Ruth Nina Welsh is a singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist born and based in Northamptonshire in the UK. With a background in classical piano and singing, Ruth began writing songs in her late teens – the early 1980s – when she became severely ill with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Songwriting became her solace and strength through these difficult times.

Although still living with serious ill health, in 2000 she finally achieved her cherished dreams of playing live and professionally recording and releasing an album titled As I Breathe. Daniel O’Donnell described it as “A beautiful, haunting … completely acoustic based album – just the voice, guitar and piano captivating the listener.”

With her acoustic mix of blues, ballads, folk and uptempo songs, showcased by powerful lyrics and emotional vocals, plans were underway for more concerts and visits to the studio. But in 2002, Ruth’s health deteriorated again and left her unable to play and record music.

Dealing with this profound loss, Ruth spent the next ten years away from music, finding other outlets for her creativity. From home, she began freelancing as a self-help writer and created a free online resource to help people live happier lives. She also trained as a counsellor and saw clients in her own home.

In 2013, while writing self-help articles and working on fiction ideas, Ruth felt the call back to her music. Although now too ill to leave home, she began to have dreams of sharing the many songs she had recorded in the studio, back in 1999-2001, but had never released. She also had thoughts of releasing her entire catalogue of home recordings of all her songs spanning four decades.

So began the project: Share the music archive of Ruth Nina Welsh.

In 2019, Ruth released an EP Introducing Ruth Nina Welsh. The 14-track re-release of her first acoustic album, now titled Breathe, followed in 2021. And her second acoustic album Somehow – a concept album about romantic love – released on 5th November 2022. The third album from her acoustic studio recordings – Heartland – followed in 2023. With her Acoustic Covers Collection following in 2025. A DVD of live concert footage will release in 2027 along with a book of song lyrics.

Ruth’s inspirations and influences cross genres – from Maria Callas to Elvis from Wagner to the Bee Gees. A singer long before she was a songwriter, it was Ruth’s Mum – a classically trained oratorio singer – who taught her all she knew. Especially encouraging her to put emotion at the core of every word and vocal line sung. She passed away at the end of 2021, after devoting her life to Ruth. She will always be Ruth’s first and greatest inspiration. As a songwriter, Ruth was heavily drawn to American singer-songwriters – Dylan, Joel and Springsteen – as she watched them create extraordinary bodies of work, creating art from their own lives.

In Ruth’s own words:

As a combination, the singer-songwriter embodies a truth like no other. You can see into a person’s soul – if they let you. I wrote songs for myself. To cope with my own life, to heal, and give voice to feelings I was experiencing. It was a safe space. I also wrote songs to share the stories of others and issues within our world – but always with my own feelings and emotions at the centre. Sharing songs can feel hard. They are pieces of my soul. What makes it possible is the people who my music connects with. Those who can really see me, see something of themselves in my words and are moved by my music. I treasure those people and thank them so much for their love and support.