Ruess – who is of course known around the globe as the singer/songwriter of the indie pop super group FUN. that was responsible for the hits “We Are Young,” “Some Nights” and “Carry On” – is out with his solo album Grand Romantic featuring the hit song “Nothing Without Love“.
Ruess says he’s always been a romantic, even if he’s also always been the cynical kind. Last summer, as he began writing and demoing tracks for his solo debut, his awareness of these dueling qualities was especially pronounced. Ruess was in the early days of a new relationship, with all of its anxiety and excitement.
A collaboration of some of the best producers and musicians in the industry namely Jeff Bhasker who has worked with Kanye West and Beyonce, Emile Haynie who produced for Lana Del Ray, and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Ruess’s Grand Romantic is an album that’s meant to make you experience music about issues like death, and dealing with the ugliest part of yourself or having to face really tough decisions instead of avoiding them. With this album, it’s about taking those dark themes and saying, ‘I want to enjoy and embrace life.’
As he tells it, “There’s always been some theatrical aspect to my music. And I would love to bury it, but I can’t. I’m not ready to embrace it 100%, but I’m ready to accept it.” He continues: “I feel like, as a human being, I’ve grown so much in the process of making this album, and this needed to happen,” he says. “I’ve never had a better time doing anything in my entire life.”
