Ruby Black - Lady Death
Yes yes peoples! It's been a little while again but I'm back to chat about an absolute banger of a track AND a visual from an incredible artist.. yay! You know I love to hail up underground artists, especially the wonderful womxn in the scene who are making explosive movements, so today I've got one of those for you. The artist in question is singer Ruby Black, a clever and quirky artist who combines Grime instrumentals and sounds with smooth lulling vocals, creating a whole new side to the genre that has barely been touched more recently.
With her back catalogue hosting tunes such as 'She's Ugly', 'Skeleton Key' and 'Medicine Woman' and more, with the last two being featured on the beloved and prestigious Grime Shutdown playlist on Spotify, Ruby is a creative who has never let up on her style, only evolving and perfecting it even further. One of her more recent singles captivated the Grime scene, being played across various respected platforms and radio stations, showing Ruby Black that it was time to create the perfect visual to match the aura of the track. So without any further ado, let's get into it.
From dropping her 'Lady Death EP' earlier on this year, that featured songs such as 'Storming', 'Silencer' and 'Dog Eat Dog', Ruby decided to take the second track from the EP and create a whole vibe to go along with it, and that's what we're on today. 'Lady Death' is a beautiful combination of melancholy, strength and mystery, with a heavily layered instrumental created by Filthy Gears. The sweet and supple vocals from Ruby are mesmerising, flowing effortlessly over the bounding 140 riddim, really highlighting why she is nick-named the 'Grime Soulstress'.
Matched now with dark, spooky visuals, directed by James Lawes, the track opens up so much further, intertwining her luscious vocals with a horror-film styled cinematic visual piece. Opening with a daunting scene of a figure behind the door, placed in a dreary hallway with dying lights, the scene and emotion is instantly set, with viewers desperately trying to figure out where the visual will move to next. The solo shots of Ruby Black are styled with upmost grace and beauty, with the artist rocking a floor-length black dress, chunky chains and perfectly laid hair, representing the theme of 'Lady Death' being present through-out.
The use of clever lighting brings another edge to the visual, constantly flicking between open artificial light, to red lighting and then to scenes set mainly in the dark, which adds layer upon layer of creative directing and emotive thought. The use of characters through-out this visual is spectacular, almost touching on The Grudge style of movement and make-up use, tapping into the thriller/horror genre for this music video. Expressive dance is used during certain scenes, working wonderfully with the evil perks of the instrumental and the overall vibe.
The chilling bathtub scenes immediately make you expect something terrifying to happen, and this tension continues building until the end, making it very difficult to drag your eyes away even for a second through fear of missing a snippet. The clever editing towards the end mashes up scenes of Ruby Black with the characters involved, showing how meticulously planned the storyboard was and how brilliantly the end result came together. The outro of the song where Ruby Black is singing "Lady Death's not done with you yet" is worked alongside some haunting shots, bringing the visual to an A-class ending which still leaves you wanting more and more.
The visual for Ruby's track 'Lady Death' released August 6th via her own channel. WATCH NOW!!
For any enquiries, please contact Ruby Black via her social media below.
