Welcome to RUVA’s sonic garden, where faith flourishes and culture blossoms
The journey through RUVA’s sonic garden is one in which uniquely seeds of faith, culture and vulnerability are sown, reaping shade for all who embark on it. This November we got to chat to RUVA, our artist of the month, in the lead up to the release of her debut album “Selah”.
The Zimbabwean born South African based artist broke onto the scene in 2024 with her EP “From RUVA to El-Roi” and has established herself as an upcoming artist to watch from the region. Her musical world is more than a brand, but is an extension of her identity, from the visuals, to the sonics and down to her name which literally translates to “God’s Flower”. Join us as we walk through the beautiful God glorifying garden RUVA is tending to.
For those discovering you through For The Glory for the first time, who is Ruva? Where are you based, and can you tell us some of the formative faith and music moments that made you the person that you are today?
RUVA: My name is Ruvarashe Mutambara, and I am based in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am a music artist, and I began my career in 2024 with my debut single, “925”.
A moment that defined who I am today was the music my parents would play in the house when I was young, ultimately influencing my stylistic choices. I talk about this every moment I get, but the likes of Ron Kenoly and Darlene Zschech made an indelible mark on my sound. Obviously, Darlene is responsible for many classics I love to this day, such as “Shout to the Lord”, but it was really Ron Kenoly’s albums that influenced what you hear when you put on my discography.
My love for interplay between lead and choir-like background vocals stems from the choir on Kenoly’s “Welcome Home”. Specifically, my love for the bass guitar resulted from constantly listening to his music with Integrity Hosanna. Listen to “I See The Lord”, and you will hear exactly what I mean. It is why all my music has prominent bass lines, especially “Eyes on You”.
Your name "Ruva" means flower in Shona (Language in Zimbabwe). Tell us about your cultural roots and how you utilise culture to express your faith. What/who has inspired you to use culture in this way?
RUVA: The first time I ever heard someone sing in Shona over a more contemporary beat was when Annatoria did it in her song “The Divide”. It never really dawned on me that I was allowed to do that! I then tried it with “to El Roi” and went absolutely full send with “Mufudzi Wangu,” which is on Book I of my debut album, Selah.
With Mufudzi Wangu, meaning “my shepherd,” based on Psalm 23, I was largely inspired by my time in my high school’s marimba and djembe band. I wanted the song's production to be reminiscent of the African-infused atmosphere of our rehearsal rooms, just filled with joy and experimentation.
The choice behind using that specific Psalm was because it was the very first Psalm I memorized as a child. My father narrates the Psalm in the song, which makes it extra special. I hope to continue exploring the intersection between soulful sounds and my culture while honoring both.
Lathered throughout your sound, visuals and musical identity is the theme of gardens and nature. Talk us through the world you are creating through your music and how it is a personal extension of yourself?
RUVA: I loved that you noticed the floral theme! As you mentioned, my name (Shona) translates to “God’s flower”. I thought playing into the idea of my discography being a garden I tend is pretty cool.
Flowers come in all sorts of variants, and that perfectly describes my sound. I never want to try to replicate the flower I just grew because it puts pressure on me to constantly outperform my previous work. Instead, I plant the seed and see what grows! All my songs are brilliant in their own ways, and together, they make an incredibly diverse garden.
You were featured on Spotify's fresh finds Africa almost immediately after your EP FRTE release. How was that for you? How did you respond to your debut project to travelling as far and fast as it did?
RUVA: It was quite exciting! Almost unbelievable, to be honest. I released from RUVA to El Roi without expecting anything to come out of it, let alone be recognized by Spotify Africa.
To be quite frank, that was the work of God. When God graces you for such a time, it does not matter what you lack. I literally recorded that entire EP in my living room next to the loudest Randburg traffic. My mixing engineer and I used a very cheap microphone and interface and did what we could with what we had. We were faithful with little, and God saw our efforts fit to multiply.
However, with relatively quick success comes the fear of failing to outdo such a debut. I still carry that, and I have been really nervous about the reception towards anything else I put out after FRTE. But I hold fast to why I make music: to glorify God, even if the audience is none (which is easier said than done, haha).
Despite your music carrying very explicit themes of faith you have had great success on Non-Christian platforms (Shout out to Nandos SA). Have you always felt God leading you to be a light on those platforms and have you had any challenges navigating both spaces?
RUVA: To be honest, I have never been too particular about the spaces and platforms where my music is presented. You never know who will be reached, and that may not happen if we’re obsessed with “Christian only” spaces. There is a difference between consecration and isolation, and unfortunately we get them mixed up because the line between them can be fine. Either way, I go wherever God goes before me, and I understand that my mandate is not to shine brightly under a basket.
I am yet to encounter challenges navigating both spaces! Leading with love, authenticity, and true passion for my work does the trick. Plus, many of us have much more in common than we realize, which is where listening to understand comes in handy.
Your song "Dear Lord" is very vulnerable and describes a time where God pulled you out of a dark place. Tell us a little bit about that, the 2 year healing process that followed and the role music played in the healing journey?
RUVA: I have yet to share all the details of the story behind this song. Perhaps I will do so one day in a sit-down interview! But yes, it was in 2022 when my life seemingly fell apart. While healing, or attempting to, I journaled frequently. That is how the chorus of “Dear Lord” was born. However, it really took me two years to write the second verse of that song because I could not articulate the heartbreak and shame I felt.
