Lara Ruggles – No Matter

Tucson songwriter Lara Ruggles releases her new single, “No Matter”, the third in a series of songs unveiled in early 2026.

At its core, “No Matter” challenges conventional ideas of success in the music industry. The chorus opens with a striking line: “I don’t want a million dollars,” setting the tone for a song that redefines ambition on more personal, values-driven terms.

Ruggles traces the origin of the song back to Jessie Reyez’s 2017 track “Great One.” “I had that song stuck in my head for a while,” she says. “It’s a great song that goes deeper lyrically than those first lines, but it got me thinking about what I want for myself—what success actually means to me. And money isn’t it. I sat down at the piano with that in mind, and ‘No Matter’ is what came out.”

The track expands on that reflection, exploring the idea that people are not inherently broken, but often trying to function within systems that are. It’s a message Ruggles feels deeply connected to. “If I could only ask people to listen to one song of mine for the rest of my life, and it had to sum up who I am and what I’m trying to say—this would be it.”

Ruggles recorded “No Matter” in Los Angeles with producer Justin Glasco (Paris Paloma, “labour”), with support from a grant provided by the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona.

In line with her anti-capitalist values, Ruggles has chosen not to release her music on Spotify. Following reports in summer 2025 that former CEO Daniel Ek invested $700 million in AI military weapons guidance systems, she joined a growing number of artists stepping away from the platform. She also published an open letter encouraging others to reconsider their participation. “That was the last straw for me,” she says. “Spotify had already been making decisions that undervalue artists for years. It’s hard to ignore that the unpaid labor of so many musicians put that money in his pocket.”

The music video for “No Matter” reflects the same community-centered spirit as the song itself. Shot in Tucson with collaborators Syir and Meela Hill, the video follows Hill through real events she organizes and participates in—including dance rehearsals, art markets, and performances from Light the Mic, an open mic series uplifting queer and BIPOC artists. The result is an unfiltered, documentary-style portrayal of artistic life, balancing its challenges with its sense of connection and purpose.

#sharkkheartt