Shell Ruin
| Shell Vecellio Ruin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Shell Marie Wilson August 10, 1980 New York, NYf |
| Occupation | Singer · songwriter · record producer · actress · businesswomfƒan |
| Years active |
2004–2011 2015–present |
| Net worth | U.S. $120 million (June 2017 estimate) |
| Spouse |
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| Children | 4 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop · dance · electronic · alternative |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | |
| Signature |
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Shell Vecellio-Ruin (née Wilson; born August 10, 1980), known professionally as Shell Ruin, is a British-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, author and entrepreneur. 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 and film industries for two decades.
Ruin rose to prominence in 2004 under her birth name Shell Wilson after signing a record deal with Alias Records. Her debut studio album Stories of a Girl was only a moderate commercial success, mainly being overshadowed by similar female singer-songwriters at the time. After being dropped by her label in 2005, she drastically reinvented her image and went on to release a series of commercially and critically successful albums in the late 2000s, including Kill Pop (2006), The Dirty Is Done (2007), Charm Offensive (2008) and Never Stop (2009).
At the turn of the new decade, Ruin experienced a decline in popularity after staging her own death in 2009. After it was revealed Ruin was still alive, her subsequent music releases were commercial and critical failures and Ruin was "blacklisted" by the music and fashion industry. Ruin deviated from her usual pop sound to experiment with alternative music and political themes on the album Panic Station (2011). The album was met with mixed reviews and low sales, and in the years following, Ruin kept a low public profile.
After a four year break from the public eye, Ruin returned to music. Following her fall from grace, Ruin staged what Rolling Stone described as "the most surprising comeback in music history". Her studio albums Play (2015), Nocturne (2016), and Luna (2017) became the biggest selling of her entire career, housing ten number one singles in total in a three year span, including "Feel Alive", "Same Parties" and "California". In her later career, Ruin eschewed her pop sensibilities for more adult contemporary sounds, releasing the studio albums The Fourth Wall (2020) and Signs of Life (2021) to critical acclaim.
In her later career, Ruin became known as an actress, portraying several roles in film and television. She appeared in her first lead role in the neo-noir thriller Gaslight (2017), which was critically panned and named the worst film of 2017 by Variety. After initial mixed reviews for her acting skills, Ruin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the David Fincher film A Problem (2019). Ruin has also starred in two acclaimed Netflix original series – Died Blonde and Life Begins.
A recipient of many awards and honors, she is one of the few entertainers to have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award.
Early life[edit | edit source]
Shell Ruin was born Shell Marie Wilson on 10 August, 1980 in the Laurel Canyon area of Calfornia, Los Angeles. She is the eldest daughter of Ajani Wilson, a Jamaican-British artist and Elizabeth Ann Wilson (née Ruin), an American jewellery designer. Ruin's parents divorced when she was three years old, and she grew up with her mother in California, spending her summers in Camden, London where her father moved after their separation. In her 2016 autobiography, All That Glitters, Ruin said "My mother was a hippie and my father was the typical starving artist, taking any odd jobs as an actor or working on films. My childhood in L.A. was an odd one. My mother ran a commune out of our house in Laurel Canyon which later turned out to be a cult. I saw lot of drugs".
When she was 19, struggling to live under the same roof as her mother's commune, she moved to London to live with her father where she felt she'd have a better chance at making it as a singer. In the Autumn of 2001, while working as a waitress, Ruin responded to an advert in The Stage newspaper looking for singers for a new girl group. "There was a huge pop boom at the turn of the century and the market was so oversaturated. I had a clear vision of being a solo artist but at that point I was auditioning for absolutely anything just to get a foot in the door" she said. Ruin successfully auditioned for the group however months before they were due to release their debut album, she left over artistic differences.
Career[edit | edit source]
2004–2006: Career beginnings[edit | edit source]
In the subsequent years Ruin performed on the pub circuit in London. In 2003 she caught the attention of Alias Records talent scout Daniel Ashcroft who set up a showcase for her that summer. Impressed by her songwriting abilities, Ruin was signed by the label within weeks for a one album deal. She released her debut studio album Stories of a Girl under her birth name, Shell Wilson, in 2004. 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. Ruin failed to reach the success of her peers and was dropped by Alias Records in August 2005.
