Emerging 22-year-old Brisbane artist Ronin Rayn will release his debut single, “Cruel Heart,” on September 4, 2026, on all streaming platforms.
The pop-indie rock confession explores the emotional fallout of a toxic relationship and the difficulty of letting go of someone who still holds power over you.
“Cruel Heart” captures the ugly honesty of missing someone you know you should let go of. Built around driving guitars, melodic hooks, and a vocal performance that sits between heartbreak and denial, the track turns inner conflict into something anthemic.
Written from a place of emotional obsession, vulnerability and regret “Cruel Heart” explores the tension between acting detached and secretly bleeding over someone who still has control. It is intimate, but not soft; polished, but still human.
For Ronin, the single marks a defining step in his independent artist journey, pairing bedroom-born songwriting instincts with a sharper, more ambitious alternative pop sound. With its mix of late-night vulnerability, rock edge, and melodic rap influence, “Cruel Heart” introduces an artist carving out a lane between confession and catharsis.
The song was recorded at Hunting Ground Studios and produced by Joel Myles, (Dallow, Whitt’s End, J.R. Fink, and Hazy Tides) a Brisbane based world class music producer with more than 20 years of experience in the industry.
Mastering was completed by Alex L’estrange (Hope D, The Beefs, Radium Dolls) a Producer, Mix & Master engineer based in Byron Bay.
“I rewrote this song about four times before I finally felt like it said what I needed it to say. You’re detached while secretly still giving them control. I wanted the song to feel honest, emotional, and a little uncomfortable, because sometimes the hardest part isn’t losing someone it’s admitting how much of you they still have.”
Ronin Rayn embodies the space between opposites — love and hate, happiness and misery, truth and illusion. His music explores the complexity of human emotion and how conflicting feelings can exist as two sides of the same coin.
For fans of pop rock music or anyone caught between attachment and letting go, “Cruel Heart” will be available on all major streaming platforms from September 4, 2026.