REN | "HI REN" (reaction)

Check out Sight After Dark reacting to “Hi Ren” by Ren!
This song was suggested by our patron David Cerami!
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[@willasacco9898]

You will want to explore his works and learn more about him. I believe that this piece has close to 8 million views. I consider him a once in a lifetime genius.

[@peterwilliamson5953]

i agree , once in a lifetime , i know lots of music , im very eclectic and im 59 so , lots , and this piece of art is a masterpiece , it needs to be hung in the louve or something , with queues to see it , like a pilgrimage . lol .

[@willasacco9898]

@@peterwilliamson5953 I like that. I have been as moved or enthralled by any artist in a long time, if ever. t our age, that is saying something.

[@willasacco9898]

I meant I have not etc.

[@JensRandolff]

Here is some information on Ren's story that I gathered from old newspaper interviews, articles, and Ren's livestreams and posts where he discussed his condition. Ren Erin Gill is a British musician/independent artist; born in Wales on March 29, 1990; he eventually moved to Brighton. Ren pursued a career in music from an early age. In 2009, while studying music performance at Bath Spa University, he began to experience health issues and was struggling to attend his lectures. In 2010, he was signed by Sony Records and was working on an album when his health deteriorated to the point where he was unable to continue and subsequently dropped by Sony. Ren's illness often kept him in bed for up to 23 hours daily. Ren was initially misdiagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome, which led him to experience psychosis. It would take seven years before a doctor in Belgium finally correctly diagnosed Ren with autoimmunity, Lyme disease, and resulting damage to the brain, organs, joints, and PTSD. Ren eventually underwent stem cell therapy in the United States, which improved his health, but it has not been a cure. Ren is currently in Calgary, Canada for more treatments, including surgeries, and will have to be there for at least six months (Summer of 2023). Ren’s Canadian doctor discovered that Ren also developed a condition called Mast Cell Activation Disorder, which has affected the myelin sheath in his brain, his thyroid, adrenals, as well as his bones/joints. Ren’s recent wisdom tooth removal went well, and the infection in his jaw following the cavitation surgery has finally cleared up; Ren is able to eat solid food again. Let's keep supporting Ren as he undergoes his treatments. Check out and subscribe to his channel, listen to some of his earlier work, like and comment on his performances, and let's lift Ren's spirits. If you are a believer, pray for him. Ren is an artist with something to say to this generation, and his work is needed in these troubling times. Someone has finally created a Wikipedia page for Ren, so there is additional information available. Here is the link to Ren’s GoFundMe page to raise money for his current treatment. www.gofundme.com/f/ren-get-better-from-lyme-disease-and-autoimmunity

[@JensRandolff]