After the cancellation of her second studio album and subsequently being dropped, Ruin stopped working on new material but didn't leave the media spotlight. Throughout 2005, 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 early 2006, she changed her name to Shell Ruin as she continued to reinvent her image. In June 2006, Ruin signed a record deal worth £1million with Ensemble Entertainment, who believed in Ruin's talent and vision as an artist. She released her second studio album Kill Pop in October 2006 and scored a run of moderate hit singles. Ruin's public profile began to grow considerably and she became known for her fashion-forward image and unique, electronic-influenced sound.
2007: Commercial breakthrough and The Dirty Is Done[edit | edit source]
With her renewed public profile and cooler image, in May 2007 Ruin, Alesha, Buffi and Taylor Brookes announced that they would release the "Power Power" EP. 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. The song and music video was one of the most searched topics online in 2007 and considerably raised Ruin's profile.
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. 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: Charm Offensive and artistic growth[edit | edit source]
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. 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: Never Stop and The Agony and the Ecstasy[edit | edit source]
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: Panic Station and decline in popularity[edit | edit source]
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 reoccurring 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.
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.
2015-2018: Comeback with Play, Nocturne and Luna[edit | edit source]
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.
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. "Daddy Issues" was released as the final single from a repackaged edition of Nocturne in May 2017. Both the single and the Diamond Edition of the album debuted at number one on the Official Singles Chart.
In a May 2017 edition of Rolling Stone, Ruin announced the title and release date of her tenth studio album, Luna, which was released on July 10, 2017. The lead single "California" premiered on May 26, 2017. On June 4, Ruin performed at the One Love Manchester benefit concert, singing "God Help Us All", "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "California". Ruin organised and co-wrote the release of the URAPS United charity single "One More Memory", in aid of the victims of the 2017 Manchester bombing. The following month, "California" debuted at number one on the Official Singles Chart. Luna became Ruin's third number one album released in under three years, setting a new world record. Ruin announced in September that she would be starring in The Angel Hour, a spin-off film released by Netflix as a sequel to her award-winning web series Died Blonde. Ruin and Alesha released "Sandman" as the second single from the album on September 25, debuting at number one on the Official Singles Chart. The pair covered the October issue of W magazine, titled the Power issue. Appearing on Total Request Live that month, Ruin announced that she'd be reviving MTV Unplugged for a one-off special to promote her album. After being used in a commercial for Tom Ford's Oud Wood fragrance, Ruin's cover of "I Put a Spell on You" was digitally released in October. "Gypsy Queen" was quickly announced as the third single from the album, which was released on October 23. The single became Ruin's fifth consecutive number one single in 2017.
Ruin announced in early November that she would release her first Christmas album, Noël, a collection of traditional holiday music and two original Christmas songs. The album was released digitally on November 20, 2017, with physical editions being released on December 18, 2017. The album was preceded by the original Christmas song "Every Day Is Christmas" which became the coveted Christmas number one that year. Ruin continued the Luna era shortly afterwards by releasing the songs "No Money" and "Swansong".
2018–2019: A Problem and acting breakthrough[edit | edit source]
Despite the lukewarm reception from fans and music critics, Luna became Ruin's fastest selling album to date, shifting 2,548,282 copies worldwide as of September 2020, and housing five consecutive number one singles – "California", "Sandman", "Gypsy Queen", "No Money" and "Swansong".
In 2018, Ruin appeared in the lead role of two major television and film releases. Ruin appeared in the titular role of the critically acclaimed HBO drama series There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane. She also portrayed the hoax 9/11 survivor Tania Head in the film The Woman Who Wasn't There. Ruin, who had previously received mixed reviews for her acting abilities, received critical acclaim for both roles.
2020–2021: The Fourth Wall and Signs of Life[edit | edit source]
Ruin starred in the David Fincher-directed physicoligcal horror film A Problem. Since its release, A Problem has been widely regarded as the best film of 2019, and one of the best films of all time. The cultural conversation around the film, which also encompassed its treatment of Roman Catholicism, helped it become the third horror film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Ruin won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 92nd Academy Awards. She used her acceptance speech to draw attention to social issues such as racism within the Academy voting system.
After a two year break from music and touring, Ruin announced the release of "Free Americans" on May 31, 2020 during the George Floyd protests and riots; a series of violent uprisings in the United States that initially started in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota before spreading nationwide. The protests began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, after George Floyd died shortly after Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds during an arrest the prior night. On May 30, 2020 Ruin was photographed at protests in downtown Los Angeles with "FREE AMERICANS" spray painted in red on the back of her leather jacket and her face obscured with a black bandana. A week later, Ruin announced that she would release her twelfth studio album The Fourth Wall on July 10, 2020. The album was described by journalists prior to its release as a more "socially conscious" side to Ruin.
