Aussie singer Ruel shares intimate night with Pinoy fans in '4th Wall' concert in Manila

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 27) — Australian singer-songwriter Ruel serenaded his Filipino fans to share a night filled with vulnerability during his "4th Wall" World Tour in Manila on Friday to wrap up the concert's Asian leg.

Ruel, pronounced as ‘rule,’ also surprised the crowd at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura Premier by performing a duet with Asia's Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan with his pop ballad "Sitting in Traffic."

Before concertgoers were transported to musical heaven in that powerful duet, local rapper Young Cocoa opened the show to set the atmosphere with some of his tracks, including his popular song "Manila."

The Samsung Hall then erupted with screams as the intro video showed a shadowed figure jump into a warm-tone sky. It fell endlessly, then the screen turned black and lights directed the crowd to the 20-year-old singer lying down on the stage.

Ruel kicked off his show, which was presented by Wilbros Live, with "Go On Without Me," "Growing Up Is...," and "You Against Yourself," songs from "4th Wall," his debut studio album.

"You guys are already sounding amazing," Ruel told his Filipino fans, who kept up with his frenetic energy. He danced on every corner of the stage and even descended to the standing crowd twice.

The pop star, donning a full-bodied plaid suit, greeted the crowd who attended his February free mall show at the Venice Grand Canal. The audience burst into whoops and hollers, to which he replied: "Pretty much everyone, that's good. Everyone's familiar."

"I mean it's a little bit different," he added as he pointed to his live band. "It's a bit more fun for me with these guys."

He then sang some of his earlier songs, such as "Dazed & Confused," and "Face to Face," grabbing his blue electric guitar to showcase his talent with strings.

Ruel also showcased his other songs like "Free Time," "Younger," and "Painkiller" at the latter part of the program.

He then switched to an acoustic number and told the story of how he took a video of his musical visualizer for "Sitting in Traffic."

The singer posted the video on May 20, where he was seen lying down in the back of a pick-up truck while stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Manila.

He said he got the idea from his visit months ago, which he described as just "constantly waiting and sitting in traffic." But he added the scenario was perfect.

In the middle of the performance, Ruel introduced KZ Tandingan who helped deliver the vocals needed for his heart-wrenching song.

After the duet, KZ said she tried her best, to which Ruel replied: "You were incredible, are you kidding me?"

As the night deepened, the young pop star also covered One Direction's "Night Changes," and the TikTok hit "Golden Hour" by JVKE, of which he had released a remix last year.

After almost performing two dozen songs for an hour and 30 minutes, Ruel went on to encore in a more relaxed outfit and finished his setlist with "I Don't Wanna Be Like You."

"Thank you so much!" the singer told the delighted audience. "I love you so much. I really appreciate you all for coming out."

"My name is Ruel! I love you all!" he added, as he bowed and left the stage.

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