Two hypnotic forces of RnB, Emma Volard and Ruby Jackson, are set to collide in one dynamic East Coast co-headline tour this September.
Like a match made in heaven, it’s clear that Emma Volard and Ruby Jackson’s admiration of each other is more than just professional. Ruby, a Sydney-based songwriter, producer and performer, was left stunned after watching Emma’s set at Brisbane’s BIGSOUND last year. “We were all like, OMG Emma,” Ruby recalls. “We were all just there in awe watching this set.”
Despite being based in different cities – what the musicians call “parallel worlds” – geography hasn’t kept them apart.
Emma Volard and Ruby Jackson
- Friday, 6 September
- The Night Cat, Fitzroy
- Tickets here
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“I was going over to Sydney and I was like, ‘Hey Rubes, remember me?’” says Emma, who lives in Melbourne. “‘We should catch up and have a sing.’ And then from there, we’ve just become closer and closer and were like, ‘Let’s tour together.’”
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The rising stars are gearing up for a powerhouse joint tour next month, kicking off at Melbourne’s The Night Cat on Friday, 6 September. After setting the Fitzroy dancefloor ablaze with their back-to-back groove-filled sets, the pair will be taking the stage at The Valley Loft in Fortitude Valley on Friday, 13 September and Mary’s Underground in Sydney on Saturday, 14 September.
While Emma and Ruby may hail from different cities, this only enhances the synergy between them. “It’s a really awesome way to share our communities,” Ruby says. “Emma’s got this community established and so do I up here. It’s a cool way to kind of bring each other into the different worlds.”
Since BIGSOUND 2023, Emma and Ruby have been jumping between cities, nurturing a relationship that has blossomed into both a cherished friendship and a professional collaboration of sonic dreams.
“It’s really special to be able to [tour] with someone that even though we haven’t known each other that long, we’ve connected so well,” Emma says. “It’s the natural thing of feeling super supported by one another and being able to do that with someone who we really admire.”
Their support for each other extends beyond this co-headline tour, into the creation and release of their own music. Both artists have recently released collections of music that, while distinct in their own sounds of soul, jazz and RnB, both share a deep authenticity and infectious energy.
Ruby’s debut EP Sweeter for Me, released last November, is a reflection of the musical influences she grew up with. “I’d always wanted to make a body of work that felt very 2000s nostalgia,” she says.
“I made it up in the Blue Mountains with Fin Stuart, who’s an incredible producer. We were just up there in our own little world.” For a debut release, Ruby has no doubt struck gold. “Sometimes you don’t really have the vision for an album or an EP and when you do, it’s like the best feeling in the world,” she says.
Emma also found that a strong vision helped shape their work, providing the platform for them to dive off into the unknown with a leap of faith. “Alibi was the second album that I’ve put out and I guess the vision actually came with the album artwork,” they say.
“The aesthetic of it with my face having almost cuts and scars where there’s red crystals coming out. It was based around healing and how difficult that can be, but how on the other side that you can find beauty in it.”
The musicians’ similarly timed releases gave them someone they could reach out to for support that not only understood them as a peer, but as a mate. “We’re both going through similar things,” Emma says. “And I guess when it’s with another AFAB person, you can know that they’re having a similar experience in the music industry because it’s obviously not the same for everyone.”
Ruby agrees, adding, “Especially in the climate we’re in right now, it takes a lot to be a proactive artist. It’s nice that we’re both just, you know, going for it together at the same time.”
Given their strong friendship and artistic synergy, a musical collaboration between these two seems only inevitable. Emma and Ruby both giggle knowingly at the suggestion. “We’ve been talking about it,” Emma teases. “I feel like you definitely need to come see a show because there will be a little collab moment of some kind happening.”
You can get tickets to Emma Volard and Ruby Jackson’s co-headline tour here.
