Ralph (singer)
Ralph | |
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Ralph performing in March 2017 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Raffaela Weyman |
Born |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | October 20, 1988
Origin | Toronto, Ontario |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 2014–present |
Labels | 604 Records |
Website |
604records |
Raffaela Weyman (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as Ralph (often stylised as RALPH), is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario.
Early life
Weyman was born on October 20, 1988 in Toronto, Ontario. She's a trained vocalist from Toronto's collegial Annex neighborhood.[1] As a child, Weyman developed appreciation for the sounds and styles of the past, including Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Prince and The Temptations.[2]
Career
2015–16: Early beginnings
Weyman began writing and performing as Ralph a few years ago with a creative partner. According to her, it wasn't a productive relationship as she'd receive instrumental portions from him and have to write songs based on them: "I always felt it was a bit of a backseat project for a little while. I was interested in the project, and doing it with him, but I felt this disconnect because I wouldn't be writing the songs with him."[1] On May 1, 2015, she released her debut single "Trouble" with an accompanying video.[3]
After she signed with 604 Records, Ralph started to feel more in control of her own music and began to write songs for her debut EP.[4] The song "Cold to the Touch" was released on May 25, 2016 as the lead single from the project.[5] Three months later, she released the second single "Something More" on August 3, which was inspired by Aziz Ansari's Netflix show Master of None.[6] The music video for the song premiered on October 7, becoming her first official video to be released on Vevo.[7] The third single "Busy Man" was released on October 24.[8]
2017–18: Ralph and A Good Girl
On February 14, 2017, Ralph announced the release of the EP's fourth single "Tease". The next day, on February 15, the song came out alongside a proper music video.[9] On the same day, the self-titled EP Ralph became available to pre-order on iTunes. The EP was officially released on March 3 containing all her previous singles, with the exception of "Trouble", plus two new songs, "Lit the Fire" and "Crocodile Tears",[10] the latter being the first song she wrote for the project.[1] A launch party for the EP was held on March 22 at Drake Underground in Toronto.[11] On May 17, the single "Cold to the Touch" received an official music video.[12]
On June 28, Ralph released a cover of Candi Staton's song "Young Hearts Run Free" as a promotional single.[13] The singer has revealed she's been working on a full-length album, which she expects to be "bigger, better and more interesting, more surprising".[1] On October 6, 2017, she released "Screenplay", featuring the Canadian duo The Darcys, as a promotional single to support the tour they held together in November.[14]
"September Fades", previously known as "Evergreen", was released on March 7, 2018 as the lead single from her upcoming debut album.[15] The music video for the song was filmed on October 18, 2017 and released on March 7, 2018. It was directed by Gemma Warren and it is mainly inspired by the American TV series Twink Peaks.[16] On May 2, 2018, Ralph released a second single titled "Girl Next Door", which features fellow Canadian rapper TOBi.[17] A music video for the single, directed by Ally Pankiw, premiered on July 4, 2018.[18] The third single, "Tables Have Turned", was released on July 18, 2018.[19] On August 22, the singer announced the release date of her debut studio album A Good Girl, which is scheduled to be released on September 28, 2018.[20] Along with the announcement, "Weather" was released as the fourth single from the album.[21]
Artistry
Ralph described her musical genre as a mixture between synth-pop, disco and smooth soul. She has mentioned Donna Summer, Cher, Stevie Nicks and Sade as her main influences.[22] According to her label 604 Records, the singer "blends funky 1970's bass with 1980's style pop keys, while staying contemporary through vocal melodies and fresh synth sounds". Her songwriting style is described as narrative, usually following themes of "jealousy, lust, deception and strength".[2]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Details |
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A Good Girl |
|
Extended plays
Title | Details |
---|---|
Ralph |
|
Singles
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Trouble"[24] | 2015 | Non-album single |
"Cold to the Touch"[25] | 2016 | Ralph |
"Something More"[26] | ||
"Busy Man"[27] | ||
"Tease"[28] | 2017 | |
"September Fades"[15] | 2018 | A Good Girl |
"Girl Next Door"[17] (featuring TOBi) | ||
"Tables Have Turned"[19] | ||
"Weather"[21] | ||
Promotional singles
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Young Hearts Run Free"[29] | 2017 | Non-album single |
"Screenplay"[30] (with The Darcys) |
Music videos
Director credits adapted from IMVDb.[31]
Year | Title | Other artist(s) | Director(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | "Trouble" | None | Kit Knows |
2016 | "Something More" | Matt Bianchi and Thea Hollatz | |
2017 | "Tease" | Gemma Warren | |
"Cold to the Touch" | |||
2018 | "September Fades" | ||
2018 | "Girl Next Door" | TOBi | Ally Pankiw |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "RALPH is Master And Commander of Her Own Brand of Pop". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- 1 2 "RALPH – 604 Records". 604 Records. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "PREMIERE: Take a Joyride with Ralph for Her Debut Video "Trouble"". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ↑ "Ralph Musician: Meet Your New Fave Woke Pop Princess". Flare. 2017-05-23. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Ralph drops her infectious summer jam 'Cold To The Touch'". The 405. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Premiere: RALPH - 'Something More'". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Something More - Ralph". VEVO. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Synth-pop songstress RALPH chases a happy ending on "Busy Man"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Toronto's RALPH deals with promiscuous men on 80s-inspired "Tease"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Ralph – Ralph EP CD (Canada Only) – 604 Records Shop". 604 Records. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Photo Review – RALPH EP Release Party". Canadian Beats Media. 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
- ↑ "RALPH Debuts 'Cold To The Touch' Music Video". Much.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "RALPH's "Young Hearts Run Free" Cover Makes Us Want to Watch 'Romeo + Juliet'". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Ralph releases new single, "Screenplay" featuring The Darcys". Canadian Beats Media. 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
- 1 2 September Fades - Single by Ralph, 2018-03-09, retrieved 2018-06-01
- ↑ "Ralph Takes Advantage of Love In 'September Fades'". PAPER. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
- 1 2 Girl Next Door (feat. TOBi) - Single by Ralph, 2018-05-02, retrieved 2018-06-01
- ↑ "Ralph Is The 'Girl Next Door' In Hazy Video Featuring TOBi". Much.com. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
- 1 2 Tables Have Turned - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2018-07-18, retrieved 2018-07-18
- 1 2 "RALPH share new single "Weather" - Indscene »". Indscene ». 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- 1 2 Weather - Single by Ralph, 2018-08-22, retrieved 2018-08-23
- ↑ "Five Questions With Ralph". Canadian Beats Media. 2017-02-25. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ Ralph - EP by Ralph on Apple Music, 2017-03-03, retrieved 2017-09-18
- ↑ Trouble - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2015-05-01, retrieved 2017-09-18
- ↑ Cold to the Touch - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2016-05-25, retrieved 2017-09-18
- ↑ Something More - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2016-08-03, retrieved 2017-09-18
- ↑ Busy Man - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2016-10-24, retrieved 2017-09-18
- ↑ Tease - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2017-02-15, retrieved 2017-09-18
- ↑ Young Hearts Run Free - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2017-06-28, retrieved 2017-09-18
- ↑ Screenplay (feat. The Darcys) - Single by Ralph on Apple Music, 2017-10-06, retrieved 2017-10-06
- ↑ "Ralph | IMVDb". IMVDb. Retrieved 2017-09-18.