Sydney teen heartthrob Ruel made all the hearts at The Forum melt after his outstanding performance. The 16-year-old singer was pitch perfect for his whole hour set. Ruel was supported by one of the most energetic, intense, savage acts I have ever seen live. Genesis Owusu oozed extreme energy for his 30 minute set. The Forum hosted a full house of 2000 screaming teenage girls, which meant that the energy was buzzing from the line outside all the way inside The Forum. The stage was set up was minimalistic, with Ruel’s band situated on a slim lined elevated stage, leaving Ruel to own the larger lower section of the stage. With the use of warm coloured lighting and a wicked stage presence from Genesis Owusu and Ruel, they ruled the night.
Another young addition, with the 18 year old rapper Genesis Owusu I didn’t know what to expect. However, by the end, I had such a clear understanding of who he was as an artist - with every song performed to maximum energy capacity, the crowd jumped, screamed and danced for 30 minutes straight. I praise Genesis Owusu and his performers for giving it their all. I can’t imagine how short of breath they would have been after dancing and singing the way they did, I lost my breath just from watching them. Genesis Owusu played tracks ‘awomen amen’, ‘Wit’ Da Team’ and new release ‘WUTD.’
Now to the heart throb of the hour… RUEL who gave a stellar performance from start to finish. For a 16 year old to get up in front of 2000 people with such confidence and absolutely claim the stage from the get go is incredible. Although there wasn’t a lot of interaction with the audience, he still managed to make all of the crowd swoon.
It turns out Ruel is in fact human. With a few mistakes on his own lyrics here and there, the singer was able to laugh it off and shrug his shoulders - he's just 16 after all. Hit songs such as ‘Dazed and Confused’, ‘Younger’ and ‘Painkiller’ were of course crowd pleasers and got everyone screaming at the top of their lungs with excitement. Newly released songs ‘Flames’ and ‘Real Thing’ also gave fans a sweet taster of the new tunes before the official release of Flames the day after the show.
What I really loved the most was listening to the story behind his song ‘Unsaid.’ A song about depression and mental illness, Ruel opened up about the inspiration behind the song and shined light on the importance of being aware of those around you and to lend a helping hand to friends, family and strangers.
Wow! was the only word to describe how I felt after walking out of The Forum. I was a fan of Ruel’s music before, but now I have a new appreciation for his capabilities as an artist. With amazing live vocals and vocal control, a stand out stage presence and a humble personality, the 16-year-old is full to the brim with talent. Even though I felt like the oldest person barely out of my teens I left feeling like a 16-year-old girl again, full of excitement and a little bit star struck.