Today we’d like to introduce you to Gingerr Rust.
Hi Gingerr, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music has always just felt like my connection to self in a way. It’s how I center myself. I think it’s funny that I ended up becoming a musician. My mom likes to tell people how I would hum along to songs before I knew how to speak. I’ve always been drawn to the arts and performing but music has always been where my passions intersect. I really credit my family for introducing me to music that made me feel things from an early age. I was able to take that, flip that, and take that feeling that I felt when I would listen to them and their music and put it into my songs.
I had a kind of chaotic and busy childhood but writing stories, songs, and composing tracks in my head was my safe space. It’s interesting to look back now and see how I’ve attempted to honor my inner child with my home studio. I have my standard setup, a little Bluetooth handheld mic, post-it notes, erasable markers, mirrors, and whiteboards everywhere. I’ve really turned it into a space where I can say how I feel always and never have to wait to get an idea out. Its been really helpful for just navigating being an adult with responsibilities, feelings, and trauma to undo. Music is a big part of my everyday life and it’s honestly kind of therapy for me.
Through the years, I have collected lots of core memories from walking in a kid’s fashion show for a bridal party, performing on the Kirk Douglas Stage in high school, dancing with my step team after school at Faith, Love, & Hope back in middle school, and writing songs in class with my friends during our free reading period in elementary. Creating was just something that just felt like second nature to me. It was kind of like an escape into another world that I felt safe in. From there at about 8 or 9 I started singing anywhere I could. I started competing in singing competitions. I also started studying all of Jill Scott’s, Corinne Bailey Rae’s, and Beyonce’s runs & adding them to my repertoire. I would just spend hours on youtube watching their videos and paying attention to the delivery and how everything was shot and performed. At about 10 I started putting on shows for my family. These were whole-ass productions with costumes, choreography, and background graphics. I hired my little sister Skye and my little cousin Nylah as my background dancers/singers & we would charge our family to come to see us perform in the living room of my grandmommies house.
I went to Culver High School and around 12 or 13 is when I started dabbling in theater arts and discovered this was also something I had a passion for. I was accepted into My school’s Academy of Visual and Performing Arts Program for Theater and Dance. Those years of training, competing, and experimenting really exposed me to a lot and expanded my skill set as a creative. It kind of molded me into the multidisciplinary artist that I am today. From there I started diving into music production, playwriting, set design, and directing films.
I started producing music back in 2018 on my 2016 Mackbook Air on Garageband. I didn’t really know what I was doing at all. I just knew I wanted to make what I wanted to hear! I would always beat on things and make songs out of what I could with my hands and mouth. If it sounded cool I would record it in my voice memos on my phone. I just liked what I was hearing in my head and I wanted to make it tangible. That became real when I started playing around on the laptop.
I’ve always had very vivid dreams, shoutout Tokyo Drift… and I still do. I got the name Gingerr Rust from a dream of mine. I knew I wanted my stage name to be something that felt healing to me because music has always been kind of therapeutic and I wanted my name to also represent change because it is natural and essential for growth. I landed on ginger because my grandma would always make me ginger tea when I was sick or if I had a show so it was a reminder of that comfort and healing. It feels very centering and I wanted something to help me remember that. I landed on the last name rust after thinking about how I also wanted my name to be reflective of gradual change because I am growing and change is inevitable. I released my first song “Fuk You’re Cute” on SoundCloud and dsp’s and it got a lot of unexpected traction overseas. Again, I didn’t know what I was doing at all. I recorded it in my room, didn’t have a clue what mixing and mastering were, and I honestly wasn’t expecting anyone to listen so I took it as confirmation and made it my goal to get better and keep making things that I wanted to hear.
