About

Ruhiya is a singer, songwriter, and sound healer with Visayan and Celtic ancestry. Conceived in the Philippines, born in London, and raised in Herefordshire with dozens of fostered siblings, the intense and colourful world around her, inspired her to write songs from around the age of 7.

Fusing heartfelt melodious vocals with the sounds of nature and live instrumentation, Ruhiya's music shares stories and expresses sacred remembrance. Her life's work is inspired by the premise that music is not only a source of enjoyment, but also a powerful healing modality, a harmonious tool for social cohesion, and a powerful portal to the divine mystery, where space, silence and listening, form the foundation and canvas.

Ruhiya's voice has taken her all over the world, from headlining shows at Joe's Pub (New York), The Wynwood Yard (Miami), The Fridge (Dubai), and the SOAS Concert Series (London); to performances at Glastonbury festival, The Secret Garden Party and Waterford Festival (Ireland) with the Latin Dub Sound System; Roskilde festival (Denmark), Splash festival (Germany), Jazz Cafe (London) and Hammersmith Apollo (London) with Yarah Bravo; Latitude Festival, a Sweden tour with the London International Gospel choir; and a women’s prison in Cebu, Philippines.

As a singer-songwriter, Ruhiya has recorded with the Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel choir in South Africa, and featured on BBC Introducing, FOX TV Middle East, TFC Balitang America, Timeout magazine Dubai, SunStar newspaper Cebu Philippines, and Songlines Magazine. 

After experiencing healing through sound with a Shamanic healer, Ruhiya embarked on a sound healing practitioner course with Simon Heather at the College of Sound Healing between 2016- 2018. From 2020-2023 she provided guided meditation and sound healing sessions for NHS workers through the charity initiative Duty to Care. She has also led sound healing sessions for staff at Coursera, With and For Girls and Workboard; and led workshops at Guildhall School for Music and Soul Sanctuary Yoga Studios. 

In 2021 Ruhiya received an MA. in Music in Development from SOAS, University of London. Her final dissertation was presented as a podcast featuring native and indigenous Filipino voices including Lily Mendoza, Taipan Lucero, Delmo Dulay of the Tboli people, Rolinda Gilbaliga of the Panay Bukidnon, and many more. In 2022 she took part in an interdisciplinary project for artists with Filipino heritage called Maharlika, funded by the Arts Council UK.

Ruhiya's debut album “Ginhawa” was released in July 2022, and produced by Zayn Mohammed. Inspired by her matriarchal lineage, nature, spirit, and dreams, the album weaves together folk, soul, jazz, and chant.

Ruhiya is currently based in the UK where she continues to record, share live music, teach holistic singing and offer sound healing sessions. Her recent acoustic live EP "Carry Me Home", featuring Jakey Boy Hughes, was released on all streaming stores in May 2023.