Ruel. Photo by Michelle Grace Hunder.
The youngest generation of pop artists has the genre feeling more existential than usual. On“GROWING UP IS,” the lead single to Ruel’s upcoming debut album, the Australian singer-songwriter attempts to make sense of it all. Over a pulsating bassline and the faint plucking of an acoustic guitar, he documents his observations: “Growing up is weird, sleep with friends, break a heart, question everything you thought, split a pill, smoke a dart … Growing up is strange, get too close, push away thinking you would do the same, new regrets, new mistakes / Growing up is strange when the one who's to blame is looking at the mirror, wish that you were here.”
It’s a self-reflective moment, ruminating on how a single shift at a particular age can have rippling effects within circles of interpersonal relationships. Time and proximity are two topics the 19-year-old musician spends a significant amount of time with through his growing discography, documenting the uncertainty rooted in the coming-of-age experience. Speaking with The FADER, Ruel breaks down the inspiration and concepts behind “GROWING UP IS,” and his upcoming releases.
The FADER: What sparked your inspiration to write "GROWING UP IS" and what did that process look like?
Ruel:I wrote this song with M-Phazes, my main collaborator and producer, and with writer/producer Julian Bunetta. We were all just thinking about what's a concept that we can all relate to. Since we were all at different stages and ages of our lives, the idea that we're all growing up, no matter how old we are, kind of stuck with us. So we started listing off some of the most important things that we did in our childhood, from stupid things to the more monumental things. That list became the hook and then we wrote a narrative around it.
I think about songs like “Younger” and “distance” having these similar themes of separation and the passing of time that appear on “GROWING UP IS” as well. How has retrospection played a role in your songwriting process throughout your career?
Yeah, I feel like “Younger” definitely has similar connotations to “GROWING UP IS” as they both have a coming-of-age story/narrative. I always want to write a song that really relates to me and that can relate to a broader audience. It kind of comes to that concept of realizing that you're getting older and how you're changing, and how other people around you are as well. That's just a concept that I like to come back to, because I really resonate with it.
What was the concept that informed the making of the “GROWING UP IS” live video and having it be so visually stripped back?
So for this video, a lot of the concept came as an accident especially the colors and the plinths that are placed behind the band. We were doing a photo shoot and we started experimenting with these fluro light tubes behind this perspex sheet and it made this really nice gradient. I had this really cool suit and my photographer Michelle took a photo and we were like, wow, well, we've got the single cover shot. And then that background color gradient was so strong that we thought it would be a great idea to come back to. So we took that concept that we did for the photoshoot and recreated it for the video. For the live version, I wanted to come with something new for the visual aspect, but I also didn't want it to just feel like it's the exact same audio as what you've listened to on the song. I wanted to make a new version where it's live and a bit of a different arrangement to keep it exciting.
There was a pretty big gap between your first release of the year, “too many feelings,” and this last one. Why was this the right song to close the year out on?
It’s been a long process writing the album, especially in COVID, everything takes a little bit longer. I had the opportunity to go to LA, which is where I wrote “GROWING UP IS,” and when I wrote that song, I instantly knew that this was the one. I felt like it was something my fans wanted and it was just an instantaneous feeling where this is what I've got to come back with finally.
On the topic of growing up, what’s one piece of advice you wish you could have shared with your past self? What would you want to ask or tell your future self?
Actually someone asked me this question today … What I would ask my past self and what I would say … Yeah, I don't know, I don't really tend to live with much regret and I wouldn't want to change what my past self has done because I'm pretty happy with where I am now. I guess I’d just tell them all the basic stuff, like to not worry as much and take control of your own narrative – that's always been really important to me. And what I want to say to my future self is just make sure you're still doing you and not doing it just because someone else thinks you should. I just want to be happy with what I make and hope the fans love it just as much.
What can fans expect from the releases you’re planning for 2022?
I've written a lot of songs that I really love, plenty for an album. So people should definitely be expecting some big things this year. I'm very excited to keep putting out music and to play some more shows. There’s lots coming and everyone should buckle up.