From there I teamed up with my old manager and friend Tia Tiggs who was studying Marketing and Strategy at Boston University. We were both two black women navigating transitioning into our early twenties, interested in working in music, and coming out of college into the working adult world. We just started studying Brent Faiyaz, Dreamville, Kei & 21 Savage, Baby Rose, Sincethe80’s, LVRN, other artists, labels, and platforms we saw that we wanted to use as a model for our approach. We were doing things remote before the pandemic because we were in different time zones planning everything out. I started going to open mics and making more friends who were also serious about their studio time. Then came the time for my first project Jayne Tv. It was an album I made to help heal, find my voice, and feel safe again in my body after being sexually assaulted. The project was my debut after the single and I was really nervous about how it was going to be received. My motto is feel the fear do it anyway though and I’m so happy with our first rollout. We learned a lot about event planning and show running. We also met some really great mentors and friends along the way in those early days. The release party was the second major confirmation that we are right where we need to be. The release turned out amazing so many people showed up and supported the project. From there we started our record label Good Run Records in 2020 and began releasing our music on distrokid under our LLC.
2020 was kind of a great year for networking and making meaningful life-altering connections. The album was naturally gaining traction on its own and we started focusing on pushing it further with visuals and images. I have a libra stellieum and the stereotype is so true I love a good aesthetic. I shoot all of my album/ ep covers on film. My friend Ally Diaz is one of my favorite photographers to work with its almost intuitive the way we flow when we create visuals together. She’s shot the covers for Jayne Tv and Mr. Bleu. She really understands my aesthetic, the direction I want to go in, and exactly how to execute my vision. I met Jay “The Theory Is” Dixon through Twitter and we started making music videos together. He shot Sad Girl Hours and Rage Wave. I met Ashalyn through Tia and she shot the BTS photos for Sad Girl Hours and the Cover art for my single “Rage Wave”. I met Koutn in a Jazz History class and he told me about his production crew. That’s how I met the guys behind Peyote PIctures. They shot Shroom Tea and my EP release video. I met Natasha, Kaylin, Zemira, and Courtney in High School at culver and they all came up with the choreography for Rage Wave. Raegan and I go way back, we met in Middle School. She agreed to direct Rage Wave after I approached her with a concept and sound file.
From there Tia and I really focused on our target audience, made sure we hit those points, and did our research to really find them during our incubation and testing phase of Mr. Bleu.That really helped us when it came time to pitch to playlists, blogs, and influencers. We really tapped into all of our resources, used our google ads, and had a really solid marketing timeline. I’m really grateful for how everything unfolded. My connection to my spirituality is really important to me. It continues to help me on my healing journey so I’m really big on making sure that everyone that I work with aligns with me. I’m a manifesting generator and my decisions have to sit align with my sacral, throat, and emotional authority. I’m really fortunate to say I feel like things are working with my design. I feel satisfied and like I’m responding to the things I need to. I also feel like I things that are meant for me are finding me and I don’t have to seek. I can just continue to carve out my lane and what is authentic finds me. Again, I’m really grateful because I see my drive and intentions reflected in the people I work with and surround myself with. Mr. Bleu was my third major confirmation that we were making shit shake. We released Rage Wave as a single and marketed it as a short film. The video got 10k views in two weeks. Now at the time, we were deep in the pandemic and it was really helpful for us honestly as independent artists because it leveled out the playing field a bit and allowed us to kind of work smarter while the world was kind of at a standstill. The song was doing numbers on Spotify and my other song, “Stallions” was put on fresh finds Hip-Hop. Rage Wave got put on Tidal’s WAV and Rising: R&B playlists. Influencers and other TikTok users started using Rage Wave in their Tiktoks. It was kind of wild. Then we dropped the project and I just kind of let opportunity take me wherever. That led me to New York at Cafe Erzulie in October 21, The cover of Tidal’s Rising: R&B in August 21′, Digilouge’s Pathreon-a-thon launch in January 22′, Breaking Sound at Adults Only in March 22′ The World Stage in May 22′ and my most recent endeavor The Authenticity Tapes at the Globe Theatre in December 21′.
