Ruel | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Ruel in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Ruel Vincent van Dijk (2002-10-29)29 October 2002 (age 23)[1] |
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Years active | 2017–present |
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| Website | oneruel |
Ruel Vincent van Dijk (born 29 October 2002),[3] knownmononymously asRuel, is an Australian singer and songwriter fromSydney, best known for his singles "Don't Tell Me", "Younger", "As Long as You Care" and "Painkiller". At theARIA Music Awards of 2018, he won the award forBreakthrough Artist for his single "Dazed & Confused". Ruel's debut studio album4th Wall was released on 3 March 2023.[4]
Ruel was born on 29 October 2002, inIsleworth,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 toSydney, Australia in 2006.[6]
In 2015, Ruel's father sent a demo of him singingJames Bay's "Let It Go" toGrammy Award-winning producerM-Phazes.[5][7]
In April 2017, Ruel released his debut single "Golden Years" withM-Phazes.[8] In June, Ruel made his live radio debut performingJack Garratt's "Weathered" onTriple J'sLike 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 theARIA Singles Chart. Later in September,Elton John played "Don't Tell Me" onBBC 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 joinedKhalid on his American Teen Tour of Australia and New Zealand.[13] Later that month, Ruel signed withRCA Records internationally.[14] In December, Tom Thum released a cover ofRag'n'Bone Man's "Human" featuring Ruel on vocals.[15]
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 theOpening Ceremony of the2018 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 debutextended 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 byARIA.[20] On 11 October, Ruel was nominated for the Breakthrough Artist award for theARIA 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 onHilltop Hoods' new albumThe 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 hisFree 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 ofShawn Mendes'self-titled tour.[28]
On 31 January 2020, Ruel collaborated withCosmo's Midnight on the track "Down for You". The music video for this song premiered on the 18 March 2020.[29]
On 4 September 2020, Ruel posted a video onInstagram with the caption "alayc", hinting at new music.[30] On 10 September 2020, the single "As Long as You Care" was premiered onTriple 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]
Ruel's debut studio album4th Wall was released on 3 March 2023.[4] The album peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Charts.
On April 18 2024, Ruel released two songs with Australian bandDMA'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 ofSixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me"; the lead single from his fourth EP,Adaptations and first on new label Giant Records.[33]
On 22 August 2025, Ruel announced his second studio album,Kicking My Feet, which was released on 17 October 2025.[34]
TheAPRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by theAustralasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Ruel has been nominated for three awards.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Himself | Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year | Nominated | [35][36] |
| 2023 | "Growing Up Is_____" (Ruel Van Dijk /Mark Landon / Julian Bunetta) | Most Performed Australian Work the Year | Nominated | [37] |
| Most Performed Pop Work the Year | Nominated |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. Ruel has won one award from the five nominations.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Dazed & Confused" | Breakthrough Artist – Release | Won | |
| 2020 | Free Time | Best Male Artist | Nominated | [38] |
| "Painkiller" | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| M-Phazes forFree Time | Producer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Eric J Dubowsky forFree Time | Engineer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | "Growing Up Is____" | Best Solo Artist | Nominated | [39] |
| 2023 | M-Phazes for Ruel4th Wall | Best Produced Release | Nominated | [40] |
TheNickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is an annual U.S. children'sawards ceremony show that is produced byNickelodeon.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Himself | Favourite Aussie/Kiwi | Won |
TheMTV Europe Music Awards is an award presented byViacom International Media Networks to honour artists and music inpop culture.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[41] | Himself | Best Australian Act | Won |
TheNational 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.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[42][43] | Himself | Live Voice of the Year | Won |
TheRolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by theAustralian edition ofRolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.[44]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Growing Up Is _____" | Best Single | Nominated | [45] |
TheVanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money forNordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated byAlbert Music andAPRA AMCOS. It commenced in 2009.[46]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[47] | "Painkiller" | Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition | 3rd |
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