LGBTQ+ songwriter Runrummer relives coming out with new song, ‘Toronto’
Graham Robson
LGBTQ+ songwriter Runrummer, an exciting new name in the alt-pop space, has released an anthemic new single, Toronto, which is an upbeat, pop-electronic anthem that explores issues around loss of identity and was written at a time when she was first coming out.
For Runrummer her work is a reflection of herself, as well as her socio-political beliefs. Growing up, she faced a struggle to find herself as she came to terms with her sexuality and gender identity. She lived in a number of different places from Birmingham, Brighton, and even Canada, before settling down in East London. Her experiences have given her an open-minded viewpoint with which to face the world. Idolising Bowie and Kate Bush, she often found music a form of escapism and familiarity, so she now writes to inspire the next generation and those around her in the LGBTQ+ space.
On the new track, she states: ‘Toronto is a song about growing up with big dreams, but feeling trapped in a place where you can’t achieve them. I lived in Ontario when I was 19 and Toronto was always a place which made me feel excited for life and the future. On the flip side it also embodies a time where my life was in turmoil and I had lots of apprehensions – about being gay, coming out, experimenting with drugs, living far away from home for the first time, and trying to live up to people’s expectations. I think this feeling of teetering on a double-edged sword, on the cusp of life, is really what the song really tries to capture.’
