Grabbing all the feels, Mike Ruby shows how grateful he is for the partner he has in the lovely heart-melting track, “unconditional”. The track itself understands the hardships of a relationship where one person has a busy schedule while their partner stands by them no matter what. Add in the sweet and heart-warming music video and this really does shine powerfully. This acts as the follow-up to his previous single “girls that aren’t my girlfriend”.
Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Mike Ruby’s journey in the music world has been anything but ordinary. Pursuing his passion for jazz, he ventured to New York at 19, earning a full scholarship at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Immersed in the vibrant music scene, he honed a unique sense of musicianship that now shines through his melodic songwriting. After signing with a subsidiary of Universal Music, he found himself playing saxophone with Brooklyn-based synth-pop band St. Lucia, expanding his musical horizons even further. However, it was his newfound love for songwriting that led him to pick up a guitar and delve into the world of pop music. His debut release as a pop artist, “Close”, soared on Top 40 radio in Canada and the Billboard charts, establishing him as a promising artist. In addition, his collaboration with Duguneh and Crystal Rock in 2021, titled “I Can See Clearly Now”, has become his most-streamed track on Spotify, amassing an impressive 1.4 million streams. Now, with millions of streams to his name as both a writer and an artist, Mike Ruby is ready to captivate audiences once again with his much-anticipated second EP, “a million you’s”, set to release towards the end of 2023, the first and second singles of which are “girls that aren’t my girlfriend” and “unconditional”.
Watch the official music video for “unconditional” by Mike Ruby here:
Written by Alex Utay and Mike Ruby, whilst it has been produced by Joel Stouffer, “unconditional” is such a heart-melting stripped-back mainstream pop ballad. Showing his songwriting skills, the lyrics not only tell a fluid, honest, and reflective storyline but also delivers epic poetic lines that send chills to the listeners. Add that to Mike Ruby’s brilliant vocals that hold so much integrity and emotion that you can tell how much he appreciates his partner and how much love they have for him, unconditionally. The backing track starts slow and stripped back with a piano segment, but soon intensifies with drum rhythms and gorgeous synth layers, before slowing right back down again to a piano line, signifying the complexity of the story being told and the tough situations that arise in relationships only for it to all come right back to that first moment and that first connection – proving that unconditional love is strong enough to get through tough times.
As for the music video, directed by Justin Alexis and starring Mike Ruby and Lizzie Kridle, we watch a female protagonist start looking at Polaroid photos on the table, before going exploring in Los Angeles, snapping various pictures with her Polaroid camera. Various beautiful scenes are shown including a cityscape and walking along the beach. When she returns to the house, she decides to put the photos up on the wall, and we realise that Mike Ruby is in every single one of them, he then appears in the doorway behind her. It’s a very sweet music video that coincides beautifully with the gorgeous heart-warming ballad of a track, showcasing an unconditional love story that fits the narrative of the song.
Stream the newly released track on Spotify here:
“unconditional”, by Mike Ruby, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms. Look out for his forthcoming sophomore EP, titled “a million you’s”, which is set to be released later this year.