Bulgarian-born but based out of New York, Ruth Koleva is equal parts hard work in the face of difficulties and refined talent in the face of saturated industry. All that she is, all she has and will achieve is a product of a determination to have her voice heard, and what a voice that is…

I’m well familiar with Ruth’s work by now, so I started loving “kiss My attitude” the second I saw the single’s artwork because I just knew I was in for something special from that old-school pop art piece. However, it’s one thing to anticipate liking something and actually taking the time to really take it in and appreciate it. What Ruth Koleva proposes with this new single and its high-cinematic arthouse music video is a very glamorous pop sound clearly influenced by modern R&B beats and basking on some glowy House-music piano and string chords that empower the track into a vibrant duality that I find to be very rare.

The beat and the reverb on the vocals have a very club-ready downtempo vibe to them. They pull the track towards a heavy and cold nocturnal sound. On the other hand, Ruth’s velvety and sultry vocals aided by the refreshing backing instruments have a very warm and summery appeal, they give a racy hot edge to the song that could make it sit right at home at a bikini runway fashion show -something that Ruth has touched on somewhat in previous music videos, coincidentally- and that’s something I invite you all to contemplate. Take the song out for a drive on your way to your nightlife spot, and take it to the beach next time you get the chance, it fits either vibe like a glove.

With all of this kind of praise, you’d be forgiven for thinking that “Kiss My Attitude” is just some dancefloor ditty with no greater dimension to it, well first of all there’d be nothing wrong with that if that were the case, but it isn’t. The story behind this single is actually interesting, and it is “dedicated to self-love and confidence” as Ruth herself puts it.

According to Koleva herself, the song comes from her own experiences growing up. She felt lacking in support and understanding in her home like she did not fit in and could not be herself. When Ruth turned 19 years old, she moved to Amsterdam, partly hoping that this well-known cosmopolitan and open-minded city would provide her with a fertile stomping ground to promote her development and freedom, but little did she know that she’d be subject to “grossed-out faces” and signs of repulsion by the locals when she let them know of her Bulgarian origins. So in one of life’s funny twists, she ended up having to stand up for the heritage of a world she left behind. Thus was “Kiss My Attitude” born. “You should never feel ashamed or have to apologize for being who you are or where you’re coming from,” says Ruth, and this an -understandable- chip on her shoulder is what sparked this awesome and catchy anthem of self-acceptance that we so eagerly present you with today.

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Featured Photo Credit: Mihail Novakov