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RUEL
announces debut album
4th WALL
PRE-ORDER/SAVE HERE
Out Friday, March 3
VIA RCA (ROW) & SONY MUSIC (AUSTRALIA)
+ Shares new single
“MUST BE NICE”
BUY/STREAM HERE
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Photo credit: Michelle Grace Hunder (@michelleghunder)
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Today, ARIA-Award-winning and multi-platinum artist with over 2 billion streams to his name, Ruel (aka Ruel Vincent van Dijk) announces his long-awaited debut studio album, 4TH WALL – out Friday, March 3 via RCA (ROW) and Sony Music (Australia). Celebrating the announcement, Ruel shares a new taster of the forthcoming record, with today’s single, “MUST BE NICE”.
Floating across a refined piano intro, “MUST BE NICE” sees Ruel wade through the aftermath of a broken relationship, grappling with lingering feelings of loss and trepidation as he watches an old flame effortlessly move on. Driven by soaring vocal harmonies and skyward falsettos, the balladry of “MUST BE NICE” is simultaneously intimate yet expansive in emotion, showcasing Ruel’s versatility as a songwriter and vocalist.
Speaking to the new single, Ruel shares, “‘MUST BE NICE’ is the first time I’ve ever released a ballad as a single, and it would have to be one of my favourite tracks on the record. Lyrically it’s such an easy song to grasp, essentially it’s just about a break up. But I wanted to take a step back and try and give it a new perspective. All break ups are difficult in their own way, but when you see the other person getting on with their life, it hits so much harder. I feel like the lyric ‘fuck, it must be nice’ captures that perfectly.”
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Three years in the making, 4TH WALL sees Ruel unveil a matured sound and elevated lyricism, bending between euphoric to contemplative realms of pop, backdropped by cinematic visuals inspired by The Truman Show’s own fourth wall premise. Pulling back the curtains and tearing down his walls, on his debut record the pop phenomenon invites listeners into his world – delving into reflections on love, longing and heartbreak, while navigating tides of adolescence and coming-of-age.
On 4TH WALL, Ruel notes: “It took way longer than anticipated to get this record right. I spent the last 3 years writing it and wound up with over 100 songs. I rewrote half of them and re-recorded most of them, until they sounded exactly as I heard them in my head. It’s been the biggest journey making this record and I know I kept you waiting for it, but on March 3rd, it’ll be all yours. I’m so proud of it, thank you so, so much for sticking with me.”
Today’s announcement follows a string of singles released throughout 2022, including the most recent cut “SOMEONE ELSE’S PROBLEM”. Written and produced alongside longtime collaborator, M-Phazes, the alt-pop anthem arrived to coverage from NME, The Music, Coup De Main and Music Feeds alongside playlisting support from triple j upon release. The track followed on from earlier coming-of-age singles, “YOU AGAINST YOURSELF” and the 2021 release of ARIA and EMA-nominated “GROWING UP IS_____”, both of which saw Ruel continue to build upon his global following and cement his status as an ever-expanding force in contemporary pop music.
At 20 years of age, London-born, Sydney-raised Ruel has fast become one of his generation’s most influential artists. Sitting with over 2 billion global streams,1.58 million YouTube subscribers, 1.2 million Instagram followers, three sold-out world tours and five Platinum records to his name, Ruel is both a seasoned global superstar and trailblazer for tomorrow’s next generation. Since his official 2017 debut single, “Golden Years” featuring M-Phazes, he remains the youngest artist ever to win Breakthrough Artist at the ARIA Awards and the youngest artist to sell out the Sydney Opera House… twice.
From Ruel’s first two EPs, Ready and Free Time, emerged Platinum and Double Platinum hits including “Younger”, “Dazed & Confused”, “Painkiller”, “Real Thing” and “Face To Face”. Praise from worldwide press including Nylon, VOGUE and The Face; co-signs from Elton John; and collaborations with Denzel Curry, Cosmo’s Midnight and Omar Apollo are just a few of the journeyed stops for Ruel along the way. Following a widely applauded third EP, Bright Lights, Red Eyes, and an invitation to host the 2022 ARIA Awards, Ruel continues to drive his defiant lyricism to bigger and brighter moments in 2023 and beyond.
Listen to “MUST BE NICE” below, as Ruel prepares to embark on his biggest year yet with the release of his highly-anticipated debut album, 4TH WALL, on March 3.
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“MUST BE NICE” IS OUT NOW
BUY/STREAM HERE
4TH WALL IS OUT FRIDAY, MARCH 3
VIA RCA (ROW) & SONY MUSIC (AUSTRALIA)
PRE-ORDER/SAVE HERE
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Follow RUEL
FACEBOOK – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE – TIKTOK
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