Welsh musician Ren’s outstanding and unique reach of listeners is truly something to marvel at. Sitting at #1 on the iTunes pre-order charts prior to today’s release of his new 18 track album Sick Boi, the sensational artist has built a loyal following that crosses borders, generations, and genre preferences.

Perhaps best known for his viral hit “Hi Ren”, released in December of last year, he blends music, spoken word, art, and theatre into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary world that is unmistakably his own. Now, he shares his 18-track album, a self-produced hip-hop leaning body of work that covers personal topics such as grief, chronic illness, and mental health issues. Honest and personal, his music speaks to people in profound ways, making listeners feel less alone.

We spoke with Ren about Sick Boi, the track he’s most proud of, and the intentionally Friday the 13th release date.

Stream Sick Boi…

Read the interview…

Hey Ren! How are you doing?
I’m great, thank you!

When did you start creating music and how has your artistry evolved to where it is today?
When I was 10 my dad bought me this little beaten-up acoustic guitar and I used to take it everywhere with me, it became like a second limb. At the time I was listening to a lot of Chili Peppers records as well as Hendrix and Nirvana records and I became really obsessed with teaching myself. I never had guitar teachers, but I would just try to recreate what they were doing.

When I was 13, I went to a festival with my parents where I heard this Jungle tune called “Badass!” by Mickey Finn and Aphrodite, I became completely obsessed with drum and bass and so I came home, got myself a copy of Reason and started producing music. From then on, it’s all I’ve wanted to do. I’d go round festivals with a portable boombox as a young teen, hit play and try and sell my CDs to campers, I always had this hustlers mentality.

I feel like my artistry has evolved in lots of different ways. I spent years busking on the streets to afford bills and rent, and the psychology of winning over a crowd fascinated me and taught me alot. I had to get good at it because I had to eat. Today I’m constantly experimenting with what I want to make and always changing my mind, and constantly reinventing myself. Bowie did that, and I loved it. I haven’t had an easy life and I guess that’s influenced and impacted my creative process, because I feel like now I have a platform, I can speak for so many people who don’t have a voice. I never want to get to a point with creativity where I feel like im pandering to whats successful, I always want to be in that area of slight discomfort because I feel like that’s the place that births the most exciting ideas.

You combine so many elements in your work — from music to spoken word to art and beyond — in your words, how does this enhance a traditional musicality and allow you to connect with your fans on a deeper level?
I like to make the musical experience as visceral as possible so for me that means stepping outside of being a musician and broadening into being an entertainer. I try to work on as many senses as possible, blurring the lines of what’s real and what’s not. I feel like from this place you can really bring people into the world you are creating and make them invest in the characters that don’t exist in the physical realm, but still become these living breathing characters for some people.

I feel art is an empathy window, so I try to use as many tools as possible to bring listeners into the feelings I am conveying.

Speaking of, you have such a dedicated fanbase. How has it been to watch this grow and to see so many people connect with your music? Is there a moment with a fan that stands out to you?
It’s been surreal. I am in Canada treating my health, so watching everything blow up online feels like this bizarre juxtaposition. I’m going to the clinic and having IV’s daily so it’s quite rough but then I log onto the internet and see everything blowing up and growing digitally.

It definitely keeps me grounded and gives me time to process everything as there are two polar situations going on where on one side my dream is manifesting and on the other I’m away treating my health, surrounded by many other sick people who have had to sacrifice huge parts of their lives. It is unusual for sure, but having the music is my silver lining.

I still get blown away when I get tagged in posts where fans have my face or lyrics tattooed on them. I have also had people travel from Australia to watch busking sessions, and have had some pretty crazy gifts in the post! The bassist from the Verve posted me a guitar once, that was super cool. There is some amazing artwork and for me I think it’s beautiful if something I create inspires somebody else to create, it’s like a positivity loop and also how I get my inspiration a lot of the time.

Lets talk about the new album! When did you start working on Sick Boi?
I started working on Sick Boi during the last lockdown we had in the UK after walking away from quite a frustrating situation within the music business. I wanted to make an album just for the joy of it and sake of creating something to kind of brush off the cobwebs.

What themes do you discuss in the project?
There are a lot of themes centred around my physical and mental health, as well as a lot of homage to my love of Hip-Hop and its culture.

How would you describe the sonic essence of this album?
It’s quite dark. The album is rooted heavily in Hip-Hop but then I also blend EDM elements throughout. My style is usually very eclectic but for Sick Boi I wanted to keep it really focused on a specific flavour. This is a very production-based album in comparison to some of my previous work where I use a lot more live elements.

Is there a song you’re most proud of or one that was the hardest to write?
My favourite is “Money Game PT.3.” I love the concept and how there’s this duality of rap over classical instruments. There’s not even any beats on it, solely string, piano, voice and it just works. Definity most proud of jamming two things that shouldn’t go together, together.

Was it a conscious decision to set your release date for Friday the 13th? 🙂
Yeah, because it’s lucky.

Do you have a career highlight thus far?
I’d say going back a while to when “Blind Eyed” was released. It was one of the first songs that I put out playing live after being sick for so long. I had been ill for most of my 20’s and didn’t think I’d have another chance to do this professionally, so when the song started going viral it was a massive affirmation that something was possible. I also got to do it with one of my best mates Sam Tompkins, and it was nice having someone to share that experience with as it was blowing up both our careers at the same time. For me it was more than just what the song was doing, it was also a second chance.

Anything else you’re looking forward to?
Everything in the future. My health is improving a lot, my career is heading in a really exciting direction, so the future is looking full of possibilities and I’m really excited about that.