Duo Ruut: “Whatever is going on around you will influence the art you make”

When Duo Ruut perform, their voices meet with an intensity as powerful as their gaze. Sitting on either side of a kannel, an Estonian zither, their eyes lock on one another as they sing: ‘I went to the woods in the morning, before the moon, before the tiny stars / Fog wrecked my new coat, rain ruined the pretty sleigh, frost spoiled a good horse.’

Duo Ruut are Ann-Lisett Rebane and Katariina Kivi, childhood friends who formed the band in 2017. To watch them perform is a bewitching experience; their voices engage in ethereal harmony, while their hands pluck and strum the kannel’s 42 strings and beat drumsticks on its metre-long wooden body. It feels as youthful and experimental as it does shamanic and ancestral.

The Tallinn-based twosome released their debut album, Tuule sõnad (Words of the Wind), in 2019, earning sweeping acclaim. Their approach is minimal – there’s little more than the zither and their voices – yet it’s executed powerfully, with lyrics lifted from the texts and transcripts of traditional Estonian folk songs, first heard centuries ago in the mountain villages, dark green forests and the rocky beaches of the Baltic Sea.

Duo Ruut make music that goes beyond a sonic exploration of their homeland; theirs is a deep meditation on Estonian identity. Their newly released second album, Ilmateade (Weather Report), pays homage to the historical significance of daily weather forecasts in folk songs. In a country characterised by its natural landscape – around half of Estonia is forest – the connection to nature is a constant in each song, at the crux of every emotion, at the centre of each event.

“As we discovered while researching this album, the weather was an important topic for our ancestors”, says Rebane. “The weather didn’t just influence feelings. It meant life or death; to have plenty or to starve.”

Kivi nods in agreement. “Estonians like using nature metaphors, too”, she says, referring to their recent single ‘Kuuse Koht’, which is based on traditional texts, reimagined with rhythmic strumming that sounds reflective and hopeful, rather than morose and solemn. “It’s about the death of someone’s parents. It describes a fallen tree and spreading leaves, probably as a way of coping with these intense feelings.”

Rebane continues: “Reading these old texts and making songs from them means we are always finding parallels between people 200 years ago and the modern-day struggles we have. It’s just about being human.”

Words between the two friends flow without interruption or pause, their seeming telepathic connection just as palpable in conversation as it is onstage. They started making music together in secondary school – Rebane on piano, Kivi on cello – and their shared musical journey has deepened ever since. A pivotal moment came in 2017, when they sat before the zither yet had no idea how to play it. Determinedly, they mastered the storied instrument – allegedly Estonia’s oldest – inventing new, unique techniques as they learned.

While their unprecedented use of the zither defines Duo Ruut’s sound, it is not the only symbolic element of their work – Kivi and Rebane’s hushed harmonies build on the significant choral tradition of Estonia. In the late 1980s, choral singing played a pivotal role in a non-violent movement dubbed the ‘Singing Revolution’ which aimed to restore Estonian independence from Soviet occupation. People gathered to sing patriotic songs, which spoke about the beauty of the landscape and the spirit of the people.

“We knew the feeling we wanted to capture,” says Rebane, “and we knew we wanted to make tradition-based music that young people want to listen to. Our small country has a complicated history, and it was important to keep our roots to help understand who we are as people. We’ve since brought folk music to the masses through collaborations and mixing genres.”

Their debut Tuule sõnad folded jazz improvisation and a contemporary classical ambience into their stirring band-sized sound. Ilmateade, in contrast, feels more introspective and personal. “This album is a lot more of our own music, our own melodies,” says Rebane. “And we have collaborations, which we haven’t done before.” For example, ‘Enne ööd’ (Nightfall), a single from Ilmateade, features Estonian poet and musician EiK 2509, who makes experimental spoken word songs. Guided by the choir-like balladry of their vocal (‘Wrap me in a blankie and come to me, once I’ve dispersed the drops of my dreams,’ they whisper), it is a stunning example of how they move tradition into a modern sphere.

A track simply titled ‘Interlude’ features cult Estonian guitarist and art-rocker Erki Pärnoja, who they name as one of their favourite musicians (“making music with him was like a dream!”). Guesting on ‘Vastlalaul’ (Sledding Song) is the Estonian/Finnish nu-folk duo Puuluup, who play the talharpa (a small wooden box lyre with strings), and are internationally known for representing Estonia alongside rap outfit 5MIINUST at Eurovision last year.

While both duos experiment with traditional instruments, Puuluup are markedly different to Duo Ruut, who are around 30 years younger. Reflecting on the generational difference, both Rebane and Kivi share a smile. “It is a logical collaboration,” insists Rebane. “We were always randomly playing the same European festivals and would travel with them as well.” She pauses to make one proud distinction – this interview was conducted before their Glastonbury debut, and their excitement is palpable. “We’re doing Glastonbury, and [Puuluup] probably won’t be there. We’re the second Estonian act to play solo at Glastonbury after [rapper, singer, visual artist and Eurovision 2025 third-placer] Tommy Cash.”

Much of Ilmateade has been composed on tour. Following the success of Tuule sõnad, the band travelled across the world, stopping at venues such as Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and festivals including WOMAD (UK), mesmerising audiences worldwide with their keening harmonies and deftly minimalist approach. In snatched moments, they wrote songs: at a soundcheck in Poland; a seaside cabin in the Baltics; a song written for a friend’s wedding. The pace of their life has led them from composing melodies from archival resources to creating their music from scratch.

“In the beginning, we took traditional melodies and texts and made our own arrangements,” says Kivi, “but for the last five years, pretty much all the songs are our own music. We rarely use the whole text. We take what we need or combine different texts to get the exact text we want.”

The duo hadn’t planned on titling their new album after the weather, but as the tracklist came together – ‘Udu’ (Fog), ‘Suvi rannas’ (Summer at the Beach) – a theme emerged. “It was a joke at first, but then it started sounding like a good idea”, says Rebane. “Additionally, this Estonian word ‘ilmateade’ translates as ‘world news updates’, which we really liked.”

On the topic of world news, it’s worth considering the band’s stance on global affairs, given what’s happening in Ukraine, and the fact that Estonia, a close ally, also shares a border with Russia. With music that speaks so much of identity and nation, are Duo Ruut a political band? Rebane contemplates the answer: “Not directly, but I think whatever is going on around you will influence the art you make. In Estonia, the vibe in the streets changed overnight [when the war in Ukraine broke out]. There were signs for public shelters. Everyone developed a plan in case something happens. That must have influenced our feelings as we made these songs. Things that go on in the mind find their way into the music.”

They pause, reflecting on the significance of their quiet, haunting songs. “That’s also why we travel abroad and sing in Estonian,” says Kivi. “We are keeping our heritage alive.”