"Lost Boy" is the debut single by Canadian singer
Ruth B
Ruth Berhe (born July 2, 1995), better known by her stage name Ruth B., is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta. She started by singing songs on Vine in early 2013. In November 2015, she released her debut extended play '' The I ...
. It was released on February 12, 2015. She first released it by singing a six-second video on
Vine
A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...
in January 2015.
Composition and history
The piano pop ballad is written in the key of
G major
G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...
in
cut time with a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 62 beats per minute. It follows a chord progression of EmG/DCG, and Berhe's vocals span from F
3 to B
4.
In November 2014, she posted a Vine of her singing a line that she had made up, which was inspired by the television series ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...
''.
The video went viral, and garnered around 84,000 likes within a week. Taking note of its popularity and with encouragement from her followers, she adapted it into a full song titled "Lost Boy", which she posted on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
on January 18, 2015 and was released on
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
on February 12, 2015. Dozens of Vine and YouTube users posted covers, which helped further its popularity and increased Berhe's following on social media. Record labels took notice and she then signed with
in July 2015.
Her debut EP, ''
The Intro'', was released on November 27, 2015. It has four songs including "Lost Boy".
Music video
A music video for the song was released on YouTube on May 9, 2016. As of April 2025, the video has garnered over 187 million views.
Critical reception
Mike Wass of
Idolator called it a "pretty ballad" and went on to say that "
ost Boyis nostalgic, more than a little bittersweet and aptly showcases Ruth's smooth vocals."
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
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2015 songs
2015 debut singles
2010s ballads
Columbia Records singles
Music videos directed by Mark Pellington
Pop ballads
Ruth B. songs
Songs about Peter Pan
Sony Music singles