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".
Choices
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm feeling cold, cold to the bones
Let me down so I can fly, fly, fly
Dragonfly doesn't matter
With flowers in the sunshine
Warming me up to the bones, lifting me up
So I can fly
She's says it's nothing to be said, nothing to be gained
From the winds that blow today
Now you have is time, walking down the slide and twisted
Preservatives of life
You have what you have what you have is for you
And the future of your child
Look there's a full moon, I'm looking at you
Choices, you've been wrong and you've been cold
Choices, you've been wrong, you've been cold
Choices, you've been wrong and you've been cold
Choices, choices
I'm not scared, no no
I maybe just a little scared to die
Scared to die
She's said this nothing to be said, nothing to be gained
From the winds that blow today
Now you have is time, walking down the slide and crooked
Preservatives of life
You have what you have what you have is for you
For the future for your child
Look there's a full moon, I'm looking at you
Choices, you've been wrong, you've been cold
Choices, you've been wrong, you've been cold
Choices, you've been wrong and you've been cold
Choices, choices
The lyrics of "Choices" by Xavier Rudd are open to interpretation, but they seem to be about finding peace and acceptance in life, despite the challenges and mistakes we make along the way. The first verse expresses a desire to escape from the world and find solace in nature, represented by the image of a dragonfly. The second verse contains the statement "she says it's nothing to be said, nothing to be gained from the winds that blow today," which could be a message to the singer that dwelling on the past or worrying about the future is futile. The chorus repeats the word "choices" as a reminder that we are responsible for the paths we take in life, but that we should not beat ourselves up for making mistakes.
The third verse contains the lines "I'm not scared, no no / I maybe just a little scared to die," which could be interpreted as the singer facing their mortality and accepting the natural fear that comes with it. The final repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that our choices have consequences, but we should not let them define us or hold us back from moving forward.
Overall, the lyrics of "Choices" seem to encourage us to be present in the moment, accept our flaws and mistakes, and embrace the beauty and transience of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me down to rest of the world
Allow me to detach from the chaos of the world
I'm feeling cold, cold to the bones
I'm emotionally drained and need warmth
Let me down so I can fly, fly, fly
Allow me to soar and be free
Dragonfly doesn't matter
I'm not attached to any material possession
With flowers in the sunshine
The beauty of nature can bring warmth and happiness
Warming me up to the bones, lifting me up
Nature has a way of rejuvenating the mind and spirit
She's says it's nothing to be said, nothing to be gained
Don't waste time on things that won't benefit you
From the winds that blow today
From the distractions of the present moment
Now you have is time, walking down the slide and twisted
Make the most of the time you have, even if the path is difficult
Preservatives of life
Material possessions that don't bring true value to life
You have what you have what you have is for you
Be content with what you have, it's enough for you
And the future of your child
Think about the legacy you'll leave for future generations
Look there's a full moon, I'm looking at you
Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the world
Choices, you've been wrong and you've been cold
Sometimes the choices we make don't bring us warmth or fulfillment
I'm not scared, no no
I'm not afraid of what's to come
I maybe just a little scared to die
But the unknown of death can be daunting
She's said this nothing to be said, nothing to be gained
Don't dwell on things that won't benefit your life
From the winds that blow today
From the distractions of the present moment
Now you have is time, walking down the slide and crooked
Make the most of the time you have, even if the path is difficult
Preservatives of life
Material possessions that don't bring true value to life
For the future for your child
Think about the legacy you'll leave for future generations
Choices, you've been wrong and you've been cold
Sometimes the choices we make don't bring us warmth or fulfillment
Choices, choices
We always have the power to choose and change our path
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: XAVIER RUDD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind