PAUSE Meets: RUEL

What was that like? Elton John giving you praise?

That was insane. That was a very surreal moment. I remember being at school and my manager texted me some audio and a video of him talking about on his radio show, and he’s announcing the song and talking about me, and I was just freaking out by myself, in my locker room. It was insane.

And then life changed from there?

Pretty much yeah. That happened, and more people started picking it up, and Zane Lowe wanted to use for the Beats Studio Three campaign, and it took off.

You wrote your first song at 12 years old. That’s pretty impressive. What inspired you to write music that early in your life?

I mean, I just love music and I’ve loved it for a pretty long time. Since I was born, I’ve been listening to music and my dads a big music nerd as well. So I’ve always just wanted to do it myself, and I actually wrote songs when I was 8 or 9 years old but looking back on them now, they’re funny because they’re really terrible. But when I got the opportunity to write with someone who’s an actual professional writer, and I knew some of the songs he’d written, I was just like yeah, let’s do it.

What was your biggest influence, musically, when you were growing up?

Well, my dad played a lot of Stevie Wonder, he played a lot of Bill Withers, Amy Winehouse, a lot of old Amy stuff and James Blake. He actually put me onto Kendrick when Section 80 came out, and I just thought that it was really cool that my dad listened to Kendrick. He just knows everything about pretty much all genres.

So you were born here in the UK, then moved to Australia. What was that transition like?

I don’t really remember moving, but I do remember the first time coming back here and I just like yeah, this is like my second home. I mean, I love London so much and I’ve got a lot of family here and so many friends so I really love it.

Do you feel like the move impacted or inspired your music at all?

I don’t actually remember living here much, I remember like just coming here for holidays. My dad lived in London for like 20 years, so he probably picked up alot of his music taste here, which probably impacted me.

Where do you live now?

Still in Sydney.

And you’re touring.

Yeah, I really don’t live anywhere. I’m barely home. It’s pretty crazy.

So you travel a lot obviously, which would you say is your favourite city to play in?

It’s probably the most crazy in my hometown of Sydney, just because that’s where I’ve got the biggest audience. I’ve sold out two Sydney Opera Houses like a few weeks ago and that was the most insane thing that’s ever happened in my life, and that was by far one of the best shows ever. But I really like just European fans, because they’re hype but they’re kind of chill when you meet them in real life in find because in Australia it’s like not many artists go to Australia so when someone does, everyone is like “oh my God” and it’s crazy. But like over here in Europe, most artists come over here so when you meet them it’s more chilled and they kind of don’t want to scream and jump on you.

What’s craziest fan story that you can share?

It’s weird just walking outside my house and going around the road to the shops and someone wants to get a photo. But the craziest experience was in New Zealand actually where a fan, they were bringing like gifts and stuff for the show at the meet and greet, and this girl gave me this box. It looked like they would be a ring or necklace inside, and then I opened it up, and it was little bag, and kind of like a chain or a piece of string so I kind of pull it out and there was a huge tooth on it. And it was fresh. I just had no idea what to do with it and she was standing there like ” yeah, it’s my tooth” and I was just like “errr Thank You.” And put it away as fast as I could, but yeah that was the weirdest thing a fan has ever done.

So your latest single, “Painkiller” is streaming like crazy right now of course. And you have another EP coming out as well. What’s the inspiration behind “Painkiller” and the EP?

So Painkiller, I wrote this like last year November with a good friend of my Sarah, who I also wrote “Younger” with. And the night before, I had a writing session with her and I was just really missing home because I’d been away from home for like three months and I just started writing things that reminded me of it. Then I came to the session next day with a few melodies and these lyrics, and she was like oh this is really cool but I feel like we can make this a little bit vaguer and relatable to any person. To me, it’s just about missing home.

I mean there are already fans camped outside the venue waiting for you, in the rain and cold right now. What’s the feeling like?

I don’t think that’ll ever become normal to me. And I don’t really want it to become normal to me either. When I hear about people doing crazy things for me, I appreciate it and I think it’s the most amazing thing ever. I love that. I don’t know, but I never really want to think about it too much because I don’t want it to get to my head. I don’t want to start believing it so yeah.

Who would you want to collaborate with music wise, and if you ever do a collaboration fashion-wise, who would it be with?

Music wise, I love Frank Ocean. He’s my favourite artist. I still listen to Nostalgia Ultra as much as I do Endless and as much as I do Blonde. Something about his voice and lyrics get to me every time. I’d just love to see him write and see him work, and see what we could do together.

Fashion wise, I would love to collaborate with Converse, just because I only wear Converse shoes, like the One Star’s and the Golf le Fleurs. It’s such as simple shoe, and a blank canvas to do what you want. I wore these Cons to the Billboard Music Awards with a suit and it works.

When it comes to fashion, who would you say has had the most influence on your style?

Probably Tyler, The Creator. I’m a huge fan of him, his music and everything he does. Golf Wang is incredible. He never really does anything wrong fashion-wise, like everything he puts out, everything he wears is just so crazy and is always different so yeah, probably him.

With someone like Tyler, The Creator, whose style we’ve seen evolve and transition over time. Do you feel like your style has done the same?

Of course, when I started I had no idea what fashion was. When I started doing music I just listened to my manager, and my manager hasn’t got the best dress sense. But he was like just put on a bomber jacket, a flat cap and you should be sweet, and I was oh okay. But when I started getting to know what I want and getting to wear what I want, I’m just really starting getting into it. And I’d also love to start my own fashion label one day, I’ve already got some ideas and stuff like that, and I’ve got a little book where I write all my ideas and drawings.

What’s the fashion scene in Australia like?

It’s pretty non-existent, to be honest. Everyone just wears boardies, flips flops and you know.