Ruel is the third face of CLASH 132.

Australian pop artist Ruel, who started releasing music at just 15, has always been globally adored and ahead of his time. His debut cover feature with CLASH is no exception, as he joins our Zoom call in a timezone six hours in front of ours while in transit through Bangkok.

The UK-born, Sydney-raised talent is busy basking in the glow of his sophomore album, 'Kicking My Feet’. A watertight collection created with an all-star roster of producers, Ruel captures young love in all its bittersweet glory.

On 'Kicking My Feet’, the artist and model churns coming-of-age feelings into addictive anthems. It’s an exhilarating run that defies easy categorisation, with the singer-songwriter blending internet-fueled idioms and folky overtures with ‘80s influences and modern pop sensibilities. This is characteristically Ruel, but bolder, more commanding and more instinctive.

CLASH captures Ruel at a moment when he's crossing over. In a free-flowing conversation, he opens up on eschewing fantasy for lived experience, the beauty of spontaneous creation and collaboration, whilst reckoning with the expectations that come with being labelled a teenage pop prodigy.

As he tells CLASH: “Whilst writing this album, I tried to be more carefree… I didn’t want to write from a place of pressure, or write a certain type of song or stick with a certain type of genre.”