Shell Ruin

Shell Marie Wilson (born August 10, 1985), known professionally as Shell Ruin, is an British singer, songwriter, and actress. Ruin is recognised as one of the most notable female recording artists artists of the 2000s. She is known for reinventing both her music and image, and for maintaining her autonomy within the recording industry. Music critics have acclaimed her musical productions, though Ruin didn't achieve widespread commercial success until later in her career. Her popularity has been further enhanced by various roles in television and film throughout her career.

Born in Chesire, England, Ruin moved to London in 2003 to pursue a career in music. After performing in the Voguegirl with her sister, she signed with Alias Records in 2004 and released her debut studio album Stories of a Girl the following year. She followed it with a series of commercially and critically successful albums, including The Dirty Is Done (2007), Charm Offensive (2008) and Never Stop (2009). Throughout her career, Ruin has written and produced most of her songs. Her signature hit singles include "All That Glitters", "My Teaches", "Deep Comatose", "Love, Inc.", "Feel Alive" and "Same Parties".

After a five year hiatus from music, Ruin released her eighth studio album Play in 2015. The album became the most commercially successful album of Ruin's career, debuting at number one on the Official Albums Chart and surpassing near two million units within a year. Ruin released her ninth studio album Nocturne the following year to positive reviews from critics. In September 2016, Ruin starred as the lead role of Angel Saint Clare in the Netflix musical web series Died Blonde. The soundtrack charted at number one on the Official Albums Chart and Ruin won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for her role.

1985-2004: Early life
Shell Ruin was born Shell Marie Wilson on 10 August, 1985. She is the eldest daughter of David Wilson and Elizabeth Wilson (née Ruin). Ruin's father was a university lecturer and her mother was a jewelry designer. Ruin has one younger sibling, Rio Plath Wilson, who is also a singer. Ruin and her sister were both homeschooled.

2004—2005: Voguegirl and Stories of a Girl
Further information: London Brat Pack Along with her sister Rio Plath, Voguegirl released their debut single "Go" in early 2004. The duo received much hype from musical publications such as Blender and Q magazine, but they failed to garner critical praise of commercial success. Their debut album Drab Subscription failed to reach the Top 20 and the duo were dropped shortly afterwards.

Ruin signed a solo record deal with Alias Records in the summer of 2004 and released her debut studio album Stories of a Girl in January 2005. The album received generally positive reviews and charted at number six on the Official Albums Chart. Ruin became associated with a circle of female musicians known collectively by the media as the London Brat Pack. The group consisted of female artists including Alesha, Taylor Brookes, Kati, Josie Matthews and self-proclaimed mother of the group, Buffi. As a group they were considered to be some of the most sought after celebrities in the year 2005.

After the cancellation of her second studio album in the fall of 2005, Ruin stopped working on new material but didn't leave the media spotlight. Throughout 2006, she participated in numerous charity events for Save the Children and UNICEF, and made a television appearance on Red Nose Day in March of that year. Ruin became more known for her appearances at fashion events and her social circle rather than her earlier music success. Ruin made several appearances in magazines such as i-D and POP, securing her position as 'one to watch' in the fashion world and as a model. She publicly expressed her dislike for the music industry on many occasions. In an interview with i-D in April 2006, Ruin said "As soon as I signed with a major label, I had no control over anything [...] I was too controlled. I sacrificed my music and my image."

In June 2006, Ruin announced on her official blog that Wonderland was a possible title for her second studio album. Soon after, two untitled songs leaked onto the internet, however it would be a further six months before any official news surfaced. In December 2006, Ruin co-hosted The Clothes Show Live at the Birmingham NEC. During this time she changed her name from Shell Wilson to Shell Ruin to seprate herself from her earlier career. Ruin is her mother's maiden name.

2007: Breakthrough and The Dirty Is Done
Ruin signed a new record deal with Ensemble Entertainment in late 2006 and released her second studio album Kill Pop] on 11 February, 2007. The album received generally positive reviews. Critics praised Ruin's new musical direction which was a mix of electronic and dance music. In May 2007, Ruin, [[Alesha, Buffi and Taylor Brookes announced that they would release the "Power Power" EP on July 9, 2007. The EP consisted of two brand new tracks, "Power Power" and "Cherry Bomb," plus eight re-recorded songs taken from their current studio albums. The EP was met by rave reviews from critics and fans alike and the promotional campaign kicked off with immense hype from the media. Adverts ran on Channel 4 throughout the campaign and both songs were A-listed by BBC Radio 1 within the first week of their initial release.

