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Ren Gill

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Ren
Birth nameRen Eryn Gill
Also known as
  • Ren Gill
  • Ren
Born (1990-03-29) 29 March 1990 (age 34)
Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales
OriginBrighton, United Kingdom
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • Singer
  • Songwriter
  • Music producer
  • Rapper
  • Multi-Instrumentalist
  • Busker
  • Performance Artist
  • Poet
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • Bass
  • Drums
  • Piano
  • Marimba
  • some Cello
Years active2009–present
Labels
Formerly of
  • Trick The Fox
  • The Big Push
Websitewww.sickboi.co.uk

Ren Eryn Gill[1] known professionally as Ren was born March 29, 1990 in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, [2][3] is a British musician, singer-songwriter, rapper, poet, producer, busker, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the indie hip-hop band Trick The Fox and The Big Push, a British busking band based in Brighton. He has collaborated with Sam Tompkins, Eden Nash, and CHINCHILLA.[1][4][5]

Ren is an independent artist that writes and produces his own songs and has music videos to accompany them. On December 15, 2022, Ren released "Hi Ren". The video went viral and appeared in both the United Kingdom and Worldwide Trending Music Video Charts on YouTube, and had 5 million views in just over month. The next two songs Ren released, "Sick Boi" and "Bittersweet Symphony (The Verve Retake)", also appeared in the United Kingdom's Trending Music Video Chart on YouTube. Ren was invited to play at Glastonbury 2023, film festivals, and other major UK summer music festivals.[6][7][8]

Ren has written about mental health, consumerism, hypocrisy, and politics.[9][10][11] He is comfortable performing multiple genres and styles.[12][13] In October 2020 Société Magazine listed him as one of the "Top Artists To Look Out For In Sussex."[14] He also appeared in Atwood Magazine's "2023's Top Artists to Watch."[15]

Early life

When Ren was 13, he started using a program called Reason Studios to produce music after seeing someone doing it at a music festival.[4]

Musical career

2009–2013 Trick The Fox

While studying music performance at Bath Spa University, Ren started a band called Trick The Fox. They were an indie hip hop band. Initially it was just Ren and Charlie Fowler. Ren was discovered by a talent scout in 2009, when the two were busking.[4][16][17][18][14]

In 2010, Ren signed a record deal with Sony Records. The two started working on their debut album. They started writing tracks, touring, and recording at The Sanctuary studio in South London, England. They also posted some of the tracks from the album on the Trick The Fox Facebook page and uploaded several live videos onto the Trick The Fox YouTube channel.[4][16][17][18][14][19][20][21][22][23]

It wasn't until later that Tom Frampton joined them. June 2, 2012, they announced they found their drummer on Facebook but joked that "His identity will be kept secret until further notice". He was tagged in the photo, along with Charlie and Ren.[24] June 15, 2012, they uploaded a video of the three of them at the recording studio titled "Run Away [with our new drummer, Tommy Frampton] - TRICK THE FOX".[25]

In 2013, Trick The Fox was listed as one of the acts performing at BEACH BREAK LIVE 2013 [19][26][23][27] and their music began to receive airplay. The first time they heard one of their songs on the radio was December 2, 2013, when BBC Radio 1xtra played their song Twista.[19][28][29] It was during his time with Trick the Fox that Ren fell in love with performing.[4]

Ren had been battling health issues since he was 19.[18] On July 1, 2013 he made an announcement on the band's Facebook and Twitter account.[19][30]

Hi you beautiful people! I have some pretty sad news, people who know me well will know i've been struggling with my health a lot recently, and was diagnosed with M.E. 2 years ago, something i have been battling with since i was 19, for the past 10 months i've been pretty much unable to do shows because of not knowing how my health will be from one day to the next… It is with huge regret that i have to let you know that this is the end of Trick The Fox as a band.

