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|
Ren | |
|---|---|
| π Ren in 2022 Ren in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Born | Ren Eryn Gill (1990-03-29) 29 March 1990 (age 36) Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Origin | Dwyran, Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2009βpresent |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of |
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| Website | www.renmakesmusic.com |
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Ren Eryn Gill (born 29 March 1990), known professionally as Ren, is a Welsh singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, actor, and director. Ren has been a member of Trick the Fox and the Brighton-based busking band The Big Push, and has independently released the studio albums Freckled Angels (2016) and Sick Boi (2023).[1]
Ren gained wide attention with the 2022 music video "Hi Ren", which addresses illness and mental health.[2] The video was nominated in the Best Music Video category at Camerimage in 2023.[3]
Sick Boi reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 20 October 2023.[4] In the United States, the album debuted at number 137 on the Billboard 200, and Ren reached number four on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart.[5]
Ren has spoken publicly about living with Lyme disease and related chronic health problems. He has said that before receiving a Lyme disease diagnosis in 2015, he was treated for depression and was also misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and bipolar disorder.[2][6]
Early life and influences
[edit]Ren was born on 29 March 1990 in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. At age four, his family moved to Anglesey, where he grew up in the village of Dwyran.[1] He began playing guitar at age 10 after his father gave him his first instrument; he later taught himself by slowing down recordings by Jimi Hendrix and John Frusciante.[7][8]:β0:20:11β
His early musical influences included music his parents listened to, such as Shy FX, Mickey Finn, Aphrodite, early Eminem, Kurt Cobain, and Bob Marley.[7] Ren developed an early interest in music production and began selling homemade beats created with Reason software on CD at age 12.[9][10]:β01:33β He first performed live at 13 with a cover of an AFI song.[8]:β11:02β In 2024, Ren said his writing is influenced by the stories of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Kubrick, and Martin McDonagh.[7] He began writing original material in his mid-teens, including the track "Street Lights", which later appeared on Freckled Angels.[8]:β0:11:37β He began busking at age 17.[11]:β04:19β
Career
[edit]2008β2012: Early career
[edit]While studying music at Bath Spa University, Ren began busking and formed the band Trick the Fox with classmate Charlie Fowler.[12][10]:β01:45β In 2010, producer Eric Appapoulay heard Ren performing while busking and signed him to a development deal as a representative of Sony. The development deal required Ren to play a certain number of showcase performances for Sony in order for execs to monitor Ren's progress. During this time Appapoulay and Ren also starting writing and recording music together.[8]:β34:23β[13][14]
On 28 December 2010, Ren's childhood friend Joe Hughes died by suicide.[15] Hughes's death influenced Ren's later songwriting about mental health and chronic illness.[16][17][18] Ren later wrote "Freckled Angels" as a tribute to Hughes; the song became the title track of his debut album.[17][19] The songs "For Joe" and the final verse of "Suicide" are also tributes to Hughes.[20][16]
Ren began recording his debut album with Fowler at Sanctuary Studio in South London. Trick the Fox began touring and added drummer Tom Frampton in 2012.[21][22] The group received radio airplay on BBC Radio 1Xtra.[23]
During the recording process, Ren became ill, experiencing dissociation, physical pain, and fatigue that affected his ability to perform.[13][24] He returned to his mother's home in Wales to recuperate and was later bedridden for up to 23 hours a day.[13][8]:β36:23β His worsening health interrupted his music career.[13][25]:β29:09β
2013β2016: Isolation and Freckled Angels
[edit]Ren left his mother's home in Wales and moved to Brighton in 2013.[26] His health issues kept him homebound. Some days were better than others. When he had enough energy,[1] Ren wrote songs and recorded his music in his bedroom.[27] He tried to find out why he was so sick, but for years, he was misdiagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome by multiple doctors and therapists. He developed stress induced psychosis.[9][13][28] In October 2015,[29] Ren met with a doctor who correctly diagnosed him with Lyme Disease[11]:β29:09β
