# data[].attributes.body
The speaker for this song is Ruel. He has said in an interview that one day he was simply reminiscing on lost friendships over the years that he thought would last forever. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ruel-younger-teenage-breakup

His audience is the friend who has fallen victim to bad influences, shown in both the lyrics and the video. His purpose for creating the song is to let the lost friend know that Ruel has tried to reach out, but now it's out of his hands. Ruel has tried to support and help his friend, but after no reciprocation, he's done trying. The tone of the song starts light and carefree, but grows more tense and dark as the two grow up and drift apart.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teenage breakup songs are generally centered around love. But in Ruel's latest single "Younger," he details the dissolution of another important connection that we build with other people: friendship.

"It's really about this idea that they're not friends anymore but I've tried to reach out and it's just not gonna work anymore," the 15-year-old singer told Teen Vogue. While the song is partially autobiographical, it stems from a broader perspective than just one of his experiences with a singular friend. But what emerged this week alongside the track is a short film that chronicles two close friends who diverge paths as one loses their conscience.

"Younger" is Ruel's third official release from the burgeoning singer's debut EP Ready. Born in London and raised in Australia, Ruel began pursuing music at eight years old when he learned how to play guitar. The slow-burning R&B and soulful sounds of his music are heavily influenced by his love of Frank Ocean and Amy Winehouse, but his music has become a way for him to detail the teenage experience through someone who self-identifies as an "old soul."

For the remainder of the year, Ruel plans to write for his debut album due in 2019. But fans won't have to wait too long, since he'll be releasing a few singles along the way. In the meantime, Teen Vogue spoke with Ruel about the challenges he's faced as a rising musician, touring with Khalid, and the story behind "Younger."
Teen Vogue: How did you get into making music?
Ruel: I started at a young age. I started playing the guitar when I was 8. Then it switched from guitar lessons to singing lessons because I found guitar quite boring. I then did a demo of a James Bay "Let It Go" cover. My dad who does advertising, on a campaign he met an Australian producer's manager, played it for him, then he posted it online. Then [the producer M-Phazes] got me in writing rooms because he wanted me to be on his album. Then things went from there.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ruel Puts a Twist on the Teenage Breakup with "Younger"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teenage breakup songs are generally centered around love. But in Ruel's latest single "Younger," he details the dissolution of another important connection that we build with other people: friendship. "It's really about this idea that they're not friends anymore but I've tried to reach out and it's just not gonna work anymore," the 15-year-old singer told Teen Vogue.

# data[].attributes.body
Ruel uses ethos, logos, and pathos in the lyrics and primarily ethos and pathos in the video of "Younger" to tell his childhood best friend that he has and will always be there for him, and he wants him to leave his bad influences behind. However, he acknowledges that after so much wasted effort, it may be time to put their relationship to an end. Ruel uses symbolism, imagery, and logic to make his message effective in both the lyrics and the video.

# data[].attributes.body
ETHOS - Ruel uses ethos multiple times throughout the song to portray his previously close relationship with his lost friend. In his lines "You and I/ Used to walk the streets at night" and "Our parents didn't know/ Kept the tv going/ Left on all the bedroom lights", we can see familiar aspects of a rebellious, childhood friendship, and it shows Ruel's credibility to be describing his relationship with his friend. These lines help to prove that the boys had a close bond and wanted to spend all of their time together, as children often do. Later in the lines, "Call you my brother/ The way that we used to/ When we were younger" he shows that all the time they spent together gave them a bond more easily described as brothers rather than friends. After hearing about how close they were as children, it makes it more heartbreaking to hear "I saw you just the other night/ I didn't even recognize you" because it displays to the listener that the lost friend has become someone vastly different than the person Ruel knew as children.