Sony Records later dropped Ren when he was diagnosed with an illness that affected his ability to perform.[16][18][14]

2013–2017 A Time of Isolation[31]

Ren had to move back home to Brighton.[14][31] He called this "a time of isolation"[31] His symptoms, which included excruciating pain, feeling tired and weak, depression, psychosis, waking up to feeling like you haven't slept in months, and other physical and neurological symptoms. Despite the fact that his devastating symptoms left him bed-bound for up to 23 hours a day he continued to write, record, and produce music on his own, from his bedroom.[16][18][14][31]

Ren started a Facebook page called me vs me the 20th of December 2013. The name is a play on words. Ren is the first me, and his is fighting (vs), me, which is the abbreviation for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. He also started a YouTube channel called me vs me on the 22nd of December 2013.[32][33]

He used these platforms to document his attempts to heal himself with the different treatments, to talk about how he was doing, and his views on how the medical community deals with the condition and the lack of funding to research it.[32][33][34]

By 2015, Ren's body was crashing and he felt he wouldn't live to see 30. February 3, 2015, he released a video on his me vs me Facebook page (later renamed Lyme 101) and later on his me vs me YouTube channel talking about how bad things had gotten and asking for help. The video showed his depression and distress.[35][36]

Love Music

Ren was working on his first official album. It was taking awhile to finish due to his health issues. His fans kept asking him for downloadable music. He put together a collection of 20 tracks of his older music that he wrote and recorded either solo, or in various band projects. Some tracks were written when he was just 16. He made them available for download on Band Camp Mar 29, 2015. This was not considered an official release. He called the collection Love Music and said that the proceeds would be used to pay for his upcoming medical treatment.[37][38]

Ren had tried the treatments available in the UK without success. He decided to try and see one more specialist who was outside of the UK. He managed to raise enough money to do so and in December 2015 a doctor in Brussels finally diagnosed him with Lyme's disease. Because he had been infected for so many years it had become chronic.[17][39]

Freckled Angels

Ren decided to call his debut album, Freckled Angels. The album and the title track are dedicated to one of Ren's best friends, Joe Hughes,[40][4] who Ren feels committed suicide.[4] The album took a while to finish due to Ren's illness. On December 28, 2015 Ren announced he had completed the album,[41] five years to the day after his friend passed away. It was officially released on January 2, 2016. It contained 16 tracks and was self released.[42]

Joe Hughes went missing December 28, 2010[43] after he "...phoned a friend to tell them he was going to jump off the 100ft high Menai Suspension Bridge. Cries for help were heard from the water by a resident in Menai Bridge."[43][44][45][46] Joe "had struggled with his mental health and had made threats to jump from the bridge in the past"[45] It was said he "had been 'depressed' in the weeks before his disappearance. The inquest heard Mr Hughes had tried to admit himself to the Hergest mental health unit at Ysbyty Gwynedd but had been turned away as he was drunk at the time."[45] Joe Hughes was believed to have drowned, although the body was never found. The coroner entered an open verdict in the case.[43][44][45][46][44][47]

There is a Welsh restaurant in Menai Bridge called the Freckled Angel. The restaurant took its name from Ren Gill's song and album ‘Freckled Angels'. The owner/chef chose this name because they wanted to dedicate it to their dear friend Joe who had passed away.[48][49]

First official single – Jessica

On February 15, 2016 Ren released his first official single, Jessica. It was written and sung by Ren and Olean and the song was produced by Ren. The song and accompanying video were almost entirely shot, recorded, and produced in Ren's bedroom.[50][51][38]

A specialist named Dr. Joseph Jemsek, saw the vlog that Ren made asking for help and offered to treat him free of charge if he could get to the US. Ren's then girlfriend started a fundraiser to help with expenses. Ren started treatment May 13, 2016 at Infusio Clinic in Los Angeles, California. After a variety of treatments, which included two stem cell treatments almost a year apart, Ren's health slowly improved and he was able to recover to a point. Because he had been infected for so long, he was left with side effects, some of which included fatiguing easily, pain, numerous allergies, autoimmune issues, and other physical and neurological symptoms.[33][32][17][16]

Through a crowdfunding campaign, Ren received expert treatment for his illness,[18] in 2016, he was able to continue his work in music on a self-pay basis.