Ren finished his debut album, Freckled Angels, to try to raise money for treatment.[1] The album contained 16 tracks, half of which were recorded for the Trick The Fox album. Eric Appapoulay permitted him to use them.[30][8]:β38:08β The title track "Freckled Angels" was written about one of his best friends, Joe Hughes, who died by suicide in 2010. Ren dedicated it and the album to Joe[31][19] and self-released the album[13] on 28 December 2015, the five year anniversary of Joe's death.[19][31]
He released his first official single, "Jessica", on 15 February 2016.[32] Not long after, he went to the United States to undergo an experimental treatment for Lyme disease that included stem cell transplantation.[14][16]
2017β2022: Return to performing
[edit]Ren was featured in the 2017 movie Unrest, and his song "Patience" was part of the soundtrack.[33] He was a spokesperson for Lyme Disease UK at the time.[34]
Ren's health improved after being treated with stem cells,[25][16] but he tired easily,[35] and had ongoing autoimmune issues,[36] brain damage, and PTSD.[9] Despite this, he "started busking on the streets of Brighton,"[25][16] both on his own and with other independent artists.[13][9] Ren started releasing songs regularly and uploading videos to his YouTube channel.[13] He attracted a group of dedicated fans through the art of storytelling and his ability to connect emotionally with his audience.[37] From 2018 onwards, videos of Ren and Sam Tompkins performing the songs Blind Eyed, Earned It, Man's World and Falling as street musicians also become successful.[38] As his fan base grew, many of his videos were viewed over a million times.[39] Jenny's tale, part of a trilogy of videos,[40] had 3.3 million views by April 2020, a little over a year after its release.[41] He also released several EPs and began working on his second album.[1]
In addition to his solo career, Ren was a member of The Big Push, a Brighton-based busking band. Glenn Chambers was the drummer, and Ren, Romain Axisa, Gorran Kendall were the frontmen. They self-released an EP, and their 2021 UK Tour sold out.[42][43] The Big Push played their last gig and broke up in 2022 due in part to Ren's health issues.[44]
"Hi Ren"
[edit]On 15 December 2022, Ren self-released the music video "Hi Ren". This was a breakthrough moment for him.[37] "Hi Ren" is an expression of Ren's journey with mental health, autoimmunity, illness, psychosis, and the medical system. It brings a message of hope and positivity, and has helped people open up and talk about their own struggles, promoting open public discussions about mental health.[19]
The video became a viral hit. In two months, it received 6.8 million views on YouTube, and charted worldwide on YouTube's trending music video chart,[9] and reached No. 62 on the UK Video Streaming Chart.[45] A clip of the video received over 12 million views on TikTok in January 2023.[46][47] For many, this video was an introduction to Ren's unique writing style and his ability to combine multiple genres seamlessly in a song.[48]
The video received an honourable mention in the Best European Music Video category at the Prague Music Video Awards in April 2023,[49] and was nominated for the Camerimage 2023 Best Music Video award in October 2023. Ren was the director, and Samuel Perry-Falvey was the cinematographer.[50][51]
2023β2025
[edit]In January 2023, Ren went to Canada to receive further treatment for Lyme disease. He had recorded multiple songs and several videos, including most of his upcoming album, before leaving.[46]
The next six songs Ren released, "Sick Boi", "Bittersweet Symphony (The Verve Retake)", "Illest of Our Time", "Animal Flow", and "Suicide", also appeared in the United Kingdom's Trending Music Video Chart on YouTube.[47] He was invited to play at Glastonbury 2023 and other major UK summer music festivals,[9] but was unable to attend due to his health and ongoing treatment in Canada.[35]
In February 2023, Ren released a "retake" of the Verve song "Bitter Sweet Symphony". Verve bassist Simon Jones voiced his appreciation and presented Ren with a guitar as a gift.[9]
On 1 November 2023, Rolling Stone UK announced that Ren was one of five acts that had made "their own formidable stamp on British music throughout the year", and were nominees for the Breakthrough Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards 2023.[52]
Ren was chosen to perform live at the 2024 Sky Arts Awards[53] along with The Darkness, Slash and Brian Johnson, The Three Sopranos, The Kanneh-Masons and Aleighcia Scott.[54][55]
Sick Boi
[edit]Over the year before the release of his second album, Sick Boi, many tracks were released as singles to major streaming services, with accompanying videos published on Ren's YouTube channel.[46] Two of the singles, "Suicide" and "Murderer", both placed in the Top 100 of the UK Singles Sales Chart during the week after their release.[56]
The album was released on 13 October 2023.[57] The style has been described as kaleidoscopic hip-hop.[58] It chronicles Ren's health journey over the past decade. The lyrics in several of the songs describe how he felt and what he went through as he battled chronic illness.[58][59] His openness and honesty about his struggles with his mental and physical health is what has drawn people worldwide to his music.[60]
Upon release, Sick Boi was in a "heated battle for UK's no 1 album," with fewer than 400 chart units separating it and Rick Astley's new release Are We There Yet?.[61] Sick Boi went on to secure number one by almost 6,000 units,[62] surpassing artists like Drake and Troye Sivan on his way to the top.[58] After Ren secured the number one spot Rick Astley congratulated Ren and went on to say "Heβs been at this for a while. This is not something new to him, heβs been making music for a long time, so itβs a well deserved number one. Check out some of his videos on YouTube - amazing stuff."[13] Huw Stephens included Sick Boi in his book Wales: 100 Records, calling it an "impressive record" and Ren's style of rapping "mesmerizing".[63] "The book analyses the very best works by some of the most important artists to come out of Wales".[64]
In the US, Ren debuted at No. 4 on the Emerging Artists chart[5] and No. 54 on the Billboard 100 Artists chart.[65] His album, Sick Boi, debuted "at No. 137 on the Billboard 200 with 9,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week. It also starts at No. 2 on Heatseekers Albums, No. 11 on Top Current Album Sales, and No. 13 on Top Album Sales."[5] He was unable to perform to promote his album due to his ongoing treatment in Calgary[36][17] and attributed the level of its success to his friends and his fan base's promotion of it.[66][58]
"Money Game Part 3"
[edit]The song "Money Game Part 3", from Sick Boi, was the London Music Video Awards' (LMVA) choice for Music Video of the Month in December 2023.[67] It also won Best Music Video, Best Director, and Best Concept, and was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Narrative at the LMVAs 2024 competition.[68] And, the album won Best Music Video, Best Director Music Video, and an Honourable Mention for Best Cinematography at the 2024 International Music Video Awards, and [69] won Best Music Video in 2024 at the ΓCU The European Independent Film Festival.[70] It was also chosen for the British Arrows Y24 Shortlist in the categories of Music Video Director and Music Video Producer.[71] "Money Game Part 3" was written, composed, arranged, and performed by Ren, and the video,[67][70] a one-shot,[72] was produced by Connor Hunnisett, Samuel Perry-Falvey & Amy Ellery.[71] and directed by Ren Gill and Samuel Perry-Falvey.[67][70] Ren and Samuel met when they were teenagers and have been working together professionally for quite some time. Ren chose to work with him when creating some of his earliest videos.[72]
Return to the stage
[edit]
Ren appeared centre stage[73] at the 2024 Secret Garden Party with a two-part, two-hour show called "Asylum". Produced and created by Ren Gill & Secret Garden Party, his first solo show in five years[74][75] included collaborations with Chinchilla, Eden Nash and Romain Axisa, theatrical performances, and live strings. Just like the Sick Boi album, it showcased the asylum Ren experienced as he looked for answers from the healthcare system as to why he was ill. Also showcased was the asylum (safe haven) that others have found because of Ren and his music.[73][75]
2025βpresent
[edit]During February 2025, Ren made an appearance in Fire in the Booth on YouTube, hosted by Charlie Sloth.[76]
During New York Fashion Week 2025, Ren, along with other celebrities, doctors, researchers, and Lyme disease advocates, walked the runway for Project Lab Coat, a production by Runway 7.[77] The three largest US based Lyme organisations, Project Lyme, the Global Lyme Alliance, and the LymeLight Foundation, joined forces with Runway 7 for the event. Funds raised will go towards increasing awareness of Lyme disease, advocacy, research, and treatment.[78][79]
In 2025, Ren dropped two singles called Vincent's Tale - Prologue - Sunflowers and Vincent's Tale - Self Portrait as a sequel to the trilogy Jenny's Tale (2015), Screech's Tale (2019) and Violet's Tale (2022). In 2026, Ren has released Vincent's tale - The bedroom , Richard's tale - Locked up , Richard's tale - Set The Scene , Richard's tale - The five stages of grief , Richard's Tale - Acceptance , and his latest release, Vincent's Tale - Starry Night, all sequels to "The Tales"
In October 2025, Ren announced to release the EP Sick Sick Soul, together with the London-based indie rock band The Skinner Brothers. Starting on 9 October with So The Story Goes..., they will release one song and corresponding music video every week.
