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.”
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“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".
White Moth
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These healthy children are fruits of the tree
Turquoise flotation on the Indian Sea
We can float together, you and me now
And we love you it's a beautiful day
Thank you for the journey to this new day where we've been
Gifted this island we've been gifted this day
Feel a daddy is taking his steps 1, 2, 3
While the other one keeps on amazing us by what he can see
To you're through broken shells a white moth comes
She gives herself to him 'cause he keeps you strong
And we love you it's a beautiful day
Thank you for the journey to this new day where we've been
Gifted this island we've been gifted this day
And we're all here together on this beautiful day
And we love you it's a beautiful day
And we're all here together on this beautiful day
Well we love you it's a beautiful day
And we're all here together on this beautiful day
The first stanza of the song, "White Moth," sets the scene of a tropical paradise with sand on one's feet and turquoise waters in the Indian Sea. The lyrics suggest unity and harmony as "we can float together, you and me now." This represents a peaceful moment where one can escape and find refuge in nature's beauty. The second stanza switches to expressing gratitude towards a higher power for gifting the characters the island and the day itself. This stanza emphasizes the idea of being present and cherishing the moment, which is echoed in the last stanza.
The third and final stanza touches on the beauty of life and how it can be fragile yet resilient. A father is walking with his child who is in wonder at everything around him, while a white moth emerges from broken shells and offers itself to keep one strong. This is a metaphor for appreciating the small things in life and the actions taken to preserve it. The lyrics circle back to the first stanza's idea of unity as everyone is present and connected, making it a beautiful day.
Overall, "White Moth" is a song that emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and appreciation for the world around us. It encourages us to take in the moment and appreciate life's beauty because it is fleeting.
Line by Line Meaning
Tiny bones and skin, sand on your feet
You are a small and insignificant part of the world, with only your bare bones and skin left. You are nothing more than a few grains of sand on the vast beach of life.
These healthy children are fruits of the tree
The people around you are the products of their past experiences and upbringing, just like how fruits are the result of their trees' growth and history.
Turquoise flotation on the Indian Sea
The gentle blue-green waves of the Indian Ocean beneath us make for a peaceful and calming scene.
We can float together, you and me now
Let's enjoy this serene moment together and share in each other's company.
And we love you it's a beautiful day
We are grateful for this day and feel affection for those around us.
Thank you for the journey to this new day where we've been
We give thanks for being alive and experiencing all the new things this day brings.
Gifted this island we've been gifted this day
We feel blessed to be on this island and to have this day to explore and enjoy it.
And we're all here together on this beautiful day
We are all sharing this experience together and appreciate each other's company.
Feel a daddy is taking his steps 1, 2, 3
Someone is taking measured and methodical steps, perhaps showing determination and discipline to achieve a goal.
While the other one keeps on amazing us by what he can see
Another person is displaying a unique perspective and understanding of the world around them, impressing those around them.
To you're through broken shells a white moth comes
Through a landscape of waste and damage, a pure and unspoilt creature emerges.
She gives herself to him 'cause he keeps you strong
The moth offers itself to another being who is able to give it support and protection, as it recognizes and appreciates those qualities.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: XAVIER RUDD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind