Eight questions with Ruby Confue

1. First up, happy new year! What was your best Christmas present this year… or the worst?

A beautiful gift, brand spanking new GHD's hair styler- saying goodbye to bad hair days! (Haha)

2. Who is Ruby Confue? (a short introduction)

I am an Urban Jazz singer, writer and performance artist currently writing my debut album and devising a live show to tour the U.K and Europe.

3. How long have you been making music, and what have the highlights been so far?

Originally from a more theatre, stage performance background I first collaborated with Lighterthief on the Ruby Confue music project in February '15! (where does the time go?) The highlights have been, creating the music video for my debut single Baby 126, the styling, locations etc, performing at the Bedford in Balham last year. They have fantastic sound engineer in this venue- playing with Vanessa Jamie, she is fantastic and performing at a number of festivals last summer, particularly Fieldview! Epic summer!

4. This is the point where I usually ask about a recent release... do you have an EP or album in the pipeline?! When can we hear it?

My current EP is available at rubyconfue.com and my forthcoming album is in development.

5. We're looking forward to your headline slot at The Blue Man in Brighton... have you caught the supports, Jojo Macari and Hazey Jane, before?

I am so excited to play Brighton again, we will be returning for the third time! The Blue Man is a beautiful venue, works great with acoustic, jazz sets. I played with Jojo back in November. Comedic blend of accents, story telling and slick guitar riffs. Hazey Jane are new to me but I always Google the acts i'm playing with to get a sense of their vibe before a show.

6. Who is your audience and how do you connect with your fans? Any crazy, fun, exciting stories are very welcome.

Luckily for me my audience are diverse. I have fans as young as 2 and as old as 80 and all that's in between. I keep them in the loop and connect via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat... I am going to be doing a lot more interactive Facebook live videos this year so we'll see how that goes. I have an awesome fan story... fan of the year. I played a gig in my hometown back in October and bought a snazzy jumpsuit to wear- being the starving artist I am I left the label in the item as I couldn't afford it so was going to wear it for the gig then return it (naughty I know) However fan Marie to the rescue spotted the label and told me i'd left it in. I'm not one to be embarrassed so I explained my cunning plan! Marie wasn't having any of it and insisted that I had to keep the garment so essentially tipping me the £40 to keep the jumpsuit. Marie paid for it!!! What a legend, a babe. I've worn it several times since. Thank you Marie from Swindon!!!

7. What would your dream gig look like? Are there any artists you’d love to play alongside or cities you haven’t visited yet?

When we started this project I wanted a visual theme, themes help when you're creating. The theme I came up with is the Psychedelic Urban Circus. My dream gig would be a combination of these themes a wild, colourful, circus with an urban heart. Think big top stripy festival tent with graffiti artists, circus performers, break dancers, fire eaters, clowns you name it! A colour explosion of self expressing wonder!

8. What does 2017 hold for you?

2017 is the year when the album takes shape, we build on our fanbase and aim to create perform, share, and create some more! Lots of festivals we are applying for Secret Garden Party, Boomtown (hopefully Glastonbury) to name a few and some beautifully visual ideas for new music videos on the agenda also. 2017, lets be 'avin ya!

Ruby Confue headlines at Brighton's The Blue Man for us on 29th Jan - tickets are pay what you want on the door, reserve a spot here! Support comes from Jojo Macari and Hazey Jane.