One pairing that was probably not on your 2024 bingo card.
Johnny Took of DMA'S / Ruel (Instagram)
One pairing that was probably not on your 2024 bingo card would be the Australia’s beloved indie trio DMA’S and established pop singer Ruel. The four Sydney-based musicians will release their new track What A Life on all major streaming platforms tomorrow (March 28).
You might be wondering how such a pairing came about. DMA’S wrote on their Instagram earlier this week: “We first linked a couple of years ago to write for Ruel’s debut album [Free Time] and being fans of each other’s music, it worked. From time to time we connected in the studio and wrote songs that we loved for each others projects.
“The Ruel x DMA’S songs were building up until we felt it was the right time to do something with what we had. Finishing off these [two] songs with producer Kon Kersting felt right and we’re really keen for you all to hear what happens when you bring our worlds together. We hope you love it.”
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Both the artist and trio are rumoured to be peppering two of these collaborative tracks into the world, with the second of them still to be announced.
The relationship hasn’t been confined to the studio: Ruel made a surprise cameo at DMA’S’ Enmore Theatre show in Sydney (Eora) at the end of 2023, where they first teased the track What A Life. Little did fans know that their reaction to the onstage duet was all the encouragement they needed to release their collaborated tracks.
Enlisting the acoustic guitar and indie croon of DMA’S alongside Ruel’s husky and high-hitting vocals, mixed with some rich piano, What A Life marks a new level of maturation for both artists.