Recognition

Ren became widely acclaimed after his self released video for his song "Hi Ren" received over 5 million views in one month. He was named as one Atwood Magazine's 2023 Artists to Watch[15] and Gareth Branwyn wrote about "Discovering the intense, refreshingly unique music of Ren" in Boing Boing.[52]

Discography

Album[1][53][54][55]

Freckled Angels - Released 2 Jan 2016 - 16 tracks - 55:13 minutes
Genre: Hip Hop, Rock, Pop
Style: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Acoustic, Alternative Rock, Drum n Bass, Spoken Word, Conscious
Formats: CDr, Digital download, streaming
Track Title Length
1 Make My Way 3:36
2 It's Alright 3:34
3 Dominoes 3:47
4 Satellite Girl 3:29
5 Love Music 3:37
6 1990s 3:16
7 Pixie 3:58
8 Streetlights 3:04
9 Run Away 3:20
10 Pocket Full Of Pain 3:09
11 Love Music Pt.2 4:16
12 Meaning 1:31
13 Bullet 3:09
14 Fire 3:25
15 Crutch - feat. Bibi 3:38
16 Freckled Angels 4:18

EPs[1][53][54]

The Tale of Jenny & Screech - Released 19 September 2019 - 5 tracks - 07:38 minutes
Genre: Hip Hop, Rock
Style: Acoustic, Poetry, Dialogue, Spoken Word, Alternative Rock
Format: CDr, 12", Digital download, streaming
Track Title Length
1 Prologue 0:34
2 Jenny's Tale 3:08
3 Run Screech, Run! 0:12
4 Screech's Tale 3:27
5 Call for Backup 0:17
Demos (Vol 1) - Released 30 April 2020–8 tracks - 27:18 minutes
Genre: Hip Hop, Rock, Blues, Pop, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Indie Pop, Alternative Rock, Spoken Word, Ska, Indie Rock, Gospel, Electric Blues, Conscious
Format: CDr, 12", Digital download, streaming
Track Title Length
1 Life is Funny 2:55
2 Love Music Pt. 3 3:54
3 Money Game, Pt. 2 3:38
4 French Song - feat. Romain Axisa 3:30
5 Dear God 3:06
6 Hold On 3:46
7 Ahiahiahohah (Bonus Track) - feat. Bibi 3:30
8 Ocean (Bonus Track) - feat. Eden Nash 2:59
Demos (Vol 2) - Released 15 October 2020 - 8 tracks - 25:20 minutes
Genre: Hip Hop, Rock, Pop
Style: Indie Pop, Alternative Rock, Spoken Word, Conscious, Poetry, Trip Hop, Nu Metal
Format: CDr, 12", Digital download, streaming
Track Title Length
1 Ready For You 3:20
2 Diazepam 3:16
3 Heretic 3:33
4 Crucify Your Culture 2:34
5 Everybody Drops 3:20
6 Penitence - feat. Molly McKenna 4:11
7 Depression (Bonus Track) 2:43
8 Insomnia (Bonus Track) 2:27
Violet's Tale - Released 29 July 2022 - 7 tracks - 13:32 minutes
Genre: Hip Hop, Rock
Acoustic, Poetry, Dialogue, Spoken Word, Alternative Rock
Format: CDr, 12", Digital download, streaming
Track Title Length
1 Prologue 0:34
2 Jenny's Tale 3:08
3 Run Screech, Run! 0:12
4 Screech's Tale 3:27
5 Call for Backup 0:17
6 London City 0:48
7 Violet's Tale 5:44

Unofficial release[1][37]

Love Music - Released March 19, 2015 - 20 tracks - 68:15 minutes
Genre: Hip Hop, Rock, Pop
Style: Indie Pop, Acoustic, Poetry, Spoken Word, Conscious, Indie Rock
Formats: Digital download, streaming
Track Title Length
1 Love music (acoustic version) 4:08
2 Lost Boy 3:49
3 Living Room Poetry 3:25
4 Wild Place 3:05
5 The Four Elements 1:20
6 Come Closer 3:01
7 Hush Now 3:10
8 Knock Me Down 2:59
9 Jennys Tale 2:01
10 Run Away (acoustic version) 2:38
11 Can't Stop Me 2:15
12 Got to Run 2:33
13 Breakdown 2:34
14 New York City 3:18
15 She Makes The World 3:15
16 If I Leave Tonight 3:42
17 Rockstar 3:26
18 Falling 2:49
19 Okay In The Morning 4:25
20 Power Of Unity 3:22

Singles[1][53][56]

