The tour kicks off on Thursday 19 September in Brisbane, before hitting Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart. Throughout the run, Ruel will treat fans to a completely new stage production and brand new music from the new EP.

FREE TIME was written in between Ruel’s rigorous global touring schedule and sees the young songwriter teaming up once again with Grammy winning producer M-Phazes, plus an all star cast of collaborators including Sarah Aarons (Zedd, Alessia Cara), Tobias Jesso Jr. (Adele, Sia), Joseph Angel (Rihanna), Nick Long (King Princess, K. Flay) and Wrabel (Ellie Goulding).

The EP’s first single Painkiller has already gathered over 20 million streams in just two months, adding to Ruel’s overall 300 million+ global streams. The new body of work is the next step in the evolution of an artist who began playing guitar and writing songs at only 8 years of age. It demonstrates Ruel’s maturity as a songwriter able take on any genre and unsatisfied staying in the lanes of Pop and RnB.

At just 16 years of age, Ruel has received public praise from the likes of Khalid, Zane Lowe and Sir Elton John for his songwriting craft well beyond his years and his commanding live performances. Last year, he received recognition back home by becoming the youngest recipient of an ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Ruel’s videos for singles ‘Younger’ and ‘Not Thinkin’ Bout You’ have caught fire, each surpassing over 8 million views, and the videos for ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me’ have each enjoyed over 5 million views, with his latest single ‘Painkiller’ fast approaching 8 million views. Additionally ‘Younger’ and ‘Dazed & Confused’ are both ARIA certified Platinum with over 73 million and 62 million streams respectively, and ‘Painkiller’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me’ are both ARIA certified Gold.

2019 saw the star collaborating with Australian legends Hilltop Hoods for their track ‘Fire & Grace’ and later performing with them on the main stage at this year’s Splendour in the Grass Festival. He also recently performed at California’s legendary Coachella festival with British producer SG Lewis on their electro collaboration ‘Flames’.

Secret Sounds, triple j, Flagrant Artists & WME Presents
Ruel Free Time Tour 2019
19 September FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE
22 September THEBARTON THEATRE, ADELAIDE
24 September FESTIVAL HALL, MELBOURNE
28 September SHED 10, AUCKLAND
01 October ODEON, HOBART
03 October HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY
www.facebook.com/oneruel

Celebrating these remarkable feats by hitting the road in May on his Painkiller tour, Ruel will be stopping in Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Forbes, Darwin and of course, Sydney as he takes in the largest venues of his short but extremely eventful career and showcasing tracks from his highly anticipated second EP.

A transcendent new star on an unstoppable trajectory, the London-born, Sydney-based songwriter found himself on the ARIA podium as he took out the 2018 Breakthrough Artist gong for his soul-soaked banger ‘Dazed and Confused’, which landed in in triple j’s Hottest 100 alongside ‘Younger’.

Both tunes, taken from his ubiquitous debut EP Ready, were released amongst a tidal wave of hype which began to swell almost immediately around this young singer-songwriter as his extraordinary soul-tinged voice began to filter out.

His Like a Version rendition of Jack Garratt’s ‘Weathered’ showcased undeniable singing chops and forced folks in the know like Sir Elton John and Khalid to tip their hats, and world-class producers like M-Phazes to pick up their phones.

With these five-star endorsements, it was inevitable that fanbases would start mobilising worldwide and, with the help of ARIA Gold certified single Younger and most recent heartbreaker Not Thinkin’ Bout You (check out the remix featuring Grammy nominated rapper GoldLink), shows have been selling out all over the globe.

In fact, Ruel’s first ever show in New York City late last year also became his first ever sold out NYC appearance, such is the demand for his addictive blend of glitchy electro-soul beds and vocals reminiscent of James Blake, Frank Ocean or even Khalid himself.

Ruel will hit iconic venues like the Forum in Melbourne and Opera House in Sydney in peak form after completing a run of his first headline shows through Asia in March.

Ruel’s Painkiller Tour
5 MAY – TIVOLI, BRISBANE
9 MAY – UNI BAR HOBART
10 MAY – THE FORUM, MELBOURNE
16 MAY – SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, SYDNEY
www.oneruel.com

Showcasing breathless talents that have seen him compared to the likes of James Blake, Frank Ocean and Sam Smith, Ruel is a prodigious talent who is moving ever sharper into focus. His affecting, soul-infused singles ‘Younger’, ‘Don’t Tell Me’ and ‘Dazed and Confused’ have been praised globally, prompting Sir Elton to describe him as “the most amazing voice that I’ve ever heard from a male singer at 14 years of age”.

This rave was followed up by an interview on John’s massively popular Rocket Hour Beats1 radio show, exposing Ruel to an international audience and resulting in an opening spot on rising American star Khalid’s huge Australian tour just weeks later.

All this global attention had seemed inevitable for the Sydney native since he made his official debut via a feature on M-Phazes track ‘Golden Years’ (a tune he was later to perform at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony). The collaboration was lined up after Ruel’s father sent a demo to the Grammy winning producer of Ruel singing James Bay’s song ‘Let it Go’. M-Phazes’ reaction? “I lost my mind when I heard his voice!”

He wasn’t alone.

In fact, triple j listeners had a similar reaction in June 2017 when the two again teamed up for a Like A Version performance of Jack Garrett’s ‘Weathered’. It was his debut live-to-air performance and interview – marking the first time many people had heard his voice or even seen his face. Hysteria ensued as the track gathered over half a million plays on Facebook within 48 hours of release. It went on to become one of the most viewed Like A Version’s of 2017 and announced Ruel as a major star on the ascent.

From first picking up his guitar at the age of 8 to headlining prestigious venues at the age of 15, it’s been a meteoric rise for this enormously talented singer songwriter. His debut EP, fittingly titled Ready, was released in June and signals an extended career in the spotlight.

Ruel is no stranger to the road, earlier this year his single launch parties in both Melbourne and Sydney sold out instantly. For fans eager to get their hands on tickets and avoid sold out disappointment make sure to sign up to the Secret Sounds pre-sale.

Ruel Australian Tour
27 September – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE (U18 MATINEE)
28 September – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE (LIC 18+)
29 September – ASTOR THEATRE, PERTH (LIC ALL AGES)
04 October – THE GOV, ADELAIDE (LIC ALL AGES)
05 October – 256 WICKHAM, BRISBANE (LIC ALL AGES)
10 October – ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY (LIC ALL AGES)
www.facebook.com/oneruel