2023 is Raye’s year and we’re all just living in it (Picture: Jo Hale/Redferns)
It’s shaping up to be a belter of a Friday for Raye, who just claimed her first-ever official number one single with Escapism ft. 070 Shake.
But this time 18 months ago, the 25-year-old’s future hung in the balance when she announced in a series of tweets that Polydor, her record label at the time, had been refusing to release her album.
Raye publicly called the label out before going independent – and boy, what a move that turned out to be. This evening, Metro.co.uk had the pleasure of catching up with musician shortly after the career-changing news of her first number one single broke and the star confessed she was ‘crying on loop’.
Asked to try and put into words what was going through her head, Raye said: ‘I keep crying on loop. It’s almost 10 years of my life rolling by. It’s such a dream come true.’
She thoughtfully added: ‘This is such a life highlight. Such a moment of complete validation as an artist. It’s just blowing my mind, I’m still trying to take it all in.’
The superstar-in-the-making publicly cut ties with her major record label in July 2021 after clashing over creative differences.
In 2021 Raye revealed her label had been refusing to release her album (Picture: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Raye just claimed her first-ever official number one single (Picture: OfficialCharts.com/Shutterstock)
Revealing how she felt after hitting publish on the tweets that would ultimately carve out her future in the industry, Raye shared: ‘At that point in my life I felt the exact opposite of how I feel right now. I had nothing left to lose – I was at breaking point.’
The chart-topper bravely continued: ‘In my head I said, “OK, worst case scenario, I’m shelved, and that’s that”. But thank the Lord I was able to have that moment where my story got heard and got support.
‘[It meant] I was able to have the power to get my freedom.’
Does she think things might have worked out differently at Polydor had she been a guy? ‘I mean, sadly, that’s probably the case for all women in any scenario,’ Raye noted.
Opening up about the ins and outs of parting ways with her old label, Raye shared: ‘Luckily, the publicity [that my tweets] got [meant] I was able to have leverage and take my freedom.’
Raye revealed in October that her debut album would finally be seeing the light of day (Picture: Raye)
Raye, real name Rachel Keen, first appeared on the charts back in 2016 (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)
‘I didn’t even think tweeting it that anyone would care,’ Raye pointed out, adding: ‘It was very much unplanned, just kind of a moment of impulsive desperation.’
As for life as an independent artist, it sounds as though Raye is having the best time of her creative career.
‘Basking in all that creative freedom, nothing feels quite like it,’ she began.
‘Being able to decide what you think is best for yourself and actually be your own boss is so empowering.’
She continued: ‘I’ve taken time to reflect and think about who I want to be as an artist and what my goals have been from the outset. What got lost along the way? It’s been a soul-searching process.’
Raye added: ‘It’s just been me pouring every inch of myself into this and resetting my creativity.
‘I made a conscious effort to remove any necessity to cater to the chart and reminded myself statistics aren’t [the most] important. It’s about releasing music that I’m proud of.’
Raye has notched up a string of 10 top 40 hits (Picture: Raye/Sky Armstrong )
But Raye’s most carefully contemplated answer was in response to whether or not she had any advice for other women fighting for a seat at the table.
‘I can’t sit on any sort of pedestal because it’s been a very humbling journey,’ she said with sincerity.
‘It’s a very gruelling, cutthroat industry. All I can say from my experience is just focus on the things that you can control. For me, it’s focusing on the quality of the art because that’s all that I have power over, you know?
‘When something has your heart, don’t let anyone talk you out of it or make you feel like you’re not capable of the impossible. No one did anything great overnight.’
Of course, we couldn’t let Raye go without asking her about her upcoming supporting slot on Lewis Capaldi’s tour.
That said, we weren’t quite ready for just how iconic her answer would be.
Of touring with Lewis Capaldi, Raye said: ‘I actually DMd him saying, “can I support you?”’ (Picture: PA)
‘I actually DMd him saying, “can I support you?”. That was a couple of months back. He agreed and then we just didn’t tell anyone until I’d sold out my show.’
Quick to sing Lewis’ praises, Raye added: ‘He’s always believed in my songwriting and always been so supportive. I really admire his artistry and I’m just excited to get in front of his fans.’
And as for Raye’s 2023 goals? ‘Just to play some incredible festivals and really enjoy this moment.’
She continued: ‘As musicians, we’re always just moving, moving, moving. But I really want to enjoy this. I’ve waited so long for this. I want to take it in. I pray that the album gets good reviews [but] you can’t control how people perceive music.
‘And I hope people connect to the music. [But] whatever happens, I’m just excited. I’m excited for everything this year. I [also] want to start writing my next one and push my musical boundaries beyond my wildest imagination.’
Raye, real name Rachel Keen, first appeared on the charts back in 2016 on Jonas Blue’s By Your Side, which reached number three, and has notched up a string of 10 top 40 hits, four of which landed in the top 10.
It’s been over a year since Raye claimed her management stopped her from releasing her first album for over seven years, which – considering she racks up more than 24,000,000 Spotify streams a month plus has songwriting credits for the likes of Little Mix, John Legend and Beyonce under her belt – seems unfair to say the least.
But Raye revealed in October that her banger-heavy debut album would finally be seeing the light of day, saying at the time: ‘My 21st Century Blues. My debut album.
‘My ugly complex beautiful mosaic formed from broken pieces of glass from the last 7 years of my life. My medicine, my anxieties and traumas, my unfiltered thoughts.
‘This music accompanied me through my bluest blues, crafted unapologetically and fearlessly with love and tears, and now I can only hope it might provide the same medicine it did for me, for those who choose to listen. I can’t believe it is really happening. My first album.’
Here’s to her best year yet.
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Raye’s debut album My 21st Century Blues is out on February 3, 2023 featuring Escapism and other hits Black Mascara and The Thrill Is Gone.
You can pre-order the album here: https://raye.orcd.co/m21cb.
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