Ruin started recording her third studio album, The Dirty Is Done in mid-2007, before its commercial release in the fall. The album was mainly written and produced by Ruin, with contributions from Alesha on "Intro" and "Kitsch Bitch Kool." Ruin recorded her collaboration "Strangers with Candy" with Cleo Clarice shortly after Clarice gave birth in 2007. The album's sound was described as "bigger" by Ruin in an interview with POP magazine which was conducted in July, where she also stated that "The sound is a lot more complicated. I thought Kill Pop was quite 'alternative' sound-wise, but the songs on this album are a lot bigger and lyrically a lot more challenging ... I love it."

Ruin released the first single "My Teaches" to critical acclaim. "Hair of the Dog" was released to moderate success in January 2008, and won Ruin her first Urapopstar Award for the category of Best Songwriter. The album's third single "Gasoline" was used to advertise the American television show Gossip Girl in the UK.

2008: Artistic growth, motherhood and Charm Offensive
In June 2008, Ensemble reissued The Dirty Is Done, presumably because of Ruin's recent praise for her songwriting abilities. The new songs included on the reissued version of the album, including the lead single "El Bastardo," are all out-takes from album's recording sessions. "El Bastardo" entering the Top 10, marked the return to work for Ruin. On August 22, "In for the Kill," a duet with Jack Stevens, was released as the final single from the album. The song became Ruin's first, and Stevens' thirteenth number one single.

Recording sessions for the Ruin's fourth studio album took place between March and June 2008 while Ruin was pregnant with her first child. In an interview with Baby Baby Baby magazine, Ruin said "There are songs on this album which are completely made up of percussion, guitar, keyboards, that sort of stuff. A lot of the songs are very minimal, and more personal to me." The album, Charm Offensive, was released on 22 September, 2008. A week later Ruin gave birth to her first child, Zowie Zephyr Luna Lily, which haulted promotion of the album. The album is significant in that it marks the third change of direction for Ruin, and was her highest charting to date, debuting at number two. The album spawned the moderate hit singles "Deep Comatose", "Bear (Attacking)" and "Jesus Pieces".

2009: Commercial success and Never Stop
Ruin confirmed to BlackBook magazine in March 2009 that she was recording her fifth studio album, scheduled for release in summer 2009. The album was described by Ruin as "a more pop vision, and more commercial than Charm Offensive." Ruin released her fifth studio album, Never Stop, on May 11, 2009. The first single to be released from the album was "Love, Inc.," a song which touched upon the current global recession. The album saw Ruin return to the more commercial sound and image of her earlier eras. Ruin released the second single from the album, "Joy Division", in June 2009.

Ruin made a prominent appearance and is credited as co-director for Alesha's "Brooklyn to Brixton" music video, which was premiered on 5 June, 2009. Ruin wrote both songs on the double A-side Tiara Coles single "Body Phenomenon"/"Crowd Control" and features on the latter. The single was postponed twice and eventually cancelled. In August 2009, 4Music aired an edited version of the 2008 documentary Deep Comatose, which was renamed Shell Ruin: What Became of Me.

"Delusions of Grandeur", a duet with Alesha, was released on November 16, 2009. Ruin had performed the song at the Urapopstar Awards just hours before faking her death. Self-hyped as one of their best singles yet, the song received universal acclaim from music critics. It topped the singles chart upon its release, making it Ruin's second number one. The Agony and the Ecstasy, a greatest hits collection, was released three weeks after the single. It charted at number five and was certified silver within two weeks.

2010-2011: Original Doll and Panic Station
In November 2009, Ruin staged her own death at the 17th Urapopstar Awards. Following this, a benefit concert was held in her honor on December 28, 2009. Close friend and recourring collaborator Alesha released the single "Good Mourning" on the same day, which was described as "the official soundtrack to the nation's mourning." Meanwhile, Ruin had relocated to Monaco, Italy with close friend and fashion designer Ricardo Agani. Ruin remained in Italy for nine months with Agani acting as her personal assistant and nanny to her daughter, Zowie Zephyr. In August 2010, British newspaper The Daily Mail ran a front page news story with the headline "Shell Ruin is not dead" with a grainy long-lens paparazzi photograph of Ruin and Agani drinking red wine on her rooftop terrace in Italy.

Following this revelation, Ruin's new home in Italy was found by international media outlets who camped outside the gated property, all hoping to retrieve the first photograph and confirmation of Ruin's wellbeing. In the UK, Scotland Yard issued an arrest warrant for Ruin for wasting police time which was later settled privately. On Ruins 25th birthday, she was photographed leaving her Italian home in a Range Rover with Agani, her daughter and two unknown females. That night, Ruin flew to California and checked into the the Chateau Marmont hotel. Ruin remained there for 93 days.

