“House by the Lake” - Kristjan Ruus
Credit: Single artwork by: Henri Papson
What happens when an artist not only makes music, but also sits with it, relives it, and lets us join him in that vulnerable space. That’s exactly what Kristjan Ruus is doing in his new series, “Listening to My Own Music.” It’s not just an artist pressing play. It’s something deeper, something slower, something kind of… sacred.
Kristjan listens to his own tracks—released or unreleased—in a single, uninterrupted take, in real-time, with you. No cuts. No replays. Just his music, and whatever the moment brings. It's intimate and strangely profound—like eavesdropping on someone’s internal monologue, except that person is brave enough to share it.
Each episode takes place in a different location, chosen not for aesthetics, but for meaning. Because in Kristjan’s world, place matters. Memory lives in walls, trees, lakes, and even old brutalist apartment blocks. It’s not just about the music—it’s about the setting that shaped it.
Episode 1: House by the Lake
We start with Kristjan sitting in a space rooted in nostalgia and loss: the memory of his grandfather, a green guard cabin by a marina, sandwiches made by his grandmother, and a thermos of Earl Grey tea. It's humble. It's tender. It's real.
The track “House by the Lake” becomes the soundtrack to a reimagined memory, a gentle fiction Kristjan gifts to his late grandfather. Instead of picturing him in the gray high-rises of Eastern Europe, Kristjan rebuilds his resting place as something softer—more peaceful. A lakeside home.
It’s not about performance. It’s about presence. And grief. And love.
Photo Credit: Kristjan Ruus EPK
Let’s be honest: most artists move on from their work the moment it’s released. But Kristjan is doing the opposite—turning inward, giving each track a new life by placing it back into the story that birthed it. It’s a reminder that music doesn’t just live on Spotify—it lives in us. In our rituals. In our memories. In that thermos of tea we still make the same way, years later.
And that vulnerability is rare. Refreshing. And quietly courageous.
Kristjan teases that Episode 2 is on the way this month. If Episode 1 is any indication, we’re in for more than just songs—we’re in for emotional time travel, scored by ambient textures, personal reflections, and a rawness that feels almost like reading someone’s diary.
“Listening to My Own Music” isn’t your usual artist vlog. It’s poetry in motion, a reflection on what it means to create and then revisit what you’ve made—with all the joy, grief, and memory it carries. Kristjan Ruus invites us to listen with him, not to him, and that makes all the difference.
So grab a cup of Earl Grey, find a quiet moment, and sit with Episode 1. It’s not just a song. It’s a memory. And maybe it’ll stir up a few of yours too.
“House by the Lake” is available now on all major streaming platforms
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Listen to Kristjan Ruus and other similar artists on our Spotify Playlist ‘New Music Spotlight - Classical & Ambient’