# data[].attributes.body
Ruel prevalently makes use of logos to plainly state how their close relationship morphed into one akin to two strangers. The first example is in the lines "You left me in the dark/ While you drink in the park" where he uses imagery to help the listener understand that the lost friend dropped communications with Ruel once he started drinking alcohol with his new group of friends in the park. In addition, he says "I didn't even recognize you/ Find it kind of strange/ I guess that people change/ But I didn't expect you to." These lines display the realization Ruel had that his friend is no longer someone that he knows well, even though he expected to be familiar with him for a long time. The use of "I guess" shows how unsure and taken aback Ruel was by the fact that he no longer could recognize his old friend. Near the end of the song, he says "Tryna get in touch with you/ I don't know where you've been." These lines display the distance that has grown between the two and shows that Ruel is still trying to keep the relationship strong in spite of that. He says "I tried with you a thousand times" which clearly shows how dedicated Ruel is to the relationship, and to his friend.

# data[].attributes.body
Ruel's use of emotions through the lyrics portrays the longing and conflicted tone he carries throughout the song. He also tells the story in chronological order through his lyric placement, making lines much more effective in context. One of the first examples is "Our parents didn't know/ Kept the TV going/ Left on all the bedroom lights." The line "Our parents didn't know" evokes a nostalgic feeling that reminds the listeners of their younger days when they had to nervously ask for permission to spend time with their friends. Then he transitions to when they grow apart with "You left me in the dark/ While you drink in the park/ Never be the same again." These lines show his resolve for the fact that their friendship has undertaken a drastic change, and there is no going back now. The next example is "You and me were so, so  close/ Maybe that's what hurts the most." The feeling of losing your best friend is immensely painful, especially when you dedicated so much time to each other in the past, only to later go your separate ways.

Near the end of the song, he says "Have a conversation/ But you'll never let me in." The hopelessness is clear in this statement because he is trying his very best to reach out and support his friend, but any conversation they have feels like talking to a brick wall. Finally, he says "Maybe I don't have to play the bad guy in the end/ Cause I've been trying harder now to be a better friend." He describes himself as a "bad guy", showing that for the longest time, he felt like he was the one who was causing the relationship to fall apart, but now he has finally let go of that guilt.

# data[].attributes.body
Ethos appeals are shown in the video by establishing the credibility Ruel has because of the close bond he had with his friend when they were growing up. You can see the tone change right away once his friend starts drifting apart from Ruel and becoming less present in their relationship, shown by the cloud of smoke covering him when spending time with Ruel. Then we can see the fight between the boys at the party where it shows the two meeting each other again face to face. Ruel plays both characters to show that although they come from similar backgrounds and have similar personality traits, the friend on the left has become more rugged-looking and less composed, while Ruel is put together.

# data[].attributes.body
Pathos in the video is shown especially well by the parallels shown in the beginning and the end of the video that creates a bittersweet feeling of nostalgia for the audience. Pathos is also shown using imagery, such as the sign in the gas station or the lost friend returning to Ruel for a sense of safety and familiarity. The audience feels the hope for resolution and reconciliation at the end of the video when Ruel comforts his friend, only to be met with the same hopelessness and dejectedness that Ruel feels when he's left all alone on a bench in the middle of the night.

# data[].attributes.body
The lyrics and video use many different appeals throughout the whole duration of the song to make Ruel's message to his friend clear. Although he still loves and wants the best for him, he is done trying so hard to save him from what he has become. Overall, Ruel effectively makes use of the lyrics and video to convince the audience that saving his relationship with his old friend is a lost cause, and even the closest friends can simply grow apart over time.

# data[].attributes.body
Kaplan, Ilana. “Ruel Puts a Twist on the Teenage Breakup with ‘Younger.’” Teen Vogue, Teen Vogue, 3 Aug. 2018, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ruel-younger-teenage-breakup.

Genius. (n.d.). Ruel – younger. Genius. Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://genius.com/Ruel-younger-lyrics.

Ruel - Younger (official video) - youtube. Youtube. (2018, August 2). Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r90FuOuqE60.