Growing up in a family of seven children in Torquay, Victoria (Australia), near the famous surfing location Bells Beach, Rudd showed a keen interest in music. While primary school-aged, Rudd used his mother's vacuum cleaner as a makeshift didgeridoo and he began playing his brother's guitar. He also played saxophone and clarinet as a child.
Before launching his solo career, Rudd began playing music as part of the band 'Xavier and the Hum'. In 2004, Rudd released Solace, his first album to be distributed by a major label.
Rudd's music is compassionate and always manages to render emotion in his fans. His songs include stories of the mistreatment of the indigenous people of his homeland; they tell of humanity, spirituality or the environment. The songs are written and sung with compassion and they urge the celebration of life.
Rudd is skilled with a variety of instruments, include guitar, shaker, didgeridoo, Weissenborn slide guitar, Tongue drum, stomp boxe, djembe, harmonica, ankle bells, and slide banjo. It's an experience to watch him perform his songs live, as he plays the guitar, digeridoo and various percussion instruments simultaneously, using a unique stage setup. But the real magic comes when he opens his mouth and his soulful voice spills upon his audience.
Rudd recalls that when he was 10, his dad took him to see Paul Simon’s Graceland tour. “I remember seeing it and knowing that that was what I was gonna do,” he says. “I had no doubt. It sort of made sense, because I’d always lived in my head, in this world of song that was my own little secret. But to see that show and that whole thing happening, I sort of felt comfortable as a human, and thought.” He learned to play the digeridoo, the 50,000-year-old wooden trumpet of the Aboriginal people, by practising on a vacuum cleaner pipe.
As a teenager, Rudd really got into songwriting. He started performing at his school, with solo gigs following. He drew inspiration from artists such as Leo Kottke, Ben Harper, Natalie Merchant and multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, as well as music from diverse sources, such as Hawaii and Native American music.
As with most solo artists, Rudd has experimented playing in a band. Though it was a short- lived experiment, as Rudd quickly found that it wasn't the right way to go for him. “What I do now is just more me,” he says. “And it sounds full.”
Quotes:
“It’s all about peace and happiness,” he says of his performances. “That’s sort of the blanket that seems to sort of settle in the room, or on the venue when I play, but I sort of feel not solely responsible. I don’t really feel like it’s me and the audience. I feel like it’s all of us, one big connection and I just happen to be channeling the energy through music. It comes from the audience and channels through me and I put it back in the audience.”
“My music is about good spirit. I’m so lucky to be able to do what I do. I’m so blessed to be able to be able to travel around and play music and connect with so many people in so many places in so many cultures. It’s a gift of life as a musician.”
After the failure of his marriage in 2009, Rudd was supported in his grief and recovery by new South African bandmates, bassist Tio Moloantoa and percussionist Andile Nqubezelo. Rudd had met Moloantoa and Nqubezelo performing at the 2008 Wiesen Nuke Festival in Austria. Rudd described his connection with Moloantoa and Nqubezelo as musical, spiritual and emotional—"I feel like they were sent to me," he said.
In 2010 Rudd bought 20 hectares of property at Koonyum Range, Mullumbimby, the location was the inspiration for the name of the album Rudd would release with Moloantoa and Nqubezelo, titled "Koonyum Sun", as Xavier Rudd & Izintaba. The album moved away from the heavier sound of Rudd's 2008 album "Dark Shades of Blue" to a more up-beat style.
"Nanna", the 2015 album Rudd released as Xavier Rudd & the United Nations champions cultural understanding and condemns racism and intolerance. It features a diverse group of musicians from Australia, South Africa, Samoa, Germany, Ireland, and Papua New Guinea.
In 2018, Rudd released "Storm Boy".