Ren and the Skinner Brothers' song "So the Story Goes" was number 95 on the 23 October 2025 Official Singles Downloads Chart.[80] Their EP Sick Sick Soul - Vol 1 reached number 5 on the 27 November 2025 Official Album Downloads Chart.[81]
Personal life
[edit]Ren studied music at Bath Spa University's Newton Park Campus. and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree in Commercial Music.[12][14]
Fundraiser for the Beaumaris RNLI in Anglesey
[edit]The RNLI lifeboat crews on Anglesey helped with the extensive search for Joe Hughes, who jumped from the Menai Suspension Bridge in 2010. When the call for help came, RNLI volunteers in Beaumaris jumped into action and quickly started searching for Joe. They and the other RNLI Anglesey crews continued searching for him for several days.[82]
Ren wanted to thank the RNLI for their work in saving people's lives and for the effort they put in trying to find Joe. He started a fundraiser to benefit the RNLI crews on Anglesey. He let his fans know about the volunteer organisation and its selfless work. They responded, reaching the initial Β£5,000 target in one day, and they continued to donate.[82] On 27 June 2023,[83] Ren presented a Β£21,000 cheque to the RNLI team on Beaumaris.[16]
Health issues
[edit]Ren has Lyme disease, which went undiagnosed for many years, leaving him with ongoing health problems.[9] Since becoming sick, Ren has said that his life's work has been closely related to looking for better ways to deal with mental health issues.[84]
Ren's symptoms started in 2009. He was attending Bath Spa University at the time, and his symptoms caused him to struggle with his studies.[14][85]:β00:15β His symptoms continued to worsen,[25] getting to the point where he was bedridden for up to 23 hours a day.[13][8]:β36:23β
For years, he went from doctor to doctor and therapist to therapist, trying to find out what was wrong with him.[9][13] Lyme disease was misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, because initially his symptoms would come and go. He was also misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome[9][35] and depression.[14] He was given numerous medications. His health only got worse and worse.[13] When conventional treatments didn't work, he tried numerous supplements and turned to alternative health practitioners and spiritual healing practices. Nothing worked.[9] As a result, he developed stress-induced psychosis and PTSD.[9]
Diagnosis and treatments
[edit]He was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease[19][36] after going to Brussels to have testing done by a specialist in chronic fatigue syndrome in October 2015.[29] He went to the US to receive an experimental treatment for Lyme disease using stem cells.[25][16] His first treatment was in 2016,[86][13] and his second in March 2017.[87] The treatment helped him to regain some of his health,[25][16] but he still fatigued easily[35] and had ongoing autoimmune issues,[36] brain damage, and PTSD.[9]
In January 2023, Ren went to Canada to receive treatment for his remaining symptoms in hopes of a full recovery. The first six months of treatment included a minor surgery, daily IVs, and supportive treatments, followed by further testing and treatments. The initial results gave reason to hope for a symptom free life, but the treatments were going to take much longer than they had initially expected.[88][89] They had to try a variety of medications to be able to find which would work best for Ren.[19] In October 2023, Ren had to start an additional specialised medical treatment plan for the Lyme disease co-infection Bartonella. By June 2024, many of his symptoms had gone into remission, and Ren returned to the U.K in July 2024.[90][91]
Relapse
[edit]After returning home, several stress inducing events caused him to relapse, and his symptoms returned. He said his health had rapidly declined over the past few weeks, and he would be returning to Canada for further treatment at the end of October.[90][91] Later that September, Ren was hospitalised in A&E (Accident and Emergency) "due to complications with his autoimmunity." His team of friends managed his social media accounts while he was in A&E and as he rested and recovered at home.[91]
Ren went to Mexico for a treatment program that included more stem cell transplants in March 2025.[92]
Discography
[edit]Ren has collaborated with several artists, such as Sam Tompkins, Chinchilla, Prof, Chris Webby, Token, Viktus, and Knox Hill.
Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [93] |
UK HH/R&B [93] |
AUS [94] |
SCO [93] |
US [95][96] | ||
| Freckled Angels |
|
β | β | β | β | β |
| Sick Boi | 1 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 137 | |
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| The Tale of Jenny & Screech |
|
| Demos (Do Not Share), Vol 1 |
|
| Demos (Do Not Share), Vol 2 |
|
| Violet's Tale |
|
| Sick Sick Soul, Vol. 1 (with The Skinner Brothers) |
|
Singles
[edit]As main artist
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK DL [56] | ||||
| "Jessica" (with Jimmy Sharp) |
2016 | β | Non-album singles | |
| "Girls!" | 2018 | β | ||
| "Blind Eyed" (with Sam Tompkins) |
β | |||
| "Children of the Moon" | β | |||
| "Humble" (with Eden Nash) |
2019 | β | ||
| "Money Game" | β | |||
| "How to Be Me" (with Chinchilla) |
β | |||
| "Money Game, Pt. 2" | 2020 | β | Demos (Do Not Share), Vol 1 | |
| "Chalk Outlines" (with Chinchilla) |
2021 | β | Non-album singles | |
| "Power" | 2022 | β | ||
| "The Hunger" | β | Sick Boi | ||
| "Genesis" | β | |||
| "What You Want" | β | |||
| "Hi Ren" | 24 | Non-album single | ||
| "Illest of Our Time" | 2023 | β | Sick Boi | |
| "Animal Flow" | β | |||
| "Suicide" | 90 | |||
| "Murderer" | 93 | |||
| "Love Music, Pt. 4" | β | |||
| "Down On the Beat" (with Viktus) |
β | |||
| "Masochist" | β | |||
| "Mackay" | 2024 | β | Non-album singles | |
| "Troubles" | 10 | |||
| "Pain Salesman" (with Prof) |
β | |||
| "Kujo Beat Down" | 14 | |||
| "Money Ties" | 51 | |||
| "Slaughter House" (with Kit) |
β | |||
| "Vincent's Tale - Sunflowers (Prologue)" | 2025 | β | ||
| "Vincent's Tale - Self Portrait" | β | |||
| "So The Story Goes..." | β | Sick Sick Soul, Vol.1 (with The Skinner Brothers) | ||
| "CTRL ALT DELETE" | β | |||
| "Truth or Dare" | β | |||
| "Dream Life" | β | |||
| "Two's on a Cigarette (feat. Sahaji)" | β | |||
| "Pink Heineken (feat. Megan Notcheva)" | β | |||
| "Vincent's Tale - The Bedroom" | 2026 | β | ||
| "Vincent's Tale - Starry Night" | β | |||
| "β" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
As featured artist
[edit]| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "It's Alright" (The Big Push) |
2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Sweet Little Lady" (The Big Push) |
2020 | |
| "Gutter (Ren Remix)" (Venbee featuring Ren) |
2023 | |
| "Baggage" (Chris Webby featuring Ren) |
2024 | Last Wednesday |
| "Fentanyl" (Knox Hill featuring Ren) |
Chaos Theory 2 | |
| "What Does Your Love Look Like?" (Token featuring Ren) |
2025 | I'm Not Supposed To Be Here |
Other appearances
[edit]| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Precious" | 2021 | The Big Push | Can Do Will Do |
| "Round Town (Skit)" | Chinchilla | Moon Maintenance for Dummies |
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- ^ a b Reilly, Nick (9 June 2023). "Meet Ren, the viral songwriter who finds beauty in the bleakest of situations". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
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13th track on the line up list
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At 1:16 I am going all the way to Brussels in 4 days to see Dr. KDM
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I'm undergoing my first stem cell transplant in Mexico today! The treatment program here has shifted course a bit and I'll be receiving some pretty intense interventions up till the 15th of April
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