47 Facts About Xavier Rudd

Xavier Rudd was born on 29 May 1978 and is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist.

Xavier Rudd's maternal grandfather was Dutch, born in Tilburg, a town in the Netherlands, before migrating to Australia.

Xavier Rudd claims to be of Aboriginal, Irish and Scottish heritage, furthermore mentioning being of Wurundjeri ancestry, and that one of his great grandmothers was an Aboriginal Australian, and her child was taken away from her.

Xavier Rudd showed a keen interest in music growing up in a family of seven children.

Xavier Rudd 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 Hawaiian and Native American music.

Xavier Rudd felt "spun out" watching the American media coverage, including graphic imagery of the destruction of the World Trade Center.

Rather than inviting guest artists to join him on the record, Xavier Rudd performed all the instrumentation for the album alone with only a few overdubs.

Xavier Rudd recorded Food in the Belly in mid-2004 whilst on break from an extensive North American tour.

Xavier Rudd thought it was the spirit of his then wife's grandmother.

In 2007, Xavier Rudd partnered with Clif Bar's GreenNotes program to create the "Better People Campaign".

The album saw Xavier Rudd introduce a heavier sound, using electric guitars in place of acoustic guitars and creating darker more somber tones.

Xavier Rudd recorded with Dave Tolley, a percussionist drummer, who he had previously collaborated with for White Moth and Food in the Belly.

Xavier Rudd was referring to his and Lutken's divorce, which was finalised in 2009.

Xavier Rudd had met Moloantoa and Nqubezelo performing at the 2008 Wiesen Nuke Festival.

In 2011, Xavier Rudd underwent emergency back surgery, to repair three herniated disks, bone spurs and nerve damage.

Xavier Rudd wrote the track Comfortable in My Skin, on his 2012 album Spirit Bird, when he was suffering from major nerve pain before his surgery.

The song Spirit Bird came about after an encounter Xavier Rudd had with a red-tailed black cockatoo in the Kimberley.

The encounter coincided with Xavier Rudd experiencing a powerful rush of imagery and emotion.

Nanna, the 2015 album Xavier Rudd released in collaboration with the United Nations, champions cultural understanding and condemns racism and intolerance.

Xavier Rudd said that he had never really liked his voice before and vocals were often little more than an afterthought, but by 2016 was embracing it.

Xavier Rudd had previously declared his support for Goodes addressing the AFL Players' Association 2014 Season Launch.

At the time of writing the song "Creancient" for the album, Xavier Rudd was working with a Shaman in Peru.

Xavier Rudd participated in several ceremonies, including one that involved vomiting and experiencing hallucinations and another involving mud bathing.

Xavier Rudd described the song as something that flowed out of him over a week while he felt like he was outside of himself, looking at his ego from a distance.

In late 2015, Xavier Rudd was forced to cut his North American tour for Nanna short to have disc replacement and fusion surgery in his lower back, having experienced chronic pain over several months.

In November 2015, Xavier Rudd's song "Let Me Be" featured in an Australian TV commercial promoting KFC, a large fast food restaurant chain specialising in factory farmed fried chicken.

PETA responded that they hoped that Xavier Rudd had not approved the use of his music for the advertising.

On 17 June 2021, Xavier Rudd released "Stoney Creek", the lead single from his forthcoming tenth studio album.

In January 2022, Xavier Rudd released "Ball and Chain", the third single from his tenth studio album, Jan Juc Moon.

Xavier Rudd won the 2022 Environmental Music Prize for the 2021 single "Stoney Creek".

Xavier Rudd's songs include stories of the mistreatment of the Indigenous people of his homeland.

Xavier Rudd is a keen surfer, having started when he was five or six years old, and says at times surfing inspires his music.

Xavier Rudd enjoys snowboarding, one of the few activities he wears shoes for.

Xavier Rudd was formerly married to Marci Lutken, an artist from Canada.

Xavier Rudd is married to Ashley Freeman-Xavier Rudd, an Australian former model, and dancer and holistic wellness trainer.

Xavier Rudd became a vegetarian after passing Harris Ranch, California's largest factory farm, during a United States tour.

Xavier Rudd described in an interview with PETA how the experience made him change his diet, saying:.

In February 2009, Xavier Rudd performed at a public rally in opposition to residential development in Torquay.

Xavier Rudd received the 'Rock the Boat Award' in 2009 for his support of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Xavier Rudd is friends with Canadian environmentalist Paul Watson, who founded Sea Shepherd.

In January 2010, Xavier Rudd was one of the last passengers aboard Sea Shepherd ship Ady Gil, days before it sank after a collision with the MV Shonan Maru 2 Japanese whaling security vessel.

In 2012, Xavier Rudd was outspoken against Colin Barnett's plan to open up the Kimberley to mining operations.

Xavier Rudd joined the Save the Kimberley movement to save James Price Point.

In 2014, Xavier Rudd performed at the Bentley anti-gas blockade campsite, in support of the Lock the Gate Alliance.

In 2015, Xavier Rudd was criticised for selling the rights to his song "Let me Be" to the multi-national company KFC, well known for their factory-farmed chicken, in a television advertisement.

The advertising campaign was widely criticised by fans, and the absence of a response or explanation by Xavier Rudd served to undermine his integrity relative to his activism.

Xavier Rudd has become a known name at music festivals worldwide including the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the High Sierra Music Festival and the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival, moe.