From a six second video to an album release, the naturally talented singer-songwriter Ruth B first shared her voice with millions on Vine. Ruth Berhe was born in 1995 and was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. When she first downloaded Vine, she never actually thought it would launch her career.

Berhe posted her first vines in 2013, usually covers of popular songs, such as Drake’s chorus, “Hold On We’re Going Home.”  She was influenced by the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele, Ed Sheeran, and The Beatles. “They are all storytellers. Something I try to incorporate in my music,” explains Berhe.

The first vine that actually got a lot of media attention was a little snippet of a song that she wrote herself called “Lost Boy.” The beautifully voiced artist claims that song was just “some words I threw together.” She says that the “lost boy” is her and when she feels lonely or stressed out, she hangs out with Peter Pan. “I think in a sense we all have our own Peter Pans…for me, music is my Peter Pan. It’s what I go to when I’m feeling lost or down, and I think people can relate to this. It could be an actual person, a hobby, sport–anything that make you feel at home.” On the song, she “made sure it wasn’t just about Peter Pan, fairies, and pixie dust.” She wanted to tell a story and have everyone relate to the song in their own way.

With over 3 million loops (views) on “Part one” of the song (each vine is six seconds long, thus needing more parts) and a few more million loops on the other two parts, she was motivated and encouraged to write a full version of the song, which she uploaded onto iTunes. Anyone can upload their content to iTunes, as long as they are ready to sell and meet certain business requirements, which Ruth was ready to do.

“Lost Boy” took 15 months to break into the Top 100, staying there for four weeks, peaking at 41. Many record labels started emailing her, trying to get her signature, but she ultimately decided on Columbia Records. “I think Columbia was the most understanding of me as an artist and just as a person and they were really like, ‘You can do what you wanna do and make the music you wanna make. We’re here to support you.’ And I think that was like the number one thing that I was looking for the whole time and they got that right away. It was awesome.”

She released her debut EP, The Intro, on November 2015, which features four songs – “Lost Boy,” “2 Poor Kids,” “Golden,” and “Superficial Love.” She wrote three of the songs by herself but “Superficial Love” was her first song published under Columbia. While working with Columbia, she has gotten used to working on new songs. “I have about 14 songs under my belt. But I’m always coming up with ideas and always documenting my experiences,” she said.  

All four songs are ballads. “2 Poor Kids” is a song about two poor kids living in a rich city, who love each other very much. Her and her lover aren’t plagued by the “money, power, and fame” and they actually receive true, simple love rather than the meaningless items rich kids give to each other. Even though they are poor, are they have is what they need, love.

“Golden” relates her story of being bullied. But what the bullies do not know is, what they did to her only made her into what she is today, golden. Everyone thought she was coal, useless and worthless, but transformed into something beautiful. From the chorus, “Cause I’m not weak, I’m not broken I am bold / And the fire you put me through turned me into gold,” she states that people thought she would never amount to anything but she blossomed into something amazing.

The last song, “Superficial Love” focuses on the games people play when it comes to relationships. She sees relationships as a two-way street, and she doesn’t want to find herself alone on that street. Like most people, she wants something real, something authentic, no games, nothing superficial. She doesn’t want to be in a relationship, if it’s just for show. She wants to be the other person’s number one. Something that not many people experience.

As for her talent, she’s a natural. A beautifully toned, yet soft voice telling a story to the whole world. Hearing her voice whilst the sound of the piano is angel-like, the feeling of ease. Since her songs are ballads, they have a nostalgic, yet modern tie to everyone. The feeling of nostalgia overwhelms you when listening to a song about Peter Pan. As for her other songs, you can relate because they’re problems of today’s society: High-end items representing meaningless love, bullying, and the vicious game of fake love for show. As a songwriter, I applaud her.

Not many songwriters can put so many emotions in me with four songs. However, I would only have  “Lost Boy” in my music library because I love the nostalgic feeling more than the sad, dramatic song such as her other songs. I enjoy reminiscing the better times in my childhood, and this floods back many memories and emotions. As for her other songs, she’s telling a heart-felt story that many people can relate to.  

At 20 years old, Ruth B has a bright future in the music industry,  having already written 14 songs, and signing with Columbia Records. With the EP itself, it’s decent, but because she doesn’t show her versatility is a bummer. She reminds me of a younger version of Adele, without the ability of hitting those high notes, along with the storytelling ability of Taylor Swift. The fact that she doesn’t show much versatility on the EP itself, makes me rate her EP a 4 out of 5.  She can sing, write, and produce songs all by herself, but we need to see all of her true talents, such as hitting the high-notes and moving on with a quicker-paced pop song. Nonetheless, she is a great singer with the potential to be the next big thing.