Inside RUEL’s Sequel Album ‘Kicking My Feet & Screaming’: ‘There Were Two Worlds That Were Building Up’

RUEL rose to prominence as a teenager and achieved early success with breakout hits such as “Dazed and Confused,” off of his debut EP Ready, and “Painkiller,” off his second EP Free Time. With continued success across the Australian charts, he’s since cemented himself as a rising global pop artist.

His 2025 album Kicking My Feet, peaked at No. 36 on the Album Sales Chart — and was just the beginning of what he called part one of a two-part project. Today (June 12), that second half has arrived with Kicking My Feet & Screaming.

At its core, Kicking My Feet & Screaming is about embracing every aspect of a relationship — not just the joyful moments. While Kicking My Feet captures the excitement of being infatuated and, as RUEL describes it, “leaning into the cringe,” Kicking My Feet & Screaming takes on a more restless and emotionally charged tone. The album explores the full spectrum of love, from the giddy, obsessive highs to the overwhelming and complicated emotions that come with deeper vulnerability.

In between wrapping up his Kicking My Feet Tour and celebrating the release of Kicking My Feet & Screaming, RUEL sat down with Billboard to talk about the new album and what he’s most excited for as he steps into this next era.

You’ve described this album as Kicking My Feet part two. Do you see it as a companion piece or the second half of the same story?

I think of it as a sequel. That’s the best way to put it because I wouldn’t say there’s a super clear narrative that goes between them. I think they work together sonically and musically. 

You released two connected albums within eight months. When did you realize the story wasn’t finished and you needed a sequel album after Kicking My Feet? 

I was writing both of them at the same time. When you listen to them back-to-back, it feels like you’re in the same world, but I think I really like how Kicking My Feet, which came out in October, is focusing on the happy stages of love and talking about love in a positive way and leaning into the cringe. The idea of kicking your feet is exactly that. Then when you add “and screaming,” it completely changes the meaning.

Was there a moment where you thought, “This particular song belongs on a second album instead of the first album”? 

I was writing so many songs and when I was starting to make the tracklist, even though I was kind of halfway through writing, I realized that there were two worlds that were building up. I also love 10 song albums and there was no chance I could have picked ten songs out of everything I wrote. So I was like, let’s just do two 10 song albums.

Do you recall the moment you realized you were going to do two albums?

I think that the first trigger was realizing how many songs I wanted to put out. After the fact is where I saw the difference; 10 of these songs are about love, and then 10 are not.  

What’s the biggest difference between Kicking My Feet versus Kicking My Feet & Screaming?

Kicking My Feet & Screaming feels a little bit more agitated, a bit more passionate. There’s some frustration, realism, and a little bit more nuance in relationships, whether it’s romantic or friendships. It’s every part of my life and I think that’s where both records sit. It feels like the same world. 

How did you come up with the second album name? 

It came pretty immediately. Kicking My Feet came first after the song. The & Screaming add to this new album’s title was an immediate realization because Kicking & Screaming is a great film and I thought adding the & Screaming would tie the second album into the first one.

What was the process like for writing this album?

It brought out different sides of me that had been hard to get out and I think that’s where Kicking My Feet & Screaming stemmed from, being so open in these rooms where different people would draw out different sides of me. The main difference was that I was the only common denominator in every song, which added a bit more responsibility because I was the one making it feel cohesive. I had to take a lot more control and I had to think of where the songs were heading after they were written as a whole.

If you could choose one song off your new album that you’re most excited for your fans to hear, what song would it be and why? 

“Can I Have It Back?” That’s going to be my prediction as the fan favorite. I usually don’t get the predictions right, but it’s been one of my favorites for a while and I think it’ll translate well live and is easy to understand.

What was your favorite song to write and what was the hardest song to write? 

Can I say “Can I Have It Back?” again? It came the quickest and was a direct thought child from a dream, and then the next morning I wrote it very, very quickly in my living room. It didn’t change much from how it started so that was really satisfying. “Since The Day You Let Me” is one that took a bit to write because it took a while to get the rise of the bridge. We wrote five different version of the bridge, and I ended up just using the vocal sketch tape from the first session in the final version.

Are there any others that s changed from the initial concept?

A lot of them, honestly, had a massive switch up. The last track “What It Sounds Like” had layers of drums. It was a massive thing that we ended up stripping back down to just keys to keep it simple.  “In Your Mind” was a track from 2021 that I ended up revisiting five years later, so that was bound to go through many changes as well.

Do you have a favorite lyric off this album that is the most meaningful to you or you hope resonates with your fans? 

I really love the bridge of “Faking Smiles.” It’s really dumb, but it makes me laugh every time. The lyric goes, “I’m pretty sure I’m the best on earth. I probably deserve some kind of award.” I really like singing that lyric in the context of the song.

You announced a Kicking My Feet & Screaming UK/EU tour. Do you have any plans for U.S. dates?

I just came off a big U.S. tour for Kicking My Feet. I don’t know…. maybe I will, maybe I won’t… I definitely want to tour the rest of the world and will hopefully have plans to by the end of the year.

Do you have any favorite cities that you would love to go back to on tour?

The craziest crowds are quite unexpected. Salt Lake City was craziest out of the U.S.  Florida goes hard and is pretty rancid, in the best way possible.  

Are there any festivals you would love to perform at? 

I have a massive bucket list. Coachella would be amazing. Lollapalooza in Chicago is one of my favorite festivals in the U.S. There’s a festival in Australia called Laneway too.

Do you have any dream collaborations for future songs? 

I’m a massive fan of Mark Ronson’s stuff and James Blake — versatile producers as well as artists where there’s magic. Those two have been my favorites for a while.

If someone listens to Kicking My Feet and Kicking My Feet & Screaming back-to-back, is there a message you hope fans take away? 

It’s hard to give one message because both albums can contradict each other’s message. Kicking My Feet broke down a barrier where I don’t have to seem cool or deep or layered or dark. With Kicking My Feet & Screaming, it was the exact opposite, and I think this record falls into the whining about things going on and where I tend to sit when writing. I’m never going to box myself in, and with both albums it’s the whole picture.