After the whirlwind that was 2019, including the release of a brand new EP and a sold out North American tour, Ruel returns with his first musical offering of 2020—a collaboration with Sydney production duo Cosmo’s Midnight. “Down For You” is an adoring serenade, pairing Ruel’s smooth vocals and alluring pull with Cosmo’s Midnight’s playful production and signature sonic universe. Ruel’s soulful words and subtle R&B speak to the throws of love and hypnotic devotion where nothing else can exist, while the unmistakable grin of the Cosmos’ pop-infused sound and funky drum beat forge the hook.
Originally meeting in 2018, Cosmo’s Midnight invited Ruel to make his festival debut as a guest vocalist in their set at Groovin The Moo festival. 2020 sees things come full circle with Ruel now inviting Cosmo’s Midnight to join his set at Sydney’s Laneway Festival to deliver their live performance debut of “Down For You”.
Speaking about the track, Ruel reveals, “Was so much fun writing this one with the boys. The song kinda wrote itself in the session we had. We all felt like we really related to the story we wrote. So happy to finally have a song out with Cosmo and Pat, love u guys.”
Cosmo’s Midnight add, “We met Ruel a few years ago at Groovin The Moo. He joined us on stage for an impromptu on-stage collab. We immediately knew we had to write a song together. The stars didn’t align until a year later, but we made up for lost time and wrote ‘Down For You’. In the studio we were basically talking about how you do things you don’t want to for people you like ala Bobby Caldwell ‘What You Won’t Do’ – and it all flowed from there. We had the song basically done that day, but had to back n forth a bit to finesse the details. Ruel’s a great guy and has taste in music that would make 17 yo Cosmo’s Midnight a bit envious. It was a wholesome experience getting to know him and write ‘Down For You’ together.”
Pop phenomenon Ruel has quickly been making a name for himself since breakout single “Dazed & Confused“, which earned him a 2018 ARIA title as Best Breakthrough Artist and over 100 million streams on Spotify alongside fellow favourite, “Younger“. Launching to global fame, he began touring internationally and across Australia including multiple sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House. Since, he’s released his 2019 EP Free Time (now reaching over 128 million Spotify streams), achieved platinum-status for three singles including most recent hit “Painkiller“, and is currently touring throughout Australia as part of St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival tour and will then move into the Asia leg of his sold out Free Time World Tour in Feb/March.
Across 2019, Cosmo’s Midnight gifted tastes of fresh directions that the twin team have been mastering, including the effervescent “C.U.D.I (Can U Dig It)” (now sitting on over 8 million global streams), the lush disco-leaning sound of “Have It All” feat. Age.Sex.Location and the slick grooves of “It’s Love” feat. Matthew Young, plus a killer rendition of Moloko’s “Sing It Back” in their Like A Version debut. The duo continued kicking goals on the stage in 2019 playing country-wide festival tours St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival and Listen Out, charming crowds at Splendour in the Grass, selling out headline shows across the US and Asia, and embarking on a wild national tour with sold out shows at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre and Melbourne’s The Forum. In 2018, the brothers found their stride on the road to their widely-acclaimed debut, triple j Feature Album What Comes Next, which featured the now gold-certified favourites “History”, “Talk To Me” and “Get To Know” and solidified their mark in a globally-reaching audience. After capping off 2019 with a set at Falls Festival Byron Bay, Cosmo’s Midnight will also be striding into the new year with a spot at Party in the Paddock next month, a single to join an expansive live show, and the promise of plenty more music to come. Kick back, listen, and enjoy the rise of some of Australia’s brightest talents in 2020.
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