During her three month stay at the Chateau Marmont, international media and fans of Ruin began speculating about the reasons for her staged death, and ultimately how she had got away with it. Alesha, who was in the midst of promotion for The Martyr at the time, was questioned during several interviews but refused to comment. After increasing pressure for her to discuss the situation, a representative for Alesha issued a statement stating that Alesha was not aware that Ruin's death was fake and that the pair hadn't spoken.

Ruin released her sixth studio album Original Doll on December 27, 2010 to poor reviews and lacklustre sales. Ruin made an appearance at the 19th Urapopstar Awards which received generally favourable feedback from viewers. Following almost two years of decline in popularity and commercial failure, Panic Station (2011) was to serve as Ruin's comeback album. Whilst the album received favourable reviews from critics, it was the lowest-selling of Ruin's career and its promotional campaign was marred by a continual media backlash. Ruin embarked on the Cowboys & Angels World Tour in September 2011 and made an appearance in the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls. Ruin made light of her decline in popularity, playing herself as a waitress after falling on hard times.

In the years following, Ruin kept an extremely low public profile. She appeared in the 2013 film Kill Your Darlings, portraying the jouranlist Edie Parker for which she recieved positive reviews for her acting. In 2014, Ruin met media mogul Mark Saint James and fell pregnant after two months of dating. The pair married in Italy while Ruin was pregnant. Ruin gave birth to a boy, Harley Hendrix Wildflower, in July 2014. Saint James filed for divorce six months later, citing "irreconcilable differences".

2015: Return to music and Play
In early 2015, Ruin began writing and recording music for the first time since 2011. Early recording sessions proved fruitful and Ruin collaborated with Alesha, whom she hadn't spoken to or worked with since 2009. Alesha acted as a mentor throughout the development process, sharing concepts and ideas as well as co-writing the majority of album. In June 2015, Ruin announced the release of her eighth studio album Play and its lead single "Feel Alive" which were subsequently released in September of that year. Ruin appeared on the cover of Vogue, i-D, PAPER and Rolling Stone. The album provided Ruin with her first number one album and biggest opening week sales of her career. "Feel Alive" subsequently debuted at number one on the Official Singles Chart. The following month, Ruin opened the 27th Urapopstar Awards with her second single "Blue". Ruin announced she would embark on the Playroom World Tour in February 2016. The tour was directed by Will Baker who previously directed Ruin's Cowboys & Angels World Tour in 2011. In March 2016, "Dancing on Air" became the second number one single from Play, reaching number one on the Offical Singles Chart. "Lucid Dreams" featuring Kenya became the final single to be released from the album. A controversial video directed by David LaChapelle featured Ruin and Kenya as gay lovers having sex in a Motel Six. Ruin told The Gentlewoman magazine in April 2016 that she was half way through recording her next album.

2016: Nocturne and Died Blonde
Ruin's memoirs, All That Glitters: My Story were published by HarperCollins in June 2016. The book proved to be a talking point in the press, making headlines for its outspoken nature. All That Glitters topped The New York Times Best Sellers list. To accompany the personal nature of her memoirs, Ruin simultaneously released Saturn Returns, a documentary film directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The film premiered on HBO on June 30 in the United States, and a week later on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom. Filmed over a period of two years, the film documents Shell's return to music, rare footage of her recording process, backstage scenes from her Playroom World Tour and never before seen moments of family life in New York. The film was watched by over 10 million viewers during its premiere. In July 2016, Ruin appeared in the film Exile in Nashville, as well as contributing songs to its soundtrack, including Alesha's number one single "How to Disappear".

Ruin released her ninth studio album Nocturne on August 8, 2016. The lead single "Same Parties" rose to the number one spot on the Official Singles Chart the following week. To promote the album, Ruin appeared on the cover of FADER magazine and the September issue of Rolling Stone in Australia. During the album release week, Netflix announced that Ruin would star in their latest original series, the musical Died Blonde, directed, written and produced by Sofia Coppola. All eight episodes of Died Blonde premiered on September 2, 2016. The series received mixed reviewed the following month Ruin released Died Blonde: A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack which debuted at number one on the Official Albums Chart.

