I'm So F***ing Proud Of Ren. 

Tickets for Justin Hawkins Rides Again UK Tour go on sale Friday 27th at 10am here: www.axs.com/uk/series/19790/live-justin-hawkins-rides-again-for-the-first-time-tickets?skin=aegpresentsuk Dates: 18th March - Norwich LCR UEA 19th March - Bristol St George's 20th March - Sheffield Memorial Hall 21st March - Glasgow The Glee Club 22nd March - Gateshead The Glasshouse Sage 2 24th March - London Bloomsbury Theatre 25th March - Hayes The Beck Theatre 26th March - Cardiff The Glee Club 27th March - Birmingham The Glee Club 29th March - Manchester Salford The Lowry 30th March - Liverpool St George's Hall 31st March - Leeds City Varieties Music Hall

You should also be proud Justin as you were one of the first reactors to Hi Ren. That was the start of the Ren Rollercoaster for many thousands of people. Thank you!!!

The amount of reactors that have followed him and are now being his biggest cheerleaders is so fucking wholesome. Like there's an entire community on youtube basically saying in unison: "That's my baby and I'm proud". It's been an absolute joy to watch. Man's earned it.

I blame you for introducing me to Ren when I saw your reaction to "Hi Ren" back in March. Watching him take over the world, as you predicted, has been a sheer delight.

I'm a mod in his Discord and hosted a listening party for the results. When it was announced that his album was #1, all of us were screaming and crying, lol. He's worked so hard to achieve this, and all of us are beyond happy for him.

Ren really does seem like a lovely boy. It gives me proper hope in my cold dead heart to see a genuine artist get the recognition they deserve. 😁

I think we all feel invested in Ren's success. But you Justin definitely exposed Ren to many people. We all thank you for that.

Your "F***in’ Hell, This Is Mind-Blowing" video was my introduction to Ren.

Ren is epic. Can we please take a moment to acknowledge & appreciate the fact that at one point in this video he is simultaneously singing, acting and *solving a Rubik’s cube* ! 🤯 Also Samuel - the director - NEEDS to receive ALL the awards for his work on Ren’s music videos. Hi Ren, Animal Flow, Sick Boi, Violet’s tale, Murderer, Money Game 3… every video is seamless. The filmography is always outstanding. I’ve seen Hi Ren more times than I can count and I’m STILL blown away by the lighting effects. It’s subtle enough that it doesn’t distract from the singing or acting and yet it’s setting the mood and tension throughout the song. Phenomenal. So proud of Ren & honoured to be one of the 6,000 to help him hit number 1. No one deserves it more 💖🥹🥰

Ren wrote all of the music for this including the orchestral parts. He said he practiced quite a bit to get the piano intro right. He also said that this isn't precisely a one take, it has a single cut in it, but it had to due to some logistics and time constraints (and you actually did identify where they hid the cut) He explained it all in his Twitch live stream after the video dropped. He's really proud of this one, and should be. It's another great example of Ren's pure musical ARTISTRY. The greatest sculptures in history were created slowly, persistently, over a long period of time, one small chip at a time. Chip, chip, chipping away. Ren's illness is the marble, his musical artistry is the chisel...and look at the masterpieces he's now created. A modern day musical Michaelangelo forged through fire....and the world is better for it.

I love the support you've given to our man Ren all year. As a non-musician, hearing the insights of people in the industry is helpful for my understanding. And it's amazing to see an artist from one generation appreciating and supporting one from the next. Be will, sir.

Ren is now No 54 on the top 100 across all genres in the US! Your reactions to him brought him to a wider audience, you're in on this success too ❤x

It's thanks to you Justin that I became a Renagade. I've been down the Ren Rabbit Hole since you reacted to Hi Ren. The fans did so much to help spread the love for Ren and his music and also his message! The #reneffect is real!!

I had the chance to spend a few days with Ren in 2017 and as ‘cheesy’ as it sounds I just knew he would be a star 😂 go Ren. This is incredible!!

I have to admit that I’ve never heard of Ren, but it was great to see a young lad grafting and making a success for himself. Best thing I’ve seen in a while.

I love how excited REN is to show you his work and you really listened and watched carefully. It’s like you’re a father type figure to him. Someone he looks up to and your praise and support is so authentic. I think that’s why so many people enjoy YOU!

So chuffed for Ren! That's a true indie artist! He deserves all the recognition & accolades he gets 🖤

initially we called him Bardcore but he seems to be becoming Hip Hopera! Both just amazing words x love him x

In the interview with Sam about how they shot this, the classical pianist that took over for Ren at the piano has an ear piece linked to Ren's microphone, so he knew the clues from his vocals. The cameraman was wearing a harness with this crazy rig attached that allowed for someone else to use a remote control to spin it for those 360 rotations. It was done in 2 one takes. If that makes sense. The cut is when it goes black when panning behind Ren in the chair. Sam did an amazing job directing all the crazy moving parts inside this huge warehouse. Congrats Ren🎉

No one captivates me like Ren. He's a completely different level "artist" in every sense of the world. The fact that he tends to operate in continuous motion only intensifies the message. I'm thrilled that he has reached #1. Just goes to show that true talent needs no other promoter. I will always thank you Justin for shining a light on him. 🎉

YEEEEEEEEEEES REN!!!! LETS FREAKIN GOOOOOOOOOOO, BABY!! Not since Prince have I been so impressed, engrossed and consumed by someone’s music. He touched a part of my soul I didn’t even know existed, helping me though over two years of being off work, depression, extreme anxiety and self doubt. I sight his music, message and vibe as being the catalyst for my reemergence into work, society and the light….. many many blessings and all my love to you, brother. I’ll never forget it. 💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Ren is bloody awesome. When I heard the news my heart light glowed for him. He really does deserve it. He is an artist beyond belief. Very special.

Ren is a hardworking HUSTLER...he understands marketing more than most people who work in marketing for a living. Making associations with reaction channels was the biggest ace up Ren's sleeve. CONGRATS REN!!!!

Ren Rolled our beloved Rick Roll - and I say that with love! As someone who has been disabled with two neurological conditions since a 2003 accident, as well as being ill with cancer and some other stuff since 2018, and homebound since the middle of 2019, I am SOOOOOO proud of Ren. I’ve experienced so much of what he’s endured and can’t imagine being able to pull off such a feat in the midst of his treatment. I’m glad he went to a cabin with his friends to hear the news and then took a little time off from treatment after getting the news to celebrate!! I also commend Rick Astley for being incredibly gracious. He has worked really hard to come back with a new album, and yet I believe he also appreciates the feat Ren pulled off as an indie artist who has not been well, had no label backing, was not actively touring, and was basically only doing self-promotion online. I saw the video Rick released a few days ago, and I expected no less than his congratulations because he’s always been know to be a good person. I’m hoping both will collaborate on a track to celebrate - that would be super cool! I know Ren has said he would totally LOVE to do that in one of his live streams. We all played a part in this success story. I’m sure Ren is getting calls from labels now, and that he’s gladly refusing. I bet Sony is very sorry they dropped him a bunch of years ago. I’m so sorry for all Ren has endured, but it has made him who he has become - just a really, really beautiful moment for this guy!

Ren also did a build up to Money Game Part 3 by playing a literal money game where there were riddles to solve on the Internet that forced thousands of people to work together to solve and the winner was day to solve the final bit of that day's puzzle won 1,000 pounds. But people started donating the money. The final puzzle was to find a much larger cash prize buried somewhere in the world and the winner has the option to keep the money or to burn it and open a second suitcase instead. That final video is on Ren's channel and the very end of it is worth a watch.

For me Ren is just Art... performance, music, presence... he's the whole package. Ren didn't build a fan base... he built a community and when the possibility of a #1 presented itself we were all invested. I now own a digital download, CD and Vinal. I don't own a CD player or record album but I'm still so excited for them to arrive. From a seasonal point of view... put your hand in the cookie jar and take more than you need... reminds me of kids on Halloween when they go to a house that leaves the candy out and the parents dump the whole thing into their kids bag... what did you just teach your kids?

Very important to highlight that not only is this performed in one take (with one edit), but that it's a full live performance, including the piano and strings. Unmatched ambition and creativity.

I imagine that Ren is over the moon that you liked this newest release. I have to say I really prefer this long form reaction (where the entire video is shown). I realize it's much easier to do with a Ren video than other artists who are eager to copyright strike their videos.

Hi Justin, I found Ren through your channel and I've never said thanks, so thanks for that and thanks for a great channel 👍

I feel kind of weird that I’m so proud of him and happy for all of us for finding him. We created magic.

The best discovery of this year by far! So touching. I'd like to use this opportunity to thank you for the interview you did with him. Basically, you gave him space to tell his story in his own words, just asking a good question now and then to keep him going. Never anywhere else have I got so close to his personal journey, and your style as an interwiewer was anecessary part of it. Again, thank you.

Ren IS amazing, and most amazing of all may just be how much many music superstars admire him. I get the sense you'd all take him under your wings if you sensed he needed it. Somehow he has a magic that transcends his age and all of his hardships. Thanks for bringing so many people to Ren; your influence on his trajectory can not be denied. You rock!

Eternally grateful to you, Justin for introducing me, among many others, to Ren all those months ago. It really is his year. Such an important artist and talented mofo!

I can never thank you enough for bringing Ren to my attention back in January.

You also contributed to the explosion of Rens success, you are respected and people really took notice after the interview

I nearly cried when it was announced too, Ren absolutely deserves this sucess

Ren uses silence in an incredible way. The atmospheric effect of the ambient noise of the space allowing the reverb to create a strange tension - masterful production. So well conceived, written, performed, recorded and mastered. Bow down to a bona fide genius. Big shit with a big message that isn't convoluted or indulgent. Makes me want to write.

It was great that they captured his live reaction to the #1 UK chart news on video!! You can see how much it means to him. And he was surrounded by his inner circle of friends who have worked with him as an independent artist. I’m so glad they flew out to Canada to be with him. Thank you for your support of Ren! His talent and creative vision really shine in MG3. It could be adapted into a stage production! You are right, there was one cut - behind the wheelchair. They had to reposition the mic from his lapel to inside his tie to protect it from the water. And he only had the one suit 😹 I agree - he would make a dashing James Bond 😼

so glad you checked this out and recognised his number 1 album!!! youve played your part to help bring Ren to your community as well this has been a real success of social media and as ren said 'a rising tide raises all ships'!!! WELL DONE REN AND THANKS JUSTIN!!!

I love also how his songs are related in sound style, but not copies. Like he has his own musical aesthetic, which I really like. Sometimes that becomes people just repeating things, which this is not.

Thank-you Justin.. for supporting REN as you have. You knew he was going to be the star he’s become(ing)!! Great reaction to yet another piece of REN-ART!!!

Good one, Justin. You played a big part in helping Ren enter the public consciousness. I found him through you and have been obsessed ever since. I predict a Nobel prize for this guy down the road. Thank you, JH.

His fans were not surprised his fan groups were going crazy gifting each other downloads when fans couldn't afford it totally amazing week

Your interview is what put me on to Ren so thank you for that sir!

You and all the other reactors played a more-than-small part in this success for him. The vast majority of his 1M+ followers found him because of reactors jumping on Hi Ren. Luckily for all of us, he understood this from jump and gave you all permission to react to them without any restrictions or worries of getting copyright blocks. You guys gave him free publicity which was as effective at getting him out there as the money backed artists. From the moment he announced the album was coming, yall have pushed it hard with each reaction you did. And since a lot of you reactors are artists as well, your recommendations of music to listen to carries way more weight than a radio jock reading a script paid for by a record company. My hope is that not only will this result in more and more indy artists getting to shine, but that record labels will finally see the positives that reactors bring in terms of gaining artists new fans. I've got a list of artists longer than my arms, that I only found because of reactors. As much as I would love to see The Darkness become huge again, I hope it doesn't take you out of reacting and interviewing artists on here.

Yes, REN, as the next James Bond.😃. The dude is ripped!!!! shreaded. Definitely has the body. Ren is an amazing artist and has brought a breath of fresh air to the music. Deep and thoughtful. I love Ren!

I love Ren. He seems to be such a down-to-earth guy and a real talent. Thank you, Justin, for introducing him and his music to me.

yayyy! Thank you for supporting him! You did such a great interview with him early in the game.

This is such a brilliant reaction! You getting emotional makes us all emotional all over again . He's truly amazing isn't he ! And YES we are all thinking the bond thing especially when he's in the mirror at the beginning ❤

You are so right Justin, this is a different level of artistry. Ren is so amazing

Ten solid minutes and not a single moment that falls short of the mark and momentarily takes you out of his construction. Nailing it in a 1-3 shot video. Messaging rich with a full understanding of societal ills. It’s just completely astonishing.

I found Ren through this very channel… and I’ve been obsessed with his pure Genius ever since 🙌 Thank Mr Hawkins 😀👍🏼

I'm so glad you've done this particular video, and focused on the unique genius that is Ren. I'm f***ing proud of him too, and we've been celebrating his brilliant achievement for days with no end in sight. Yours was the first youtube interview of Ren five months ago, and now here we are. Thank you, Justin.

"Performance" -- *that's* the word I was looking for. Ren's music and videos reminds me very much of theater. It's so refreshing.

I'm so happy you reviewed this song, I was hoping you would. It's fantastic, isn't it!?! Your reaction to Hi Ren was a part of his meteoric rise to fame, so it seems fitting that you would also promote this one that he's so proud of. Glad your tour went well.

Over the years I have played hundreds of artists' catalogues in my lady's car and the ones she took to the fastest and most adhesively have been the Darkness (that was the first one), Muse, the Veils, White Lies, Editors, Dethklok, the Twilight Sad, Måneskin, and most lately Ren. She preordered a copy of Sick Boi and got all the back catalogue cds same day. I heard about him via RU-vid suggestion when Watsky's Placement album came out but I think the first thing I played her was Hi Ren, but the ones that got her Beastie blood flowing were What You Want and the Losing It remix. All around brilliant stuff and we are very proud of his progress.

Justin, BP and Knox have had faith in Ren from the get go and really gone out of thier way to inspire others and promote Rens beautiful talent to the World. ❤ thank you Justin x

Ren deserves it all, what an amazing human they are, heart of gold

I saw the video of Ren watching the chart results live. Such raw emotion. He went from being incredibly happy, and laughing to breaking down in tears which makes so much sense! Such raw emotion! So happy for everyone in the team that they got the number 1! That can never be taken away from them!

It has been amazing to watch Rens journey, and Im absolutely so very chuffed for him getting to number one. Thank you Justin for recognising his talent and supporting him ❤❤

Thank you, Justin, for introducing me to Ren back when you first interviewed him. I am a fan of you both.

One thing I noticed is that during the "gaps" there's still a complex soundscape, which helps keep up the tension.

Love Love Love!!! Thank you so much for all your support of Ren. He really has transcended "music" to something more. 🥰

It’s great to see artist as great as yourself finally seeing what we’ve seen for years 👌👌👌👌

Just went and took a listen and watched the MGP3 video. HOLY SHIT The kid is amazeballs! true artistry like his doesnt come along very often and usually gets eaten up and spit out by the "industry". I sincerely hope he continues making incredible art. We NEED this level of awesomeness! Its this kind of art that makes life worth living, even when everything else is shit. Long live Ren!

Ren composed all the music as well as the lyrics. He's an amazing artist. I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.

Nobody seems to have picked up on the lyrics from money game 1 and 2 where he says ‘its easier to blame, but point the mirror at ourselves’ when Ren removes the money bag from his head while looking in the mirror. I think it’s very symbolic.

Buddy we absolutely authorise you taking credit for his recognition ~ thanks to your video on Hi Ren his numbers pummmped!!

Congrats to this legend, such an icon at such a young age 👌🏻

We are all so proud if him. He is an amazing human being with ridiculous talent!!

He sits on the table waiting! Undoes the tie and the earth is turning and it's stops and then he picks the phone up! Metaphor for his world stopping as the news about his father hits! Genius!!!!!

Thank you for introducing Ren to me ever since Hi Ren i have been hooked

I love the whole thing. He did such a fantastic job.

The fact that his album hit #1 in the UK is amazing enough because he produced it independently, but then when you consider that he was here in Canada and unable to do a supporting/publicity tour or the rounds of the talk shows to make people aware of the album, it becomes an absolutely astounding feat. He was limited to doing video call interviews. This album made it to #1 on the strength of the music, and the love and support of the community of fans that's grown up around him. There is some part of his story thst resonates with everyone...mental or physical health struggles, depression, losing a good friend to s**cide, getting to the point where everything seemed hopeless, contemplating s**cide himself...and that's why I think so many people feel drawn to him, he represents the hope that things can get better. There's a little snippet of an interview that always makes me cry, where he says that there was a time when he just didn't want to be here anymore, but now he looks forward to every day. I'm 61 years old, and it's been a hell of a long time since a musician has had me in awe, like Ren does. I think that his past struggles have made him truly grateful for the success he has now, and that's refreshing to see...too many young musicians feel entitled to success and quickly become arrogant and overbearing. Im hoping he never loses that sense of gratitude that he feels now, for his success and his life.

"The way we live is parasitic" That line sums it all up, I have often said by definition humans are a parasite. Love Ren and I'm so happy he hit number one, though I'm happier about all the lives he's touching across the globe!

Justin, your interview with Ren actually cleared lots of things about him that was not clear, and it made it clear to me that he is genuine artist and authentic, not some product or phony person. So it is your interview that make me became REN’s fan I might say, and your honest approach to talk and genuine person as you are made that one of best interviews I watched. Justin you are part of his success, even you might not think so.

What a lovely reaction. Seeing this work of art viewed through your artistic lens, broadened my appreciation for this wonderful piece.

You are a big part of helping him achieve this by reacting to Hi Ren.

Came across Ren from Justin's 'Hi Ren' reaction, and have been down the rabbit hole ever since!

Yes, let's celebrate Ren 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Appreciate you and your reactions. I found you via Ren. Ren has equally impressed me to the point I question the infatuation. As an avid listener most of life Ren hit differently, it hits like Plant reacting to Page, it’s rare, special and unique. He has blended classics with modern tech and brought “visual music”. MTV has nothing on this kid, he has redefined a music video.

What an absolute legend Ren is

Ren is astonishing. Thanks again for giving him so much coverage, and I’m proud I’ve been involved in getting that album to No. 1!

He is an amazing young man with seemingly endless talent! Thrilled for this latest accomplishment!

I knew the first time I saw Hi Ren that I was in the presence of greatness. MG3 is, without a doubt, a freaking masterpiece and I think he hasn't even begun to show us what he can do. I enjoyed your commentary and perspective. Thanks for the reaction.

I don't know what prompted me to even watch the first Justin Hawkins Rides Again video that hit my feed months ago, but I'm pretty sure it was so you could introduce me to Ren. Love all of your insights and really love what Ren is putting out there. He gives me hope for the rest of us suffering from any type of mental illness. Thank you both! ❤

Ren has a kinda modern pop opera thing going on. Rap poetry story telling and classical complexity in the arrangements. Really staggeringly good and getting better as he grows. Such a good team of close friends and collaborators he has with him too

A lot of people teared up watching Ren’s reaction to getting a #1. Just something so lovely about seeing that joy when knowing everything he has been through (and is still going through) and all the hard work he has poured into his art. He truly deserves the recognition. As for Money Game 3… simply a storytelling masterpiece. If Netflix doesn’t give this man his own show, they are fools. Well guess we will find out if they are after Ren and Sam film and pitch a pilot some time in the new year when Ren is done with treatment in Canada…

It means so much more when a recognised artist acknowledges Ren's talent. I hope the industry bigwigs learn about this feckin GENIUS & bestow all the rewards he so richly deserves. Cheers Justin 🍻 you're a gem ❤

Not sure how the hell it took this long for me to find you, but I'm so happy that I did. I've been a RENegade for about 9 months now and love seeing all the support. The world has fallen in love with his art. ❤ New sub here. 👋

Ren is a total genius, and exactly what music needed in 2023. He seems so down-to-earth and genuine too. I love how he is not defined by a particular style or genre but can merge any of them and create something fresh and new, he reminds me of David Bowie in this sense, not following a set pattern, not thinking inside of the box, but ignoring the box is even there and doing what feels right creatively. The fact that the videos are art too just shows how visionary he truly is. I realised after seeing your Hello Ren video earlier in the year that I had seen Ren busking in Brighton, I remember thinking at the time, that he is good, but that was a huge underestimate on my part. Good luck to you Ren you are amazing and deserve great success and I am excited to see what you do next.

Thankyou justin for your reaction to hi ren. You got me into ren because of your video. Im so chuffed he got numero uno. 😊

I was so high on Friday when this was announced. I’ve been following Ren since Jenny/Screech went viral with him being a (formerly) local Welsh boy. Only 2 times I bought music this year was within 2 weeks of eachother. PTL 6 Vinyls, 5 CD’s (and a tshirt!), and then Ren 4 Vinyls, cassette and CD. Worth every last fucking penny. Love it when artists put real effort into their physical copy music, and both you and Ren knocked it out of the park!

At no point is there joy in this life. No creativity, compassion or humanity. Just a robotic life of possessions. That’s quite telling.

The ending presents the chorus from the first two parts but visually. For example the last line of MG3 is the line before the chorus in MG1 and the first line of the chorus is "Rain rain rain rain'. Every element of the chorus is presented but visually. It's genius! :)

I really loved your interview with Ren & it’s amazing how far he’s come since then. You really listened to him & I think you gave him some valuable food for thought during your conversation. A few years back he got the idea to do a hip-hop style album & he asked for advice from someone well known in the industry. That person told Ren it was a terrible idea & that it would be a flop. I’m so glad Ren marches to his own beat or Sick Boi would never have seen the light of day. The sheer number of people who’ve connected with Ren through his music, interviews & videos this last year is astonishing. It’s about time his artistry & ideas for world/life improvement are being recognized! 💜🎶

Wow, imagine that! An artist who you grew up listening to on the radio is now saying they're a fan of you and is now reacting to your song! Well deserved though!

I can't get enough of Ren. His vocals, his look, his intelligence and being able to pick apart the human condition and all its flaws. He's a modern day bard and an absolute genius. He deserves all the credit and it's so well deserved. He reminds me of a peaky blinder but in the cool sense.

I well up every time I see him celebrating the news. It’s such a heartwarming sight to see. I think Ren has touched so many people with his music and his openness. I must show you big respect for being the first person to interview him at the start of this sickboi journey. Next on the cards must be a collaboration between you both. Xmas number one 😂

thank you for introducing Ren to a lot of us! by reacting to other artists you help lift them up and create a shared community. Congratulations to Ren!