Date Signed: July 2025
Label: UNFD
Type of Music: Metalcore/Rock, Ethereal-Metal
Publicity: Atom Splitter PR
Toronto-based multi-genre artist Rune (formerly known as WhoIsRune) has released an EP and 14 tracks since her debut tune, “Adrenalin,” accumulating over eight million streams in the process. It’s been a long road to her current deal with UNFD.
“I always tell people I feel like the path of music chose me, I didn’t choose it,” Rune says. “A sort of serendipitous way of looking at it I suppose, but I have always seen myself being a part of the world of music. At a young age, my friends and I made bands and would play music and sing when we hung out. I remember that my interest in music would also continue at home, where I would spend my time writing my own songs. It was my way of storytelling or working my way through my difficult feelings. I am an only child, and I call myself an extroverted introvert. Writing and singing was my escapism but also how I loved to spend my time alone, other than playing World of Warcraft.”
As the musical ground firmed up beneath her, the gear around her got better. “My parents supported me by getting my very first rig,” Rune says. “A good ol’ preamp + mic + headphone combo from Focusrite, and a Midi controller that came with Studio One. I ended up using that same preamp from Focusrite for over 10 years, and only just replaced it a few years ago!”
Rune says that her sound has evolved, and it’s a blend of everything that she loves. “Metal, ethereal ambience, pop, and electronic music,” she says. “I love all of the music I’ve been a part of, including my humble beginnings with my debut EP packaged in a very synth-pop sound. Everything has come together to create where I am now, which is so fulfilling to me.”
“Fast Asleep” is Rune’s first release for UNFD. “I went to go see Invent Animate play again in Toronto,” she says. “Ended up running into and saying hello to Keaton [Goldwire] from Invent outside the venue, and mentioning how I’ve been covering their work for a while. While working on my new record, I sent it to Keaton just to hear his thoughts and he enjoyed the direction of my new music. He set me up with a meeting with the lovely people of UNFD, and now here we are. I’m so very grateful for the support and encouragement from everyone involved. It’s very special to me, and something I don’t take for granted at all.”
Rune says that the song was written while she was trying to navigate her first experience of grief. “It was a very challenging time in my life, one I am still learning to grow from,” she says. “This song stems from my experience of dreaming about the person I lost. It was always a beautiful but terribly sad experience. I still remember the dream I woke up from that prompted the writing of this song. The song feels like a narrative between yourself and the person in your dreams. Sometimes grief can feel like a very isolating experience, and this song definitely portrays that to me.”
