While his peers were beginning to wonder what career might be right for them, Ruel experienced his first hype at the age of 16 and was already being touted as a superstar by world stars such as Elton John and Zane Lowe.
Yet Ruel van Dijk's career only began three years earlier, when the London native started writing his own songs in Australia to process personal experiences and feelings. in 2017, just one year later, the young musician made his debut with his single "Golden Years", which was produced by M-Phaze and brought Ruel viral success and his first radio plays. The boy from Sydney was quickly regarded as the next big star in the Australian pop world and confirmed his talent. With further singles such as "Don't Tell Me", "Dazed & Confused" and "Younger", which turned the initial hype into a real breakthrough momentum, Ruel finally became known worldwide.
After winning an ARIA Music Award as "Breakthrough Artist" for "Dazed & Confused" in 2018, he released his debut EP "Free Time" in 2019 and celebrated the next hits of his career with the singles "Painkiller", "Face to Face" and "Real Thing". Even then, the press praised him for his increased maturity as a songwriter, which he further demonstrated in 2020 on his second EP "Bright Lights, Red Eyes" and on his debut album "4TH WALL" (2023) with the next hit "GROWING UP IS _____".
Since then, the initial hype surrounding his talent has turned into a compelling career for Ruel with a growing global fanbase. With over 3 billion global streams on digital streaming platforms and multiple sold out world tours behind him, Ruel has collaborated across genres with artists such as Grent Perez, Lime Cordiale, Holly Humberstone, JVKE, Denzel Curry, GoldLink and producer SG Lewis. The former teen star has long since become a seasoned artist whose sound and songwriting have evolved in equal measure. According to Cosmopolitan, his lyrics also show a steadily progressing introspection that can only come from growing up.
His latest album "Kicking My Feet" was released in 2025 and was listed by PopMatters in the best 25 pop albums of 2025. On June 12, 2026, he will release the second part with the LP "Kicking My Feet & Screaming", which balances his cinematic ballads like on the lead single "Don't Say That" with high-energy pop.
To promote the new album, Ruel is also coming to Germany in October with US singer-songwriter Sadie Jean as support on the Kicking & Screaming UK + EU Tour and will play concerts in Cologne and Berlin.