No matter how many times I watch this, I still get emotional. “Hi Ren" is the song that put Ren on everyone's radar since December; it went viral and has garnered over 8 million views since its debut, but he has been creating great music for more than ten years. Ren’s music videos are generally recorded live, often in a single take, although not necessarily the first take, and from various camera angles. His release, "Sick Boi," is almost another chapter to "Hi Ren." Many of Ren’s songs resonate with people because he addresses struggles that many others face every day. Ren plays multiple instruments (acoustic, electric, and bass guitar, piano, drums), has impressive vocals, is an excellent storyteller, and is quite the philosopher and poet. He is considered by many a modern bard; he calls his music “bardcore.” Ren’s earliest recordings on KZbin are from his time in a band called “Trick The Fox,” consisting of Ren and his buddies Charlie and Tommy. Unfortunately, the band performed only briefly due to Ren’s onset of health issues. They are very talented. A fun clip to watch is “The Mash Up.” Ren’s trilogy "The Tale of Jenny/Screech/Violet" has been likened to a Shakespearean tragedy and is a prime example of his genius; it is a master’s class in storytelling and also showcases his guitar skills. The three acts are haunting, and the conclusion will catch you off guard. The trilogy needs to be watched in the order given, as this is the flow of the storyline and is best watched as a whole rather than piecemeal. Ren’s collaborations with Chinchilla (“Chalk Outlines,” “How to Be Me,” “Sexual Healing,” “One Dance/Drunk in Love”) are beautiful and showcase his singing voice. His live music videos are especially impressive. Ren's personal reflections are threaded through many of his songs; "Insomnia," "Depression," “Diazepam," “Penitence,” “Dear God,” “Heretic,” “Dominos,” his "Freckled Angels" album, just to name a few, all deserve a listen. His song "Money Game" (Part I & II) is another recommendation, although it is less of a personal song than it is an indictment of greed and the resulting injustices in this world. Ren’s Hip Hop/Rap style songs are all worth checking out if you enjoy this genre; they are pretty amazing. Check out “The Hunger,” “Genesis,” “What You Want,” “Losing it (FISHER rap retake),” “Right here, right now (Fatboy Slim one shot retake),” "Life is Funny," “Love Music (Parts 1, 2, and 3),” “Crucify Your Culture,” “Power,” his latest release, “Bittersweet symphony (The Verve retake),” just to name a few. As I recently discovered, Ren also recorded a cover of “Can't Help Falling In Love (Elvis Cover),” that is simply beautiful. Then there are his performances with Sam Tompkins (“Blind Eyed,” “Earned it /Mans World / Falling,” “Walking on the moon/No Diggity”), Eden Nash (“Humble,” “Ocean”), Bibi (“Crutch,” “Ahiahiaoha”), Molly McKinna (“Penitence”), his former bandmate, Romain Axisa (“French Song”), which are all great. "The Big Push" (Ren Gill, Gorran Kendall, Romain Axisa, and Glen Chambers) busking sessions, concerts, and live recordings all are awesome and well worth checking out. All but the drummer sing lead vocals at times. Their covers of "I Shot the Sheriff/Road to Zion/Hip Hop," "Wade in the Water/Nina Simone/Trouble so Hard," “War Pigs,” "My Generation," "An Englishman in New York," “Bongo Bong,” “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” the songs "Oh My Woman," “Swan Song,” “Sweet Little Lady," "It's Alright," "Watch Out," “Dignity,” and so many others are equally impressive. The band performed their last official busking session and gave their last concert in September of last year due to the fact that Ren was leaving for Canada to undergo medical treatment for his multiple health issues, including surgeries. In anticipation of his stay in Canada, Ren prepared some music ahead of time to be released over the next six months that he expects to be gone. He released “Sick Boi” and “Bittersweet Symphony (The Verve retake),” which is another masterful work. Ren has hinted that he might release his newest song on March 29, which is his birthday.

[@patrickquinlan3056]

Hi Jens. Great to see you here. I hope things are good with you.

[@JensRandolff]

@@patrickquinlan3056 Thank you for asking. I am doing better than I deserve. I hope all is well with you and yours.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks so much for the details Jens!

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks so much for the details Jens!

[@williamharris7357]

Check out his live Street busking in Brighton with the band The Big push their rendition of Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff ,road to zion,and hip hop combo are great

[@leoscone4036]

Ren is a phenomena right now. So much of his music relates to mental health singing to a generation and time that is more aware than ever of the dangers involved put upon an open media it is no surprise. How ever many million views Ren's own channel is up to there are umpteen more views from first reactors. Glad you joined the gang. If you want to hear one of the best live vocal duets that I, who became an avowed prog-rocker in 1973, have ever heard, then listen to "Chalk Outlines", with Chinchilla. And frankly, "How To Be Me" as well. Both mesmerizing live performances. Blessings.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks for filling us in Leo! We’re glad we joined too!

[@sammyd8860]

Ren is from the UK. In 2010 he was signed by Sony records but they dropped him when he became seriously ill. His illness was mis-diagnosed for about 6 years and, at times, he was bedridden for up to 23 hours a day. Eventually his illness was correctly diagnosed but, by then, physical and mental damage had been done, including a badly damaged immune system. He is currently in Canada for specialist treatment which will last at least 6 months. He is incredibly talented and his music crosses many genres. Check out Chalk Outlines by Ren & Chinchilla. Check out How to be Me (also Ren & Chinchilla) Also try Genesis, The Hunger & Losing It for his rap

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks for the info Sammy!

[@Erol_808]

Oh there's so much more from REN, his. talents are insane 👍❤️

[@kingjames9120]

This is what it looks like to watch 2 people reacting to something they've already watched.

[@SightAfterDark]

No, this isn’t a what it looks like when musicians react to music that’s set at a 4/4 tempo. There aren’t too many surprises. Just variations. Thanks for watching though!

[@rudyb.]

I love his Reggae music!! Ren is a talented musician.

[@d1specdrifter]

I enjoy seeing youtubers getting their minds blown with musical art. I have watched and listened to a couple hundred HI REN reactions and look for new youtubers, to me,and you got a new subscriber in me. Keep doing what ya doin. KEEP MOVING FORWARD. 🤜🤛 SHARING IS CARING 1 more subscriber for your channel to 100k😁 Ren's music is the word that is like the song needed for peace in BILL AND TEDS movie,from WYLD STALLIONS.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks so much for your support Heath!