Title Length Genre/Style Release Date Label
Jessica - feat. Olean 3:45 Hip Hop, Rap 15 Feb 2016 None
Girls! 2:53 Rock 14 Feb 2018 None
Blind Eyed - feat. Sam Tompkins 3:34 Rap 13 Jul 2018 None
Children of the Moon 2:40 Reggae, Pop, Baroque Pop, Ska, Indie Pop 31 Oct 2018 None
Blind Eyed (live) - feat. Sam Tompkins 5:02 Rap, Pop 18 Jan 2019 None
Humble - feat. Eden Nash 2:56 Rap, Pop 28 Feb 2019 None
Money Game 3:28 Rap, Alternative Rock 31 Oct 2019 None
How to Be Me - feat. CHINCHILLA 3:48 Pop, Alternative Rock 25 Dec 2019 None
Everybody Drops 3:20 Pop, Alternative Rock 24 Sep 2020 None
Chalk Outlines - feat. CHINCHILLA 3:53 Pop, Indie Pop 15 Dec 2021 None
Power 3:25 Hip Hop, Pop, Indie Pop 7 Apr 2022 None
Violet's Tale (2 tracks) Rock, Pop, Rap, Indie Folk, Ballad, Spoken Word, Acoustic 29 Jul 2022 None
1) London City 0:48 Pop, Rock, Rap, Intro, Ballad, Acoustic, Spoken Word 29 Jul 2022 None
2) Violet's Tale 5:44 Rock, Pop, Rap, Indie Folk, Ballad, Spoken Word, Acoustic 29 Jul 2022 None
The Hunger 2:27 Rap, Hip Hip 24 Sept 2022 None
Genisis 2:56 Hip Hop, Rap 13 Oct 2022 None
Genesis (Drum & Bass remix) (2 Tracks) Hip Hop, Rap, Dance, EDM 2022 None
1) Genesis (Drum & Bass remix) 2:41 Rap, Dance, EDM 2022 None
2) Genesis 2:56 Hip Hop, Rap 2022 None
What You Want 3:16 Hip Hop, Rap 3 Nov 2022 None
Hi Ren 8:35 Hip Hop, Rock, Acoustic, Poetry, Spoken Word, Dialogue, Conscious, Folk, Singer-Songwriter 16 Dec 2022 None
Sick Boi 3:14 Rap 19 Jan 2023 None
Bittersweet Symphony (The Verve Retake) 2:44 Rap 3 Feb 2023 None

Other releases [1][53]

Track Length Genre/Style Release Date Album Label
It's Alright - MIKVH feat. Ren Gill 3:58 Genre: Electronic Style: Deep House 5 Jul 2016 MIKVH Feat. Ren Gill – It's Alright The Bearded Man
It's Alright - MIKVH feat. Ren Gill 3:25 Genre: Electronic, Rock Style: Acoustic, Deep House, House 5 Jul 2016 MIKVH Ft. Ren Gill / Moto (10) – It's Alright / Calling disco wax
It's Alright - Extended Mix - MIKVH feat. Ren Gill 3:58 Genre: Electronic, Rock Style: Acoustic, Deep House, House 5 Jul 2016 MIKVH Ft. Ren Gill / Moto (10) – It's Alright / Calling disco wax
Patience - Bear McCreary feat. Ren Gill 3:37 Pop Sep 2017 Unrest (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Sparks & Shadows

