Xavier Rudd (born 29 May 1978) is a soulful Australian singer-songwriter an… Read Full Bio ↴Xavier Rudd (born 29 May 1978) is a soulful Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose songs encompass themes such as spirituality, humanity, environmentalism and the rights of Indigenous Australians. He recorded as Xavier Rudd & Izintaba for the 2010 album "Koonyum Sun" and as Xavier Rudd & the United Nations for the 2017 album "Nanna".

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".

Chances
Xavier Rudd Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

At times in life
You'll connect with some
And some will have to move on
At times you'll feel
The need to fly
And fly though you may hurt someone

You were there

Your chances were clear
Choices were made in spite
Of times that were spent
Feelings were mixed
Amongst your support base
A heart was lost
But a heart found its place

This is a recipe of life
Made up of fragments of peoples
Peace and peoples vibes

Well its each now to their own
Well your heart will know

Overall Meaning

"Chances" is a song that talks about different phases in life where we connect with certain people, but eventually, some of them have to move on. There are moments when one feels the need to spread their wings and fly, even though this might hurt someone. The lyrics imply that life is full of tough decisions, especially concerning relationships. The chorus of the song emphasizes that choices were made, and even though the feelings were mixed, the heart still found its place.

Xavier Rudd's "Chances" is a song that tries to capture the uncertainties of life. The lyrics suggest that life is a recipe that contains different elements of peoples' experiences, peace, and vibes. It emphasizes that everyone should follow their own heart, and it will lead them to where they need to be. The song's laid-back melody and the use of percussions create a soothing sound, which matches the theme of the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

At times in life
Occasionally during life

You'll connect with some
You will bond with certain individuals

And some will have to move on
But other people will need to leave your life.

At times you'll feel
Periodically you will sense

The need to fly
The urge to flee

And fly though you may hurt someone
Despite the fact that you may injure someone by leaving

You were there
You were present

Your chances were clear
Your options were unambiguous.

Choices were made in spite
Despite difficult conditions, decisions were taken

Of times that were spent
Despite the fact that time was consumed,

Feelings were mixed
Emotions were complicated