With a soulful and deep voice, Raye’s streams on Spotify are beyond impressive. It’s a little surprising she isn’t as mainstream as it seems she could be, with as many plays as she gets.
Born Rachel Keen October 1997 in London, she started singing gospel songs at a young age in her church, while her father was the music director. Music runs deep in her family and you can hear it within her penetrating range.
Keen studied music in primary school but dropped out of high school when she was only 14 years old. Following her exit, the would-be pop star spent her time learning how to write songs properly in the studio.
By the time she was 17, Raye released her debut, Welcome to the Winter, along with a couple singles; “Distraction” and “Ambition.” She got the attention of Charli XCX who then directed the video for “Ambition.” In 2016 at only 19 years old, Raye co-wrote the song “You Don’t Know Me” with Jax Jones. The song peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart, and went on to be certified double Platinum.
The following years, Raye released a few singles, some charting on the UK charts, most within the top 15 songs. In 2019, she did support for Khalid on his Free Spirit World Tour. Ray would go on to collaborate with David Guetta, Charli XCX, and cowrite songs for Beyonce.
In June of 2021, Raye discovered her debut album had been withheld by her label, Polydor Records. Later that year she parted ways with her label and went on as an independent artist.
2022 was a big year for Raye as she released a few singles: “Hard out Here”, “Black Mascara,” “The Thrill is Gone,” and “Escapism.” Her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, contained the previously mentioned singles and peaked at #2 on the UK Billboard chart.
Last year, Raye had a mini tour in North America. During her tours, “Escapism” peaked on the US charts at #22, her first single to hit the charts in the states.
This year, Raye won 6 of the 7 nominations at the BRIT Awards, where she also performed a medley of her hits. Raye took the stage as the musical guest on SNL in April.
On Spotify, “Prada” has over 760 million hits, “Escapism” comes in first with almost 900 million, while 3 other songs are in the tens of millions listens. Raye’s unwavering ability to captivate a listener with her sultry voice, as well as the uncanny ability to tell a story through her songs are sure to catapult her in the states.
Below is my favorite song of hers, “Oscar Winning Tears.”
Promo photo by Sebastian-Kapfhammer.