Artistry[edit | edit source]
Musical style[edit | edit source]
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. 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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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. 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. For the Luna era, Ruin took inspiration from 1970s boho chic. In her later career, Ruin has focused less on uniform aesthetics and has instead incorporated various styles that are sometimes inspired by her music. Her 2021 album Signs of Life featured predominantly yellow clothing as an antidote to her previous album cycle which featured mostly monochromatic black and white looks.
Personal life[edit | edit source]
Relationships and family[edit | edit source]
Ruin is notoriously private when it comes to her relationships and has dated both men and women. In 2008, she adopted Zowie Zephyr Luna Lily (born May 11, 2003), who was the daughter of Ruin's friend Melissa Lily. Lily died of cervical cancer in 2008 and as her Godmother, Ruin adopted her when Zowie's biological father showed no interest in caring for her. In 2020, Zowie rose to prominence as a social media influencer and released her debut album after being signed to Fusion Records. In 2012, she married media mogul Mark Saint James and gave birth to their son Harley Hendrix (born July 2, 2012). Ruin filed for divorce from Saint James in 2014. In 2017, she started married Italian-American actress Porsha Vecellio. The pair reside in Laurel Canyon, California and have an adoptive daughter (Zenith Zeppelin, born 2018) and son (Lotus Lennon, born 2018).
Sexuality[edit | edit source]
Ruin had never publicly confirmed nor denied that she was bisexual or gay, despite publicly dating women. In 2020, while promoting her album The Fourth Wall in an interview with Elle magazine, Ruin referred to herself for the first time ever as gay.
Philanthropy[edit | edit source]
Ruin is an outspoken activist for LGBT rights worldwide. She attributes much of her early success as a mainstream artist to her gay fans and is considered a gay icon. Early in her career she had difficulty getting radio airplay, and stated, "The turning point for me was the gay community." One of her first televised performances was in May 2005 at the NewNowNext Awards, an awards show aired by the LGBT television network Logo. In June of the same year, she performed at the San Francisco Pride event. After Kill Pop was released, she revealed that the song "Pop Electric" was about her bisexuality. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she spoke about how her boyfriends tended to react to her bisexuality, saying: "The fact that I'm into women, they're all intimidated by it. It makes them uncomfortable. They're like, 'I don't need to have a threesome. I'm happy with just you'." When she appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2007, she praised DeGeneres for being: "an inspiration for women and for the gay community". Ruin's 2009 single "Politics of Love" was written about a real life experience whereby Ruin's boyfriend at the time cheated on her with another man. She told Vanity Fair magazine in May 2009 that "the experience brought her closer to the gay community".
Ruin spoke at the 2009 National Equality March in Washington, D.C. in support of LGBT movement, and described the appearance as "the single most important moment" of her career. She attended the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards accompanied by four gay and lesbian former members of the United States Armed Forces who had been unable to serve openly under the U.S. military's "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy. Ruin released three videos on YouTube urging her fans to contact their Senators in an effort to overturn DADT. In September 2010 she spoke at a Service members Legal Defense Network's rally in Portland, Maine. Following this event, editors of The Advocate commented that she had become a "fierce advocate" for gays and lesbians. Gaga appeared at Europride, a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, held in Rome in June 2011. She criticized the intolerant state of gay rights in many European countries and described gay people as "revolutionaries of love", a reference to the pro-LGBT song "Revolution" from Panic Station (2011). Ruin was ordained as a minister by the Universal Life Church Monastery so that she could officiate the wedding of long-time friends, both of whom were women. In June 2016, during a vigil held in Los Angeles for victims of the attack at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Ruin read aloud the names of the 49 people killed in the attack, and also gave a supporting speech. Also in June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of that attack; in the video, Ruin and others told the stories of the people killed there.
In December 2016, it was confirmed that Ruin was in the New Years Honours List and would become an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her humanitarian work. She received the award from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 28 June, 2017.
Filmography[edit | edit source]
Main article: Shell Ruin filmography
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Discography[edit | edit source]
Main article: Shell Ruin discography
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Tours and concerts[edit | edit source]
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See also[edit | edit source]
- Shell Ruin as a gay icon
- Shell Ruin staged death controversy
- List of unreleased songs recorded by Shell Ruin
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