The idea, The Authenticity Tapes, came from wanting to share my story, what I’m going through now, and all of the things I’m learning about myself. I struggle a little bit with imposter syndrome and video became therapy in a way for me to help me see my growth in real-time. It’s also talk therapy in a way. Either way, it was helpful and really inspiring having a camera there to document all the sessions, shoots, and new things I was experiencing that my friends couldn’t relate to. Being an artist is kind of lonely sometimes. I feel like I’m always observing but never fully getting to participate because I’m overstimulated by the details, my responsibilities, schedule, and next move. The Authenticity tapes were kind of a breath of fresh air and a chance to just be instead of do. It made creating feel lively again. It was also a great way to help me process working through burnout out, my fear of failure, imposter syndrome, and releasing my attachment to results. The screening at the Globe was a major success as stressful as planning was. At the event we screened a portion of the short film, debut the music videos for “FeFe Island” & “Shroom Tea”, and I performed three new songs from the project that we played in the film. I was elated at how Bleu December went. Tia, my team, and I put in months of planning, intention, foresight, and finances so we were very happy that people showed up and were really inspired by what we were creating. It felt really good to see that I could turn the things I felt like I was feeling alone into something other people could relate to and use to heal the parts of themselves that felt unheard. The Documentary and Recap videos are on my Youtube channel along with the two music videos.
As of recently, I’m still working on the album. I’ve been in the studio a lot recently. I’m also back in school so I’ve been navigating that balance and being okay with things slowing down so that I can come back with more expertise and resources. Outside of school, my mentorship program with Hypertribe, and my summer songwriting camp with Quadio, I’ve been trying to get better at producing, editing videos, and songwriting. I’ve parted ways with my manager for now and I’m focusing on finishing my album, being a better friend, financial stability, and finding a flow again. I’m navigating another transitional phase in a way but I’m grateful for the experience even though sometimes it’s confusing. You have to live life to have things to talk about and I’m in the living life part of things.
I’ve also been focusing on other creative mediums and finding ways to incorporate that into my storytelling. It’s been really fun experimenting and trying new things just to try them. My new favorite thing is this app called Rhymers Block. I’ll write something there every day and give myself a prompt based on a mood, a phrase, or the perspective of something else. I don’t know I’m in this phase where I’m feeling really connected to my empathy and finding little glimpses of the human condition in the media I’m consuming and in my everyday interactions.
Big 12th house progressed moon energy! 23 is a weird age. Half trash but also really lit. I love it here but I also am like wow I really don’t know anything and I’m so used to being perceived as the old soul-wise beyond her years. I’m creating a lot of really meaningful things though. The album is almost done and I have such a good feeling about it. These songs have done so much for me and it’s time to release them now that I have embraced those parts of myself. Look out for The Authenticity Tapes this fall. I don’t wanna give too much away. I’m trying to be all sexy and mysterious but I talk too much lol. If you’ve been paying attention to Instagram, TikTok, and my live sets you kind of have an idea of which songs are going to end up as singles but yeah that’s all I’m going to say about that for now. I’ve been in the production and securing funding phase so you can also expect some visuals and a release party but yeah I’m just taking it easy, doing shows, and trying to make myself better.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, I’ve experienced a lot of grace when and ease when I’m faced with challenges. As far as the performance side of things, my AVPA and other performing arts training have helped me a lot with my stage presence. I’ve been writing songs and making beats for fun since I was a kid so I really excelled in the studio and when I would collab with others on their projects. I also have really great friendships and relationships with family and mentors. They really keep me grounded and help me to outsource anything I need, and soundboard ideas. The primary challenges that I experienced were financial. Let’s be real, streams are not going to pay anyone’s grocery bill let alone their rent, If I could do things over I would have a stronger financial plan in place. The challenge is finding something flexible that allows me to operate mentally and financially full-time as a creative but pays well enough to support my need to survive and creative endeavors. I had to let go of my manager for that reason. Being back in school is also a challenge, I’ve been a full-time student and employee before but it’s very different now working for myself in comparison to working for someone else’s company. I think I have a better understanding of myself, how to cope, and how to problem solve now though. My focus is on finishing my projects and building a solid financial plan so that I can do everything that I have planned. All I need is a budget and it’s over.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Gingerr Rust makes one hell of an introduction with her debut album Jayne TV with clap-back anthems (“Jayne TV”, “Billy Eyelash”). She continues to wow listeners with her sultry vocals, stunning visuals, and melodic production. Her sophomore EP Mr. Bleu, blends R&B/Soul, Jazz, and Hip-Hop seemingly effortlessly to create an intoxicating mix of unique fuzzy melodic sounds landing her on the cover of Tidal’s Rising: R&B the week of its release. The gravity of her soulful melodies is intoxicating and demands to be heard beyond the walls of her bedroom studio (“Shroom Tea, “Dead Butterflies”). This self-taught singer/songwriter/producer facilitates you on a musical journey as her unconventional sound, relatable stories, and poetic lyricism transport you to an exact moment that imprints itself vividly in your mind (“Meet The Jeffersons”). On the journey, there are these beautiful points of reflection that circle throughout the course of the album that feel so relatable. While seeking her truth, processing endings, and holding space for herself on the road to self-love, she emits this realness that is undeniably contagious (“Left”). Her inventive sound keeps you in a constant state of anticipation as you never know what to expect next (“Rage Wave”). Truly proving herself a force to be reckoned with, the 23-year-old singer creates these artful concoctions that speak to her mind-blowing talent and eclectic taste.
