Music Corner Week 89: ReN
/ReN is a alternative singer-songwriter who became interested in music at the age of ten when he studied abroad in England to be athlete, from there he aspired to be a singer by the age of 20. ReN began his career in 2015 by completing the Hyakusen Renma 2015 which has 102 live concerts a year in the Kanto region and appeared in the FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL 2015 the same year. In 2016, he made his official debut with his album Lights. ReN has a unique blend of music as he incorporates what he learned in the UK and Japan together creating a hybrid style of West meets East in lyrics and sounds. ReN’s music tends to give a rock band feel with the way he utilizes the acoustic guitar in his music, giving him a memorable sound.
“Illumination” is the first track I heard by ReN and fell in love with his vocals and sound immediately. He has smokey yet piercing vocals which fit with his lyrics and move you to emotion, not to mention how he uses his acoustic guitar fits so well into the alternative genre. “Tell Me Why” is a slower song with a beautiful piano opening which gets you hooked. ReN also shows off his vocals on this track as he knows how to match them perfectly with this song giving off the power where it needs to be. “Running Forward” is one of ReN’s latest tracks from this year and is a more pop-rock style, with a catchy beat. ReN shows off his vocal range in this song from the versus to the chorus. I enjoy how fast paced “Running Forward” is and how it gives off a different vibe than he usually does.
ReN currently has three studio albums: Lights (2016), LIFE SAVER (2017), and ReNBRANDT (2021 - releasing September 8); two EPS: Sounzai Shoumei (Existence) (2018) and Fallin’ (2019), and eleven digital singles. You can follow ReN at his official website, Twitter, and Instagram. Check out the music video for “Illumination” below.