As FRTE was coming together, I knew this song had to be on there, and I pressed on until I had something to say. Articulating your shortcomings is one of the most vulnerable things you can do, let alone upload it to the entire internet for everyone to hear… lol. But that experience was incredibly cathartic for me, and it was even more healing to see how many people identified with my story and resonated with the song. God really works in mysterious ways.
Anyway, the continuation & conclusion of “Dear Lord” is “RUVA’s Psalm”, which will be in Book II of Selah. I am so excited for you all to hear it!
In the past you've talked about how you like to take your time with your creative and writing process. Talk us through how your creative process has developed over your career and where your creative process is now with your upcoming project?
RUVA: Honestly, my creative process looks like nothing I’d like it to. In my ideal world, I am going out into nature on writing retreats, drinking rooibos tea, and composing all day. The reality is that, as a part-time musician, I have ten million things to do between work and studying, and my creative process almost takes a backseat to everything else. I wish I had the luxury of creating all day, but most musicians are working full-time jobs to fund their music careers.
That said, my process is really not glamorous. If a melody comes to me, I will record it in my voice memo app and revisit it when I have time. When I find time, I sit at the same desk I study at and record in the corner of my room. For my upcoming album, I tried to be a bit more intentional and dedicate at least my Sundays to music. That’s how Selah Sundays were birthed, and they honestly helped me get this project done (finally)!
You have a project coming out soon/(out already). How has your sound developed since releasing FRTE and what has inspired the vision of this project?
RUVA: Selah is inspired by the book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible, which is itself divided into five books; hence my discs are named Book I and Book II.
I took some of my favorite Psalms and turned them into what I imagined they would sound like, which explains the almost chaotic shift in sound. I really need people to have an open mind with this project, because Book I sounds nothing like FRTE.
Regarding the inspiration, God put it on my heart to make an entire album based on the Psalms. “Thank You Lord”, based on Psalm 100, was the first offering from that! Being the lead single from Book I, it perfectly encapsulates the exaltation aspect of Selah (praise), whereas Book II explores the more reflective meaning of Selah (pause).
I love how you have taken "Selah" as an opportunity to fill the space with your reimagination of the Psalms. Is there an overarching message you want people to take away from the concept and project? And is there a song on the project which you resonate with strongly or that comes with a back story? We'd love to hear about that?
RUVA: Firstly, this Book has primarily been a showcase of my creativity and range. It serves to show that creativity and range aren't bound by the title of "Christian". God-honoring work exists even outside the CCM and Christian R&B spaces. So, the same way in which the Psalms have such a range in message, the same way my work has a range sonically.
Secondly, the as mentioned message is to praise! There are the exaltation (Book I) and reflection (Book II) portions of Selah. Book I focuses on lifting praises unto God even when things are difficult (Eyes on You), or declaring Jesus' Lordship in adversity (Try Jesus), or calling to the Lord for help (Hills), or dancing through the good and bad (DLD, Dancin'), or proclaiming that Jesus alone is sufficient (Mufudzi Wangu), or even just expressing gratitude for the mundane (Thank You Lord). I think these songs express praise in different but equally impactful ways. So praise, praise, and praise.
(Vertical performance video)
What else can we be excited for and look out for on the project?
RUVA: This project is my version of a praise party! So hopefully people are ready to jam out and enjoy themselves. There are a lot of dancing references in the project.
Perhaps a little challenge would be to try to identify which Psalm each song is based on! Or even finding references to scripture. Like an easter egg hunt. There is plenty to find.
And if all goes well, the full release of Selah (Book I & Book II) might have one or two additional tracks! But that's a discussion for May of 2027.
You're based in South Africa. South Africa has such a rich musical history spanning across jazz, soul, and reggae, alongside genre's such as kwaito gqom, house and now amapiano as well as many more. On top of this, gospel music has deep roots in South African culture and has shaped the way the continent and beyond expresses faith. How has growing up in melting pot of diverse sounds shaped your artistry and inspired you? And where do you see your sound going in the next 5 - 10 years?
RUVA: First, I’d like to give flowers to the South African musicians doing their thing right now. No one quite does it like them. They’re just incredible!
Growing up in such a culturally diverse space mostly did wonders for my taste in music! I listen to just about anything because of the wide range of options coming out of that nation. It also pushed me to experiment with my sound a bit.
Not many people know this, but my first digitally distributed song was me featuring on an Amapiano song. It was almost 5 years ago now, and very few people heard it, but it exposed me to a sound I would love to experiment with in the future! Perhaps I’ll be making what they call “private school yanos” in the future lol. For now, I will try not to define my sound too much so I can have space to have fun and expand.
Putting You On Segment: Who are some Christian Artists coming out of South Africa that the world needs to hear?
RUVA: I’ve had “Hi Wena Ntsena” by Mabongi for a while now. It is such a beautiful worship song. I am definitely on the lookout for more of her work.
A new find for me is “Speak Lord” by SamTheHuman! It is a chill, groovy track. Also looking forward to hearing more from her!
Our glimpse into RUVA’s garden was nothing less than serene. With Book I of “Selah” dropping on November 9th 2026 and Book II in February 2027, we are so excited to watch seeds reap joy and hope in all those who listen.
Check out more from RUVA here:
Go read up on all of our other artist interviews on our blog!
