Music

Ruel on performing his album Kicking My Feet and expanding his universe with a second part of the LP.

Story by Tia Sciarrotta

In September of last year, Australian singer-songwriter Ruel unveiled his second album Kicking My Feet, signifying his “lover-boy” era – a moment where he seemed at ease with an openness that feels unguarded and intentional. The LP saw him unafraid to express his emotions, no longer holding back, letting his thoughts spill out with clarity and charm via his music.

Following his 2023 debut album, 4TH WALL, Kicking My Feet carries forward Ruel’s signature emotional depth and sharp lyricism, but the atmosphere has shifted. Where 4TH WALL was steeped in heartache and a restless, edgy angst, his second LP highlights a softer side that hadn’t been conveyed in his previous tracks. 

While creating the album, the Australian singer moved with a sense of freedom, embracing his emotions without hesitation and fully “leaning into the cringe” that comes with being in love.

“I’ve always been super whiny on songs,” he chuckles. “It got a little boring. Writing from the perspective of being in love–how it makes you feel like a little kid, makes you do things that you regret, or get the Sunday scaries from. That was the new thing I tapped into.”

Kicking My Feet not only revolves around romantic love, but love in all forms. When speaking about the song ‘Even Angels Won’t’, Ruel expressed how he didn’t realize who or what it was about at first.

“I was playing the album for my parents after writing the record,” he says. “My mom grabbed my hand and she was like, ‘This one’s about me, isn’t it?’ and I was like, ‘No!’” He laughs.  Explaining his epiphany regarding the track, Ruel shared: “When I started playing it live, I was just like it can’t be about anything else. It has to be about her.”

Fresh off of performing at Lollapalooza Chilé and Brazil, Ruel enters the second leg of his U.S.  tour with excitement. Another wave of energy, a routine, and experiencing the hype of playing his songs for his devoted fans.  

His audiences feel anything but unfamiliar. Having entered the music industry as a teenager, much of his fanbase has grown up alongside him. Now 23, he’s maintained that same close connection, giving his concerts a deeper, more shared sense of sentiment.

“It’s all been parallel, which is amazing and really special,” he says. “It definitely is a wig out getting to play live and see the audience reacting to different songs, or recognizing faces from my tours years ago.”

Ruel’s Kicking My Feet era won’t stop at this album and tour. He recently announced that his forthcoming third album, Kicking My Feet & Screaming is set for release on June 12 via Recess Records (pre-order/pre-save here). The LP will see the singer expand on his previous 2025 release with 10 brand new tracks. 

While his previous album has a focus on the more joyous side of being in love, Kicking My Feet & Screaming falls into a different realm. The LP is set to explore how love can become complicated—grounding you one moment and unraveling you the next, offering listeners a deeper, more nuanced perspective on Ruel’s evolving love story.

“It’s still a very romantic record and there’s still a lot of love songs,” he says. “For the most part–even production-wise–it pulls different strings, and pulls a different emotion out of me.”

The album along with its expansion placed Ruel in a position he has never been in before. He grasped more control in production, writing, and direction. Working with no executive producer, the LP guided him in unfamiliar territory. He took on the responsibility of creating a record that felt like it was truly his. The initial album was just the start, but this universe will be complete with the release of Kicking & Screaming.

“I will always remember this record as my first record, in a way of it all being exactly what I wanted,” he says. That’s why it’s very special to me.”