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks so much for your support Heath!

[@peterwilliamson5953]

born in Wales and lives and busks in Brighton i believe .

[@kennethmichael5404]

He's from the UK. (Brighton to be specific)

[@vanburger]

When it's not appropriate, you don't need to be a bobblehead. It's not mandatory.

[@SightAfterDark]

Do what you want on your own channel Russell. Thanks for watching!

[@vanburger]

@Sight After Dark Touché. Great reply! You're right, of course. I haven't got the nerve to set myself up as a music expert. I'm generally too busy listening to old soul albums on vinyl.

[@thenewtowncryer]

Your reaction style says a lot about you! How to absorb a first listen without disrupting it. Thank you!

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks so much!

[@gburchell1]

He;s a genius . Musical styles too numrous to mention and he,s British.

[@scottwatson9453]

To be specific he's Welsh like Tom Jones ❤️😊

[@SightAfterDark]

We were being very sarcastic about where he’s from😆 cause it’s very obvious

[@KernowFishy]

@@scottwatson9453 raised in Brighton though, that would be a strange Welsh accent.. though i suppose the one's as you get near merseyside are quite english really.

[@scottwatson9453]

@@KernowFishy Yeah, but his Welsh side gifted him with the vocals 😊

[@KernowFishy]

@@scottwatson9453 Oh there's no denying that! (celt myself and very proud of that side of us, not that I was gifted with it lol).

[@themadcadder4847]

Great reaction. Y'all got how deep it was, but you're hilarious. "Is he greek, oh yeah, he's turkish." 😂

[@SightAfterDark]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@stevenlangton5607]

REN is WELSH in the UK by birth so the man s from the land of song , but you have to look into his music which their is a lot , its a rabbit hole >>>>>>>worth looking into

[@SightAfterDark]

We are being sarcastic. 😂

[@stevenlangton5607]

@@SightAfterDark the TRILOGY is not too be missed , and i shot the sheriff live

[@MalcolmMXTaylor]

A great reaction!! Keep going and check out sick boi as it goes with Hi Ren !!!

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks Malcolm, will do!

[@Q.Q.]

Appreciated the dry senses of humor. The accent you failed to correctly place is Lichtensteiner. But you did get the Caspian Sea part right, since Lichtenstein is the third largest of the two islands in the southwestern corner of the Caspian.

[@rafalovitch]

It’s all live… one take

[@tonysarrio8940]

Four takes. This is take number four.

[@hmo_mackey]

Audio may have been one take, not video though. Samuel Perry-Falvey who filmed Hi Ren, makes that clear in the comments of Jonathan Hiller's (Filmmaker Reacts) reaction to the song.

[@TZ61]

Alex Harvey or maybe if Billy Bragg and Syd Barrett could have conceived a child. This struggle really does play out like a very dark comedy at times.

[@dmatianmedia]

He's from Brighton!

[@SightAfterDark]

We are being sarcastic 😆

[@WitsEndGirl]

He's from Wales!

[@christilehman-starr4428]

🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙 He spent like seven years in bed 23 hrs a day. Love the reaction. Props for saying it was maybe the most significant reaction you’ve done. Try his duet with uk artist Chinchilla. Chalk outlines. He can sing!

[@gordoncameron5082]

Nobody did it like him. Still, he seems to me the incarnation of Kevin Coyne

[@rveino2978]

🔥👍🤟

[@sketchtherapy1218]

I think it’s doubt vs hope. We have choice free will that means temptation and choice. The Devil is “The Accuser” not just accusing before God, for as long as you have consciousness day & night it accuses your light.

[@iandavison3704]

He is British

[@SightAfterDark]

☺️we were being very sarcastic Ian. Thanks so much for watching!

[@sticklebacksummer]

He's from the uk

[@petes5041]

He's Welsh!!

[@mjsmcd]

😮one take

[@louistracy6964]

German, for sure.

[@SightAfterDark]

😆you know it

[@erikmaronde2244]

Welsh. British.

[@pierrel5591]

yeah, i'm leaving at 4:49 ... each time he mentioned he was thinking about suicide the two of you smiled more and more and laugh ... yeah so funny, so catchy, so cool . Hope nobody close to you ever commit suicide after telling you they felt bad.

[@SightAfterDark]

Just rewatched this video. Don’t know what in the world you’re talking about! You mean when he started making fun of himself at 4:37?? Yeah, we were definitely laughing then. Because we are musicians as well and understand the process of putting a song out that you AS WELL as the public are going to like. At 4:49 of this video NO ONE was laughing. Our faces actually got quite serious. Then we went on to enjoying music. Do you think Ren would like us to tell him we hate the song or like it? Ok, so we’re enjoying the song because it’s a spurted one that I s done light on purpose with heavy lyrics so that the listener will definitely go through a ton of emotions while listening JUST LIKE THE ARTIST DID while writing it. Let us tell you something Pierre. You better get your facts straight before you project your own problems onto strangers. Your problems caused you to tell a blatant LIE on us. You accused us of something pretty heinous. NOT COOL.

[@pierrel5591]

@@SightAfterDark I start by saying i'm sorry if i offended you. It was not my goal. This song gets me very emotional and when in that state of mind it is not a good idea to start to communicate with strangers, so lets say that i missed a good opportunity to keep quiet. Ren was right... I have to relax and dance a little when my mind is shaken; I love that a kid ( I am more than twice his age) can teach me to be wiser. As you can see my english is not very good as english is not my first langage so my lack of vocabulary is also affecting the message. To be fair now that "the pendulum" is in a more stable area I must tell the two of you are full of energy and very charismatic. The purpose of your chanel is to dsicover and make other people discover something new. By the number of followers and viewers you must do a good job. And at the end the result is positive as Ren's art will be discovered. I am very stubborn old bastard please allow me to defend my original message, just a little. I did not say that at 4;37 or 39 that you were laughing , I wrote that I left at that moment. Here is not the place to argue or debate about it. It would be fun to have un café sur une terrasse ensoleillée and just chat. I know that I would learn so much from you two. I will go back to your post and watch it to the end. I may even dare sending an other message. Pierre

[@Corvid76]

Somebody's never heard a German accent before.

[@millieholmes5601]

They were being sarcastic

[@SightAfterDark]

😆yes we were; it’s very, very obvious where Ren is from

[@larryc3860]

Ren remains in treatment and has a GOFUNDME account to help pay medical bills.....

[@mrjinks5641]

German 😂😂😂😂 he’s from the UK 🇬🇧 that has to be obvious right 😂

[@SightAfterDark]

Very obvious, glad you got the joke Mrjinks! Thanks for watching!

[@mrjinks5641]

@@SightAfterDark joke yeah right 🤣 and you’re welcome.

[@jeffvossen5854]

Seen over a hundred “Hi Ren” reactions, by far this was the worst.

[@donalddavid3431]

Not my favorite reaction but interesting reaction. Not everyone is going to react the same. One very nice thing was they didn't stop his flow pausing it every 5 seconds.

[@SightAfterDark]

We hope Ren has 100 songs, ☺️because wow

[@grandmabaddie]

Ren is welsh , u.k

[@SwiftyDeejay]

German 💀🤣

[@Joe-Flow]

HORRENDOUS!!!

[@paulfenwick8767]

agree. a knobhead.

[@billrand4138]

philistine

[@paulfenwick8767]

@@billrand4138 Are you? Figures I guess if you like this 🤣

[@chazblitz]

​@@paulfenwick8767 Pretty close to the worst fucking thing I've ever heard.

[@storytime-wt4hc]

This thread likes dated music and deep conversations about yellow snow. 😆 say hello to the past for us!

[@staticcentrehalf7166]

What a dull, inhumane and soulless reaction.

[@SightAfterDark]

😂inhumane. The drama on you

[@dougoneill7266]

Jeeez lads. captions. I'm outta here.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks for watching!

[@patrickquinlan3056]

Captions don't keep up with Ren. They merely distract and get the lyrics all wrong.

[@chrisellis3797]

If you can't pick up his lyrics I'd suggest hearing aids rather than subtitles

[@chrisellis3797]

​@@patrickquinlan3056 yeah they're awful on this track, seen a few reactors start with them then just get rid as they're miles off tempo and also incorrecr

[@raysutton9306]

It's such ashame U watch this befor U recorded it, as it's ment to be first reactions, Ur girl jumped a head with hand gestures right on que, with out knowing the song , it carnt be done. Shame

[@SightAfterDark]

The song is not complex and we are musicians. Though the song is creative, it is quite simple. That’s why we pretty much only do deep cuts here because really popular music is very simple and cut and paste at the end of the day. You can think whatever you want, but Sifa’s dad was a musician, so is she and so is Dan. Thanks for watching Ray! You guys are actually complementing us when you lie like this or accuse us like this. Makes us know we chose the right profession in music.

[@edferrell3054]

UK Welch