Zimbabwean-born singer-songwriter and poet RUE shifts moods in urban dreamscape in short film ‘The Winter Collection’

Earlier this year, multi-talented Zimbabwean-born singer-songwriter and poet RUE contributed poetry works for the groundbreaking SISTA! - an anthology of writings on same-gender love between women of African and Caribbean descent, including bi, queer, non-binary women.

‘The Summer Collection’ was the last EP that RUE released in late 2016. She told us after contributing to SISTA!, she was back in the studio working on new material. The next few months saw us follow RUE performing secret shows in the U.K. and Europe. In anticipation of her debut EP, RUE has released ‘The Winter Collection’ - a short music and poetry film.

Written by RUE, the three-track poetic short film follows a relationship between two women from its tender start to its bittersweet end. The short film weaves a mood-shifting tale starting with “Lost”, followed up by “Last Summer”, which features London rapper Malick IV who offers respite from the narrative as he opens up about his feelings of self doubt, depression, relationships and love, which is echoed by RUE. The uplifting yet melancholic “Seasons” closes the short film with a neat bow.

The short film, directed by Somayeh Jafari utilises London’s steel cityscape with gleaming windows to create a lo-fi aesthetic urban dreamscape where storyteller RUE’s poetic melodies conjure up themes of loneliness, empowerment and self love.

Listen to featured songs like “Lost” here. Follow RUE on Instagram for news on upcoming projects and music and poetry releases.