The Rua: ‘Dana wants us to stand on our own six feet’

It comes as no surprise that the photogenic trio of Alanna (26), Roseanna (24) and Jonathan Brown (21) have been used as extras in most of the Harry Potter films, as well as others (including Thor and Snow White and the Huntsman). Although some of these sightings are of the blink-and-you-miss-them variety, there are others where profiles and faces are lingered on.

Acting, however, has so far turned evaded the trio as a sustainable career choice. These days it is music all the way for the Brown siblings, who are the constituent members of pop group The Rua.

Their aunt is Rosemary Brown Scallon, better known as Dana. The Brown siblings distance themselves from this fact as far as possible without being rude about it. Why, I ask, is there is no mention of their aunt in their press release biography? Jonathan says that they didn’t write the press release. But surely they all read it? Did it not make biographical sense to mention that a very close Irish relative was, in fact, one of the best-known of Ireland’s Eurovision winners?

Alanna steps in. “Obviously she’s been an influence on our lives, but we’ve worked very hard at what we’re doing, and it isn’t always going to be reflected in who our aunt is.”

Roseanna adds: “She wants us to stand on our own six feet, and didn’t want to get in the way, in any way, at all. She’s there to support us, we know that. She’s interested in the songs, in everything we do, and she’s there to give us advice. She wants us to have the freedom to be The Rua, and that’s it, basically.”

“Another thing about the biog,” says Jonathan, “is that it goes everywhere. Our aunt is very well-known in Ireland, of course, but in America, her name would mean very little.”

Onions and determination
All three Browns are classically trained (piano, violin, vocals) and are also former members of various choral groups, so they know their musical onions. They have stayed with it, they say, because from the very beginning of their training they loved it, and loved playing music together. "We'd never give it up," says Jonathan, and you believe him.

Right now, however, there is no shortage of interest. The band’s debut album, Essence, was released so softly almost two years ago that no one heard it land, but instead of twiddling thumbs or getting resentful at how the world has ignored them, the trio – assisted in no small part by their nurturing record label, FOD – have been mapping out a smart strategy that includes visiting as many American radio stations as they can. Once in situ, The Rua shake hands, schmooze with radio programmers, perform live sessions and meet’n’greet until the cows come home.

It’s a smart promotional move that many other bands ignore or don’t have the record company backing for. Such dedication to selling their wares, however, is paying off for the group. The Rua’s music, also, seems a good fit for the American market: think softer aspects of Fleetwood Mac and Snow Patrol, fluffed up with hints of folk and the occasional flourish of fiddle.

Stressful Derry feiseanna
You need heaps of self-assurance to engage on a marketing mission of such magnitude. Where did they get it from? Attending feiseanna in Derry, that's where.

“Oh, they were great fun,” says Jonathan.

“It was a very good thing for us to do,” adds Alanna, “because it gave us the opportunity to be involved, and it gave us the confidence to get up and do things – in front of hundreds of people, on your own. Everyone is looking at you, so it gave us a good background and basis for what we’re doing now. I would always look at someone, especially if they had a nice, kind, smiling face.”

“I used to look at the judges – to intimidate them,” remembers Roseanna. “I found doing feiseanna stressful, though, because granny was always sitting there, tapping her fingers . . .”

The next few months will involve travelling between the US and Australasia for a much firmer re-release of Essence. This is where they hope all their toil at radio stations will pay off. It’s in the lap of the gods, but if success could be delivered on the basis of being nice and decent, then The Rua would have nothing to worry about.

Creative mark
Making their creative mark isn't going to be easy, but they never try to sound like anyone in particular, says Roseanna. "It's instinctive, and we can tell by looking at each other's faces what's going through our minds, so when we're on stage we can see panic. Or when we're in the studio, we can change things by the look of an eye, a nod of the head . . . or an argument."

Perhaps Jonathan sums it up best: “We’re lucky in that we’re family, because that’s a key thing.”

Our time is up. There are many more radio stations to visit, too many hands to shake, but before they go there is one final question to be asked. What immediately comes to mind when they hear the words “snowdrops and daffodils, butterflies and bees”?

Roseanna (sighs): “We know all the words . . .”

Jonathan (groans): “That song again.”

Alanna (snitches): “She doesn’t always get the words right, you know. I think she sings it so often that she sometimes just doesn’t think about it.”

SIBLING BANDS: THREE OF THE BEST

The Jackson 5

The founding members of this American pop-soul family group were Jackie, Marlon, Jermaine and Tito, but when kid brother Michael joined them in the mid-1960s, they went from performing in talent shows to becoming one of the most successful groups in American pop music history.

The Beach Boys

Brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson founded this most iconic of American pop bands in 1961. The band, inspired by 1950s doo-wop and vocal groups, the band (via Brian’s increasingly sophisticated songwriting) established itself as one of pop and rock’s true innovators.

Haim

Californian sisters Este, Alana and Danielle Haim come from a musical family and have been performing as Haim for almost 10 years, but they didn’t become a full-time act until 2012. Think 1970s-era Fleetwood Mac crossed with hints of contemporary R&B.