Ruel was born on 29 October 2002, in Isleworth, London, to English mother, Kate Vincent, and Dutch-born and New Zealand-raised father, Ralph van Dijk.[5] His father is the founder of Australian radio advertising agency, Eardrum. His family moved to Sydney, Australia in 2006.[6]
In April 2017, Ruel released his debut single "Golden Years" with M-Phazes.[8] In June, Ruel made his live radio debut performing Jack Garratt's "Weathered" on Triple J's Like a Version. At 14, he was the youngest-ever featured performer on the segment.[9] The video gathered half a million video views in less than 48 hours.[10]
In July 2017, Ruel released "Don't Tell Me", which peaked at number 86 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Later in September, Elton John played "Don't Tell Me" on BBC Radio 1, giving Ruel high praise.[11] The track was also featured in CelebMix's 21 songs by under-21s in 2018.[12]
In November, Ruel joined Khalid on his American Teen Tour of Australia and New Zealand.[13] Later that month, Ruel signed with RCA Records internationally.[14] In December, Tom Thum released a cover of Rag'n'Bone Man's "Human" featuring Ruel on vocals.[15]
2018–2020: Ready and Free Time EPs
On 24 March 2018, Ruel played at Pop Spring Festival, Tokyo, where he did his first meet and greet.[16] On 4 April, Ruel performed at the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[17] On 19 April, a music video for the single "Don't Tell Me" was released.[18]
On 2 June, Ruel announced the release of his debut extended playReady on 15 June, as well as a headline tour in June and July.[19] In October, Ruel performed to a sell-out crowd in Sydney, and received the news that his single "Younger" had recently been certified gold by ARIA.[20] On 11 October, Ruel was nominated for the Breakthrough Artist award for the ARIA Awards,[21] which he later won, making him the youngest ever to do so.[22]
On 10 January 2019, Ruel confirmed that he would appear on Hilltop Hoods' new album The Great Expanse, on the track "Fire & Grace". The album was then released on 22 February.[23] On 1 May, he released the lead single from his Free Time EP, "Painkiller", alongside an accompanying music video.[24][25] On 9 August, Ruel released the single "Face to Face" alongside a music video that was shot whilst on tour in France.[26] On 13 September, Ruel released his second EP, Free Time.[27] In November 2019, Ruel was an opening act for two shows of Shawn Mendes' self-titled tour.[28]
On 31 January 2020, Ruel collaborated with Cosmo's Midnight on the track "Down for You". The music video for this song premiered on the 18 March 2020.[29]
2020: Bright Lights, Red Eyes
On 4 September 2020, Ruel posted a video on Instagram with the caption "alayc", hinting at new music.[30] On 10 September 2020, the single "As Long as You Care" was premiered on Triple J, before releasing later that day, alongside an accompanying music video.[31] Ruel additionally announced his third EP, Bright Lights, Red Eyes, which was released on 23 October 2020.[30]
2021–2023: 4th Wall
Ruel's debut studio album 4th Wall was released on 3 March 2023.[4] The album peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Charts.
2024: DMA's Collaboration and Adaptations
On April 18 2024, Ruel released two songs with Australian band DMA's. The collaboration's second single, We're a Pair Of Diamonds,[32] first saw the light of day last October at a sold-out Enmore Theatre. In a surprise for fans, he joined DMA'S onstage for a stripped-down, acoustic performance of the unreleased alt-pop ballad. Originally written during sessions for his debut album, 4TH WALL, the song was revived thanks to the enthusiastic response from the crowd and online community. This outpouring of support inspired both Ruel and DMA'S to bring the song to life.
In June 2024, Ruel released a cover of Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me"; the lead single from his fourth EP, Adaptations and first on new label Giant Records.[33]
The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Ruel has been nominated for three awards.
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Ruel has won one award from the five nominations.
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
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