Better People
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And giving your thanks to our seas
My respect to the ones in the forest
Standing up for our old trees
Them giving food to the hungry
Giving hope to the needy
Giving life to a baby, giving care for free
We have everything we need and I will care for you
'Cause you care for me
And we all have opinions, some of them get through
But there's better people with more good to do, good to do
What I have could be a message
Or just some words from my heart
My respect to the ones making changes
For all the lives they'll give their all
Like giving food to the hungry
Giving hope to the needy
Giving life to a baby, giving care for free
'Cause there is freedom around us
We have everything we need and I will care for you
'Cause you cared for me
And we all have opinions, some of them get through
But there's better people with more good to do, good to do
When our world keeps spinning round and round it goes
Mother Nature keeps spreading its disease
And our children keep growing up with
What they know through what we teach and what they see
And so only a question of the time we have
And the lives that our children need
As they can only keep growing up with
What they know through what we teach and what they see
Like giving food to the hungry
Giving hope to the needy
Giving life to a baby, giving care for free
'Cause there is freedom around us
We have everything we need and I will care for you
'Cause you care for me
We all have opinions, some of them get through
But there's better people with more good to do, good to do
Oh good to do
In Xavier Rudd's song Better People, he praises individuals who are making an effort to help others and the planet, and he encourages listeners to join in. He mentions individuals who are saving whales and taking care of the seas, as well as those standing up for the old trees in the forest. He commends those who are feeding the hungry, providing hope to the needy, and caring for babies for free. The singer believes that freedom is all around us, and with all we have, we can and should care for each other.
The song emphasizes the idea that every positive action that people take, regardless of how small, contributes to creating a better world. The problem is that some people's opinions hold us back from achieving that positive change. But ultimately, there are better people determined to make a difference. Finally, Rudd highlights the importance of teaching our children well and showing them positive role models to follow.
Overall, Better People is a song that inspires us to be more compassionate towards others and nature. It is a call to action that invites us to join in and change the world one small step at a time.
Line by Line Meaning
People saving whales
Acknowledging and praising individuals who are actively involved in saving the whales.
And giving your thanks to our seas
Expressing gratitude towards the oceans for its contribution towards the well-being of humanity.
My respect to the ones in the forest
Showing admiration towards conservationists who work towards preserving the forest and protecting its inhabitants.
Standing up for our old trees
Supporting and honoring the individuals who fight for the protection and preservation of the old trees.
Them giving food to the hungry
Recognizing and respecting those individuals who take the initiative of feeding those in need and helping to eradicate hunger.
Giving hope to the needy
Appreciating those who inspire the less fortunate to believe in themselves and their abilities to overcome challenges.
Giving life to a baby, giving care for free
Admiring those medical practitioners and caregivers who selflessly devote their time and effort to saving lives and providing care to those in need.
'Cause there is freedom around us
Highlighting the fact that freedom exists all around us, and we need to use it for making the world a better place.
We have everything we need and I will care for you
Acknowledging that everything we need is available to us and we need to care for our fellow beings to make this world a better place.
'Cause you cared for me
Expressing gratitude towards those who have taken care of us and reminding us that we too need to care for others.
And we all have opinions, some of them get through
Indicating that everyone has an opinion and some of them are worth listening to and adopting.
But there's better people with more good to do, good to do
Acknowledging that there are individuals who are doing better work and embracing the idea that one can improve oneself to contribute positively to the world.
When our world keeps spinning round and round it goes
Reminding us that our world is constantly rotating and that everything is transient.
Mother Nature keeps spreading its disease
Drawing attention to the side effects of humans' negative impact on the environment and the resulting issues.
And our children keep growing up with
Highlighting the fact that the next generation is growing up in the world that we are shaping.
What they know through what we teach and what they see
Stressing that children learn from what we teach them and the environment they are exposed to.
And so only a question of the time we have
Emphasizing the fact that time is finite and that the actions we take will have a lasting impact.
And the lives that our children need
Highlighting the significance of making the world a better place for future generations to grow up in.
As they can only keep growing up with
Reminding us that the environment we provide to our children will determine their future.
What they know through what we teach and what they see
Reiterating that children learn from what they are taught and the experiences to which they are exposed.
Oh good to do
Encouraging individuals to strive for good deeds that positively impact the world around us.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: XAVIER RUDD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kristy Marie
"I'll care for you, cause you care for me." So beautiful!
James M
Just brilliant such a powerful message, real music at its best :) peace
Liquid Sunshine
Thank you Xavier for putting this out there…. ❣️👐🏻❣️
Ellen See
you are the best artist of all time. you've really inspired me through my young years to be kind, and decide on a future
negranette
Very good message!!
Robert Anderson
Wat an artist, seen xavier all over the globe 🌎 👏
Pentruca Pot
nice vibe ! infinite love !
Penny
Thank you from me and my grandchildren and theirs, this IS the message xo
karen saville
AWESOME MAN,,,GIVES ME HOPE,,
Amir Keshtkar
There is enough for everybody... every being deserves a beautiful life...