Ruel: He’s Got Us Kicking Our Feet
Ruel is Australia’s sweetheart. Worming out of the woodwork at age 14, this singer-songwriter quickly wooed audiences and icons worldwide. In 2017, Sir Elton John called him “astonishing,” he was scouted for Tyler, The Creator’s festival in 2018, Shawn Mendes took him on tour in 2019, and after their ‘Melodramatic Fanatic’ collab, Lime Cordiale can’t get enough of him.
Words Millah Hansberry // Image Michelle Grace Hunder
Now at 23, the Sydney bred, LA-based artist has grown through this success and honed his craft into his stellar 2025 loved-up record Kicking My Feet, and surprise new album Kicking My Feet & Screaming, dropping on June 12. Keen to get back over to Australian fans, Ruel met up with Teen Spirit to talk love, finding Aussie’s across the globe, and what this new chapter means.
“Kicking My Feet was written over two years in 2024 and 2025. I was just starting to write about love in more positive, sincere ways, leaning into those cringy feelings,” Ruel mused, sitting outside a sunny café in the early morning of March 10, midway through his North American tour.
“Before this record, I always felt like every time I wrote songs, it was always about a breakup or something that had to be overly deep and tortured. I tried to go the opposite route for this record.”
Kicking My Feet was Ruel’s first full taste of letting uncertain, vulnerable optimism take the wheel. It’s easier writing about heartbreak, Ruel explained, but opening yourself up by writing about love, contentment and giddiness in a relationship is a whole new world of vulnerability. But stepping into this new heart-on-sleeve world of songwriting is how Ruel crafted the record, and why it acts as a pure celebration of love in all shapes and forms.
The album’s namesake single was written in reference to an early 2000s Tom Cruise jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch declaring “I’m in love!”, Ruel distilling this giddy feeling into a tight three minutes. And this Tom Cruise moment didn’t only influence the record, but also the album’s cover image (if you haven’t seen the YouTube clip, it’s worth a watch).
But the coming “part two” album, Ruel mused, is more of an antonym to this feeling.
“Kicking My Feet was all the positives of love, talking about the things that make you feel like a cringey little kid,” he smiled thoughtfully. “This new one is kind of like the breakdown of all of that.”
“Kicking My Feet & Screaming is more of a compilation of the past couple of years of making music, including some of my favourite songs that weren't tied up in a bow for the first record. It definitely still feels like it's in the same era and same world. Instead of Kicking My Feet, it’s more kicking and screaming,” he laughs.
The first taste of this new chapter is found within his irresistibly catchy ‘Don’t Say That’, a song Ruel had been teasing since the release of Kicking My Feet. After explaining that the song was always meant to be on the first record, Ruel noted “lyrically and sonically, it just felt like it didn't fit super well with the rest of the album.” And instead of pigeonholing the song into Kicking My Feet & Screaming, he teased a snippet of the ‘Don’t Say That’ bridge as the outro of Kicking My Feet. But hey, when you’re proud of a song, it deserves to live in two albums, we say.
“Crafting ‘Don’t Say That’ was a lot of fun musically. We were just pushing the boat out as far as we could in terms of structure, speed and key changes. I've never really explored that before; I’ve always stayed pretty in the box structurally and musically. That’s what made me love it. I felt like I pulled off something for the first time that was a little bit out there.”
Following the release of Kicking My Feet, Ruel eagerly jumped on tour, bringing the record to audiences across North and South America. And bringing the album to life on tour, Ruel explained, has been his ultimate highlight so far.
“Tour has been a dream. To get that first-hand reaction of the record in a room of people who are singing it back and getting hyped over certain songs that you wouldn't expect, it’s incredible.” And off this record, it’s ‘Destroyer’, a heartbreaking anthem about him having to prioritise himself in a professional relationship that wasn’t working out that is hitting audiences the hardest. “‘Destroyer’ so far seems to get the biggest sing along. It is hands down my favourite off the record by far,” his voice beamed. “When your favourite song is the one that people are wanting to hear live the most, it’s the most satisfying thing.”
As much as Ruel fuels off playing his music to audiences across the globe and meeting fans, it’s back in Australia, he tells us, is where his heart lies.
“Every time I have any time off, like after a tour leg or after a bit of writing, I need to come back to Sydney. I don't need a vacation anywhere else other than home.”
And when he can’t be home in Sydney, he revels in finding bits of home on the road. But does he come across many Aussies while abroad? “Literally all the time, it's so funny. We just immediately attract each other.”
“I remember a night I had in New York, I was playing a show and the Lime Cordiale boys, Teenage Dads, Vacations and Spacey Jane were all in town. We all went out to a comedy club; it was the best time. I hadn't met like a bunch of them before, but it was just like, so much fun.”
And that fun with Lime Cordiale extended over to the Northern Beaches of Sydney in 2020 and in the studio years later, with ‘Melodramatic Fanatic’, Ruel and Lime Cordiale’s irresistibly catchy 2025 collab. “We actually wrote it towards the end of COVID, when I was living in Sydney. I did a week of writing with them in their house because we lived 10 minutes away from each other.”
And more than a song was born from these supposed songwriting sessions, but lifelong friendships.
“We ended up hanging out every day and not really writing any music. Playing around with the guitar, playing tennis, going surfing or swimming, not really writing anything until like the fourth day. I'd never really experienced that before, writing with friends in that way where it was just like there was zero pressure at all.”
Now onboard his Kicking My Feet tour, bringing the record across the Northern hemisphere, Ruel is beyond excited to gage audience’s reaction to the album live, as well as launch into his new era of Kicking My Feet & Screaming. And of course, above all else, it’s Australia he’s itching to get home to.
“My relationship with my Australian audience and fans, is so important to me. That's what started it all off for me. So, I’ll definitely be back playing shows soon.”
Kicking My Feet & Screaming is out on June 12 via Recess Records. Presave now.
ruel’s THIS OR THAT
BBQ Shapes or Chicken Crimpy Shapes
“I'll go chicken crimpy… but vegemite shapes trump everything.”
Studio or Live Performance
“Live performance. You get the highest highs that you can't get anywhere else.”
Footy or Cricket?
“Footy, every day of the week. I got really into it through my girlfriend and her family. Big Bulldogs fan.”
Yearning OR Confidently going for it?
“I wish I was more of a confidently going for it person, but to be honest, I think yearning has always been my strap. Let a boy yearn.”
Streaming OR Vinyl?
“Vinyl, obviously. With an album you love, having it on vinyl feels like you own part of it. Hey, if you like vinyl, I got some.”