Ruth Radelet (, born April 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She is best known for her work as the lead vocalist in the

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

band Chromatics, formed in 2001. A native of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, Radelet joined Chromatics in 2006 after the band relocated to Portland from

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

. The band's first album to feature Radelet as vocalist and guitarist was their cult release '' Night Drive'' (2007), the record which marked a notable shift in their sound, incorporating elements of synth pop and post punk. Radelet also appeared with Chromatics in the Showtime series revival of ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...

'' (2017).

Early life

Ruth Radelet was born and raised in

along with her two sisters, Sarah and Sofya.

Career

Radelet joined Chromatics in 2006 with Adam Miller, Nat Walker, and Johnny Jewel, releasing '' Night Drive'' in 2007. Radelet provided contributions to Symmetry's debut album, ''Themes For An Imaginary Film'' (2011). Chromatics' follow-up album to ''Night Drive'' was '' Kill for Love'', released the following year. The band was invited to perform at the Chanel show by

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...

in 2012. Radelet appeared with Chromatics in the Showtime 2017 revival of ''

''. After the disbandment of Chromatics in 2021 Radelet has been working on a solo record and recently released the single "Crimes" produced by Filip Nikolic formerly of Poolside. “She’s definitely establishing her own artistic identity with this solo output… it’s beyond welcome to hear Radelet soaring on ‘Crimes’” - Uproxx “Radelet's vocals are mercurial and slightly spooky while kaleidoscopic synths sparkle around her.” - FLOOD

Influences

Radelet has cited folk and country artists such as

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...

, and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

as influences, as well as new wave bands such as New Order. She has also cited films as an influence on her music, including work by directors Francis Ford Coppola,

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

, and

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

Personal life

Radelet was romantically involved with bandmate Johnny Jewel for several years; commenting in an interview with ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', she said: "I consider us to be old friends, and we have continued to build on that foundation even though the dynamic is always evolving." She relocated to New York in 2011 and Los Angeles in 2015.

Works

Discography

Singles

* "Twilight" (2021) an Elliott Smith cover featured on 30th Anniversary of

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally know ...

* "Crimes" (2022) self-released

Filmography

Notes

References

External links

Ruth Radelet
at Billboard
Ruth Radelet
images at BFA * {{DEFAULTSORT:Radelet, Ruth 1982 births Living people American people of Belgian descent American electronic musicians Musicians from Portland, Oregon Singers from Oregon Songwriters from Oregon Guitarists from Oregon 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American guitarists American women in electronic music 21st-century American women guitarists People from Seaside, Oregon