Rooty

Rooty, the Irish singer-songwriter, first earned acclaim by crafting material for acts like One Direction and Britney Spears ahead of stepping forward as a performer in her own right. Born Ruth-Anne Cunningham in 1988 and raised in Donaghmede, a North Dublin suburb, she took her stage name from the local pronunciation of “Ruthie.” Childhood lessons at the celebrated Billie Barry Stage School led her to begin composing at age seven, under the impression “that was just what singers did.” Steeped in ’90s R&B, she assembled the girl group Dolce Vita at twelve. At seventeen her father secretly entered her demo in the RTÉ Jacob’s Song Contest, which she won. Straight after leaving school in 2005 she relocated to L.A., staying with the family of her then-manager Eamonn Maguire. Within weeks she met the legendary Billy Steinberg and co-wrote “Too Little Too Late” with him. The next year JoJo turned the song into a major hit, reaching number three on the Billboard chart and the top ten in six further countries, which set Cunningham’s songwriting career in motion. Over the ensuing decade she refined her skills and reputation through work with leading artists, delivering hits such as Britney Spears’ “Work Bitch,” One Direction’s “No Control,” and Bebe Rexha’s “In the Name of Love.” Her own vocal work began in 2012 as the featured singer on Professor Green’s “Remedy,” credited as RuthAnne; she switched to the name Rooty in 2014. In 2017 she appeared on JRY’s track “Pray,” featured on the soundtrack of the blockbuster film Fifty Shades Darker.