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Gill, Ren. "Ren Gill". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  2. ^ "Ren Eryn Gill - Births & Baptisms [1] - Genes Reunited". Genes Reunited. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  3. ^ Gill, Ren (2023-02-23). "Quick update, surgery all went smoothly! - Ren - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Neutral (2 April 2020). "Catching Coffee with Ren | Busking, Screaming Fans & Being Blocked by Calvin Harris!". YouTube. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  5. ^ CONWAY-FLOOD, Katie. "THE BIG PUSH - BRIGHTON'S BIGGEST BUSKING BAND". Discovered Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  6. ^ Songstats. "Songstats - Music Data Analytics for Artists & Labels - Feed". Songstats. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  7. ^ Stewart, Peter (2023-02-14). "Ren Gill A Dynamic Singer, Guitarist And Songwriter From The UK". The Music Man. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  8. ^ Smith, Bob (2023-01-06). "Ren's Poignant, Disturbing & Brilliant 'Hi Ren' - The Static Dive". The Static Dive. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  9. ^ Duffy-Alfonso, Evita (2023-02-02). "'Hi Ren' Gives Countercultural Rebuttal To Mental Health Industry". The Federalist. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  10. ^ "Ren - Money Game". Radio Guerrilla (in Romanian). 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  11. ^ "Ren – Crucify Your Culture". Genius. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  12. ^ seeitliveofficial. "Guitarist Ren plays rollicking adventure story with song 'Jenny's Tale'". seeitlive.co. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  13. ^ Jovanović, Maja (2022-08-09). "Fantastična trilogija Rena Gilla". Muzziktv. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
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  15. ^ a b Staff (2023-01-30). "2023's Top 50 Artists to Watch". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
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  24. ^ Trick The Fox (2012-06-02). "Trick The Fox - After searching far and wide we have finally found ourselves a drummer!!!! His identity will be kept secret until further notice... This message will self destruct in 10 minutes. | Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  25. ^ Run Away [with our new drummer, Tommy Frampton] - TRICK THE FOX, retrieved 2023-02-20
  26. ^ Trick The Fox (2013-03-12). "We are Playing @BeachBreakLive - Twitter". Twitter Announcement about Beach Break Live. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  27. ^ Hyams, Anna (2013-06-05). "More for Beach Break Live". Summer Festival Guide. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  28. ^ Trick The Fox (2012-12-09). "A song we did with @EddieKadi got played on Radio 1 extra!!! - Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  29. ^ "BBC Radio 1Xtra - DJ Edu - Destination Africa, Eddie Kadi and Mista Silva!". BBC. 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
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  31. ^ a b c d "Ren & Sam Tompkins". Stabal | The On Demand Music Experience. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
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  33. ^ a b c Gill, Ren (2013-12-22). "me vs me - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  34. ^ Gill, Ren (2017-01-20). "This is a girl i know called kirsty who i met in the lyme support groups". Facebook. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  35. ^ Gill, Ren (2015-02-03). "I normally wait until I've got positive news before i post videos but I want people to know how bad this illness is. I'm loosing weight, can only eat a... | By Lyme 101 | Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  36. ^ Gill, Ren (2015-07-15). "Living with M.E. - My life with CFS blog - feburary 2015 Help". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
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  38. ^ a b Szwarc, Bea (2016-05-16). "New Secret: Ren - Jessica (feat. Orleans) - Where the Music Meets". www.wherethemusicmeets.com. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
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  40. ^ Gill, Ren (2011-06-04). "Ren - Freckled Angel - renlovemusic". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  41. ^ Gill, Ren (2015-12-28). "Freckled Angels | 5 years to the day an absolute legend left our lives so I thought it would be quite fitting to make today the official release date of my debut album,... | By Ren | Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  42. ^ Bandcamp. "Freckled Angels, by Ren Gill". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  43. ^ a b c ADMIN (2010-12-29). "Welsh Icons News | Appeal for missing Anglesey teenager". welshicons.org. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  44. ^ a b c "Search goes on for missing Anglesey teenager". WalesOnline. 2010-12-30. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  45. ^ a b c d Barker, Rhodri (2013-10-31). "Joe Hughes: Inquest of missing Anglesey teen hears friends made a desperate search for him". North Wales Live. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  46. ^ a b Shelley, Rob (2013-10-30). "Open verdict in inquest for missing teen Joe Hughes". ITV. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  47. ^ "Missing teenager search on Anglesey abandoned". BBC News. 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  48. ^ Walker, Kerry (2020-12-14). "Freckled Angel in Menai Bridge: flavours that fly high in heavenly small plates". Undiscovered Wales. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  49. ^ Vranic, Marko (2022-04-13). "British tapas restaurant reopens in Menai Bridge". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  50. ^ Gill, Ren (2016-02-15). "REN & ORLEAN - JESSICA | REN & ORLEAN - JESSICA Yo! Here's a brand new track! This is a little insight into my world of recording, most of it's done right here in my bedroom!... | By Ren | Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  51. ^ Gill, Ren (2016-02-15). "REN & ORLEAN - JESSICA". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  52. ^ https://boingboing.net/2023/01/30/discovering-the-intense-refreshingly-unique-music-of-ren.html
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  54. ^ a b "Products – Official Ren Merch". Official Ren Merch. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
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  56. ^ "Ren". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2023-02-21.

External links