RY X

Australian singer-songwriter RY X first achieved commercial traction via the track “Berlin,” which surfaced in 2013 and later registered inside the U.K. and French Top 40 thanks to widespread streaming. That release introduced the atmospheric blend of acoustic and electronic textures, paired with his ethereal, gauzy vocal style, that would define his debut full-length Dawn, issued in 2016.

Born in the coastal town of Angourie, New South Wales, Ry Cuming absorbed the music of Pearl Jam and Jeff Buckley while growing up; the latter’s album Grace prompted him to begin composing his own material at age 16. Relocating to Los Angeles in 2010 to advance his career, he attracted the attention of Jive Records, which issued his self-titled debut under the name Ry Cuming later that year. Subsequent touring alongside Maroon 5 brought moderate visibility, and he also collaborated with Sara Bareilles on the album track “Always Remember Me.”

Rebranding as RY X, he returned in 2013 with the EP Berlin on the Stockholm imprint Dumont Dumont. Its gently reverberant guitar textures drew comparisons to Fleet Foxes and José Gonzalez, while the lead single “Berlin” entered the U.K. Top 40 following placement in a European television advertising campaign and climbed to number 15 in France. After extensive live work as vocalist for the electronic project the Acid, he recorded his first solo album, Dawn, which appeared on Loma Vista and Infectious Records in 2016 and charted just outside the Top 40 across several European territories.

Cuming resumed studio work the next year, resulting in the second album Unfurl, released by Infectious in early 2019; it reached number 11 in Belgium and entered the Top 40 in both Germany and Switzerland. Captured during an October 2019 performance with the London Contemporary Orchestra, the live set Live from the Royal Albert Hall surfaced in early 2021.