During January and February 2017, Ruin embarked on the Nocturne World Tour. The tour was notable for its small venues, mainly theatres, compared to Ruin's previous tour. Ruin was nominated for and won Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy at the 74th Golden Globe Awards for her role as Angel Saint Clare in Died Blonde. In February 2017, Ruin released "Emilio" as the official theme song for the sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker. The song charted at number one on the Official Singles Chart. That month, Dimension Films announced that Ruin would star alongside Michael Fassbender in the psychological thriller Gaslight. On February 22, Ruin accepted the BRITS Icon Award at the BRIT Awards ceremony in London. She performed a medley of her singles to close the show.

Musical style
Continually experimenting with new musical ideas and images, Ruin's musical and performance style is the subject of much analysis and scrutiny from critics. She professes that she is "liberating" herself by constantly reinventing her sound and image, insisting that she has been drawn to such a practice since her childhood. Refusing to lip sync, Ruin – whose range is frequently compared to those of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper – has manipulated her vocal style over the course of her career yet considers Play (2015) "much more vocally up to par with what I've always been capable of." In summation of her voice, Entertainment Weekly wrote: "There's an immense emotional intelligence behind the way she uses her voice. Almost never does she overwhelm a song with her vocal ability, recognizing instead that artistry is to be found in nuance rather than lung power." Ruin possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Her music style has been described as electropop and as dance-rock and the structure of her music is said to be influenced by classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop. Music critic Simon Reynolds wrote that: "Everything about Ruin came from electroclash, except the music, which wasn't particularly 1980s, just ruthlessly catchy naughties pop glazed with Auto-Tune and undergirded with R&B-ish beats". Ruin's later work expressed her taste for pastiche, drawing on "Seventies arena glam, perky ABBA disco, and sugary throwbacks like Stacey Q".

Although her early lyrics have been criticized for lacking intellectual stimulation, "[Ruin] does manage to get you moving and grooving at an almost effortless pace." Ruin believes that "all good music can be played on a piano and still sound like a hit." She has covered a wide variety of topics in her songs: while The Dirty Is Done (2007) meditates on the lust for stardom, Original Doll (2010) expresses fame's dark side. Play explored many common themes that have been prevalent throughout her career including sex, love, religion, money, drugs, identity, liberation, sexuality, freedom, and individualism. Throughout her career Ruin has been involved in writing and producing all of her own music. Alesha, who has worked on most of her albums, said that "You don't produce Shell, you collaborate with her. She's a really good producer herself and obviously a great writer too. She has her vision and knows how to get it." Ruin's early songwriting skill was developed during her time with Voguegirl. According to author Carol Gnojewski, her first attempts at songwriting are perceived as an important self-revelation, as Ruin herself said: "I don't know where [the songs] came from. It was like magic. I'd write a song every day. I said 'Wow, I was meant to do this'." Ruin later became the sole writer of ten songs on her debut album, including one of her first songs "Moonfall" which she composed on guitar. Rolling Stone has named her "an exemplary songwriter with a gift for hooks and indelible lyrics".

Influences
Ruin grew up listening to artists including: Madonna, the Pet Shop Boys, Bruce Springsteen, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Cyndi Lauper, Cher, Courtney Love, Blondie and Led Zeppelin, who all influenced her. She has cited rap music as an influence, stating that Tupac Shakur "changed my life" and describing herself as "the biggest Notorious B.I.G. fan on Earth". Ruin's musical inspiration varies from dance-pop singers like Madonna and Michael Jackson to glam rock artists like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, as well as the theatrics of the pop artist Andy Warhol. Ruin has often been compared to Alesha who admits that she sees herself reflected in Ruin. In response to the comparisons, Ruin stated in February 2008: "I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I've made it my goal to revolutionize pop music." in addition to commenting that: "there is really no one that is a more adoring and loving Alesha fan than me." Like Alesha, Ruin has continued to reinvent herself.

Another spiritual influence on Ruin has been the Indian physician, public speaker, and writer Deepak Chopra. Labeling him a "true inspiration", she stated that "he's always reminded me to work in a life of service to my fans and to fulfill my vision and my destiny" in addition to thinking about Chopra when it comes to her work as a musician: "I want so much for it to go beyond the music for my fans." Ruin also lifted a quote from Osho's book Creativity on Twitter. When asked about her connection to him, Ruin said she was influenced by his work and that, for her, "the creativity is the greatest way of rebellion": "Equality", she concluded, "is one of the most important things in my life."