It is no wonder she is collecting editorial curated Tidal and Spotify playlist placements like infinity stones. Gingerr continues to set herself apart from other artists with her sound, ear, and vision for Good Run Records. Each roll-out, release, and performance increases in quality. She continues to transcend the bounds of storytelling with music videos in “Rage Wave”. Garnering over 10,000 views in the first two weeks, this single and short film takes you on a visual and sonic odyssey with its pulsing rhythmic organ grooves, melodic switch-ups, and bold cinematic tropes. It is four minutes and forty-four seconds of body shuddering anticipation, aesthetic visuals, stunning scenes, and sultry choreography. While watching the film, it feels as if the viewer is experiencing a paradigm shift. Gingerr gets to show off her love for film again with the direction of her first feature film, “The Authenticity Tapes”. The screening at The Globe Theatre really changed a lot for Gingerr. Not only was it a lot of people’s introduction to who she is, but it elevated her story, cementing her as a storyteller. Bleu December was truly a remarkably inventive and iconic event showcasing the many titles under her belt like singer, producer, film director, and creative director. It was also the premiere for the highly anticipated visuals to “Shroom Tea” and “FeFe Island” which are fan favorites. It was a very successful event for Gingerr and the team.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I’m learning so much right now but off rip, to be a better listener. If a situation feels weird, I pay attention to what my body and intuition are telling me. Our bodies hold a lot more knowledge than we recognize. On the journey, I’ve also learned that my mind is a tool and I am not my thoughts. I can guide my thoughts to work better with me through meditation and self-care. Learning that reflection is hard sometimes because self-awareness is recognizing that I can be and or contribute to the problem sometimes even when my intentions are pure. I’m also sensitive and trying to navigate balancing sharing my personal life in my music and being perceived. It’s a new thing for me because now that I have more people listening and looking at me than I did when I first started. However, I’m learning not to take things as personally and let go of my attachment to results. I can only do so much and then when it’s out of my hands, it is what it is. I can let it go and let it be interpreted for what it is. Everyone has a different perspective. We are all looking at life from a curated lens. People are going through things just like I am and are largely concerned with their own survival. All I can do is try to show up for myself, keep my word, and not say yes to things I don’t want to do. I’ve also learned that sometimes the best decision can make you sad sometimes but if it’s for the greater good it’s worth the temporary discomfort. Currently relearning that I’m a lot more capable and resourceful than I give myself credit … shoutout imposter syndrome, she’s a bully. I’ve been practicing being more mindful and really giving myself permission to be optimistic and surprised in a good way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tell.ie/gingerrrust/
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Image Credits:
Photo 1: Sage @sage.sage.sage.sage.sage.sage Photo 2: Kaang @thaconqueror Photo 3: Liz @lavishly Photo 4: Everett Moon @everettmoon Photo 5: Ally Diaz @avisualloveletter Photo 6: Gingerr Rust @gingerrrust Photo 7: Liz @lavishly Photo 8: Ally Diaz @avisualloveletter
