Raye discusses her battles with the music industry (Picture: Em Cole/Cosmopolitan UK)

Chart-topper Raye has had the last laugh as she opens up about overcoming her battles in the music industry.

In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, the Black Mascara singer, who has written for Beyoncé, recalled her troubles with former record label Polydor.

They parted ways in 2021 after Raye publicly called them out for withholding her debut album. ‘I was being asked to write with some of the most incredible artists in the world,’ she said.

‘Meanwhile, I’m not taken seriously enough to govern and navigate my own success. What more did I have to do to prove myself? Releasing music that says nothing means nothing… that was never why I decided to become an artist in the first place.’

However, the 25-year-old started a new chapter of her career this month when she scored her first UK No.1, as an independent artist, with her tune Escapism.

‘Music is my way of being loud and owning the narrative,’ Raye added. ‘I’ve taken control on a very personal level to reach out to a lot of the people who have hurt me or crossed a line – I’ve confronted it head-on.’

The singer scored her first number 1 as an independent artist earlier this month (Picture: Em Cole/Cosmopolitan UK)

Raye appears on February’s cover of Cosmopolitan UK (Picture: Em Cole/Cosmopolitan UK)

She will finally release her album My 21st Century Blues on February 3. On one track, Ice Cream Man, she sings about the experience of a sex assault.

‘When I think about the panic attacks, the PTSD… you realise that someone’s actions become your burden to carry,’ Raye explained. She has told previously how an unnamed producer tried to put his hands between her legs, when she was starting out.

February’s Cosmopolitan UK is on sale on Tuesday.

She’s just scored her first UK No.1 with Escapism.