Ruin has identified fashion as a major influence and claimed that her interest in fashion came from her mother who was "always very well kept and beautiful." Her musical endeavours are directly linked with fashion with the singer explaining: "When I'm writing music, I'm thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It's all about everything altogether—performance art, pop performance art, fashion." Ruin has been stylistically compared to Leigh Bowery, Isabella Blow, and Cher. She commented that as a child, she somehow absorbed Cher's out-there fashion sense and made it her own. Gaga considers Donatella Versace her muse, and the late English fashion designer and close friend Alexander McQueen as an inspiration, admitting that "I miss Lee every time I get dressed" while channeling him in some of her work. In turn, Versace calls Ruin "the new Donatella". Other fashion influences came from Princess Diana: "I love Princess Diana so much. She was an enormous influence on me when I was younger because my mother worshiped her so much. When she died, I'll never forget, my mother was crying. It was this very powerful moment in my childhood watching my mother so connected to someone".

Public image
When Ruined released her debut album in 2005 at the age of 19, her image was that of a 'girl next door'. Rolling Stone magazine described Ruin as "the love child of Debbie Harry and Pat Benatar". Ruin first modified her image in 2007 with the release of her second studio album Kill Pop. The reinvented image included 90s rave influences, with neon colours, leggings, customised t-shirts and bold accessories. Later that year, Ruin streamlined her current image for the release of The Dirty Is Done, incorporating gold chains, her signature square sunglasses and hooded jackets.

In 2008, Ruin again reinvented her image for the release of her fourth studio album Charm Offensive. This time, Ruin displayed more of a Bohemian style to correspond with the new folk sound. Ruin was influenced by Stevie Nicks and Patti Smith. In 2009, for the release of her fifth studio album Never Stop, Ruin would reinvent herself once more as an 80s pop diva. Ruin showcased a new platinum blonde hair style with a blunt fringe, and wore 80s inspired clothing mixed with contemporary high fashion pieces.

Following a year in hiding, Ruin emerged in 2010 for the release of her sixth studio album Original Doll, now aged 25, Ruin's style was influenced by Courtney Love and grunge acts of the 90s. Her blonde hair was tousled and unkempt, and she wore red lipstick and leopoard prints as her signature style. The following year, during the release of the seventh studio album Panic Station, Ruin reinvented herself once again, this time incorporating military influences in her look. She wore Earth tones such as beige and khaki with custom military-inspired jackets, sunglasses and star-spangled pieces.

Upon Ruin's return in 2015 after a four year hiatus, she reinvented herself for the release of the eighth studio album Play. Now aged 30, Ruin's look was that of a sophisticated disco diva, taking influences from Grace Jones and Donna Summer. She wore shimmery gowns with a lot of structured suits and tailored pieces. The following year, during the release of her ninth studio album Nocturne, Ruin's style evolved once again. She wore a uniform of plain shirts, bomber jackets in a black and white colour palette, incorporating her signature sunglasses with an up-do 'bun' that became the 'look' for the era.

Filmography
Ruin has made several appearances in film and televison during her career. Ruin made a cameo apearance as herself in Ugly Betty in the episode "Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral", which aired on 16 November, 2006. In February 2007, to promote the release of her second album, Ruin guest hosted an episode of British game show Nevermind the Buzzcocks. Ruin was a guest judge on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009. In 2011, Ruin had a minor role in the film Prime Cut, starring close friends Alesha and Putanovska, and directed by Lee Daniels. Ruin played the role of a prostitue. That same year, Ruin made a cameo appearance as herself in the 2 Broke Girls episode "And the Really Petty Cash", which aired on 18 November, 2011.

In 2013, Ruin had a minor role portraying author Edie Parker in the film Kill Your Darlings, directed by John Krokidas. In 2016, Ruin had a minor role in Exile in Nashville, directed by Gus van Sant and starring Alesha. Ruin played her on-screen sister. In 2016, Netflix announced that Ruin would play the lead role in a musical web series directed by Sofia Coppola. All ten episodes of Died Blonde premiered on 2 September, 2016. Ruin won a Golden Globe for her work in the series and reached number one on the Official Albums Chart with the soundtrack.

Discography
Main article: Shell Ruin discography.


 * Stories of a Girl (2005)
 * Kill Pop (2007)
 * The Dirty Is Done (2007)
 * Charm Offensive (2008)
 * Never Stop (2009)
 * Original Doll (2010)
 * Panic Station (2011)
 * Play (2015)
 * Nocturne (2016)

Concerts

 * The Girl Tour (2005)
 * Kill Pop Tour (2007)
 * The Teaches of Shell Ruin: Live Tour (2007-2008)
 * Charm Offensive Tour (2008)
 * True Romance World Tour (2009)
 * Last of the Original Dolls Tour (2010)
 * Cowboys & Angels World Tour (2011-2012)
 * Playroom World Tour (2016)
 * Nocturne World Tour (2017)