions. It’s not like, “And now I’ve found the answer.”
There’s so much pressure for artists to constantly put things out. How do you stay true to what you actually want to do?
It’s hard. I think it comes through experience and learning to block out the noise. I’m still figuring it out. I think you have to keep asking yourself, “What do you want, and what’s actually important?” It’s a practice of saying, “What voices are mine? What voices are not mine?” I need a lot of space and stillness. I don’t really like being back-to-back busy because that’s also noise.
You ended up at Jazzy Jeff’s retreat last year. How did that even happen?
It was kind of crazy. In February last year, I put out a video on J Dilla’s birthday of me making a J Dilla-style beat. In honour of him, I thought, “I’m going to post it that day.” Jazzy Jeff found it and DM’d me and was like, “Love this.” He followed me and started commenting on videos. I was like, “What the fuck is going on?” Then I started releasing music from the album, so I’d DM him like, “I’ve just released this.” He was loving it. Then he was like, “Can you send me the files so I can play them out?” I was like, “Yeah, that’s so cool.” Then he said, “Keep September free.” I was like, “Why?” I did a bit of research and realised he does this retreat every September, and I got invited to go. It was just like that.
That’s incredible. What happened when you got there?
I went there not knowing anyone and I left with this whole extended family. There were a lot of people there where it felt like there was a bit of a soul connection. We don’t really know each other, but I felt so seen and understood. Musically, people were really able to hold me in that. I made some beautiful friends. I have like five uncles now. I called it the uncle adoption centre. Even just knowing that exists and knowing those people are there makes me feel really supported. Even if I do feel a bit alone and far from stuff — I still live with my mum and I still have to pick up the odd job here and there — it’s nice to know there is this world out there that’s accepting of me and rooting for me, that I can lean on if I need to.
Have there been any other moments recently that have taken you by surprise?
I got invited to Gilles Peterson’s show to do an interview, which was really exciting. I performed some songs acoustically at his studio. That story’s kind of crazy as well because I was doing a show in Switzerland with IG Culture, who was DJing after me. We were booked on the same flight back, so we went to the airport together. On the journey to the airport we were talking about We Out Here Festival, and he knows Gilles. And I was like, “Oh, I really wanna play at We Out Here.” Then when we were waiting to board our flight, Gilles Peterson is there. We were like, “What the fuck?” He knew IG and then he introduced himself to me, and then I sent him my Instagram. We have loads of mutual friends and he knows my sister’s husband, so we’re almost connected, but we hadn’t actually made the connection. So that’s how that whole story unravelled.
Has anything you’ve heard or read lately shifted the way you’re thinking?
I’ve been listening to Florence Given’s podcast. She wrote Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. In one of her latest episodes she asks herself the question, “What am I pretending to not know?” That’s been sitting with me. What things am I actually avoiding in life? I like that as a check-in because we’re always avoiding things that scare us, or if we open it, we’re opening a bit of a can of worms that we’re going to have to deal with. So it can be like, “Let me just put that away for a second.” I think it’s good to try and be mindful of that stuff, which I’m still learning to do. I’m probably locking a lot of things away at the moment just to deal with the things in front of me. But I think it’s a good practice to face things and deal with them.
Where do you find that sense of creative community outside of making music?
There’s a spot called Unit 3 in Tottenham. I used to live in Tottenham for a little while. I actually run a night there with my cousin Shannon and our friend Gio. It’s called No Phones. When you come in, you get a sticker for your camera and we just DJ and have fun. It’s very simple. Unit 3 is a beautiful space. It’s in this artist, creative, warehouse-y type area. It’s run by a guy called Simon and they do loads of cool events there, whether it’s food markets, art stuff, live music or DJ sets. They’re a cafe in the day, always playing banging music. Every time I go, it feels very family. You feel like part of the family. They know everyone. It’s so welcoming and warm. I’ve not seen a space like it before. It’s really cool. And No Phones finishes at like 1am because we all like to sleep. We’re not really down for the 5am, 6am vibe. Even 1am, we’re like, “Ooh, it’s a little bit late for us.”
And where do you end up when food’s involved?
There’s a place called 89 Social. It’s an Italian spot and it’s banging. It’s a wine bar and I think they change the menu either every day or every week. There’s a small options menu, so there’s not a whole big bible of food. Fresh pasta. Last time I went with my friends they did a deal where it was, I think, 50 quid for two pastas and a bottle of wine and something else. It was really good. I had a pesto thing and then an Italian sausage thing. I’m also partly Italian, so I’m a little bit biased towards Italian food. Pasta is my favourite food. And I love wine. I love good wine. So, the perfect spot.
Is there anywhere else in the world that feels like home?
Yes, Reykjavík — my dad lives there with his Icelandic wife. This is like a whole other section of my life, but I go there a couple of times a year. I’ve performed out there. I’ve got a whole community out there of people. All the videos filmed for the album were filmed there. It’s like a second home for me now. Obviously everybody knows about Iceland, but I think for a lot of people it’s still a bit untapped. It’s an amazing place. I saw Björk last time I was there. She just walked into the bar I was in. She’s just like a little local walking around. No one’s really fazed.
Okay, first up: where are we drinking?
Kaldi Bar is lovely gin bar, originally owned by George, a friend from Brazil.
Anywhere for the lovers?
Vínstúkan Tíu sopar is very cosy cute wine bar and restaurant — romantic and candle lit.
Where are we digging for records?
Smekkleysa Coffee & Record Shop where you will find my vinyl Pages of Philosophy! Björk was one of the founding members of this spot!
Know a good spot for live music?
Iðnó does all different types of events, a bigger space. I’ve performed there before. But also been to a day time sober rave during lunch time once! They served fruit teas n coffee! It was amazing.
We can’t go to Iceland without heading to a pool - where do you go?
Vesturbæjarlaug or any of the local pools, cheap, accessible, no frills! But open all day and evening — part of Icelandic culture. Vesturbæjarlaug is my favourite though.
And for a bit of culture?
Kjarvalsstaðir has lots of cool galleries. But this one is my fave. It’s also in a lovely park.
Any good spots for shopping?
Hringekjan is a secondhand thrift shop— great for buying and selling.
Photography: KJARTAN TRAUNER