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Rachel Agatha Keen (born 24 October 1997), known professionally as Raye ( ), is a British singer-songwriter. She first rose to prominence after signing with Polydor Records and subsequently releasing Dance music singles and (EPs). Raye then gained media attention with her departure from the record label, which allegedly refused to release her debut album.
Raye independently released her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues (2023), to critical acclaim. The album's third single, "Escapism", gained popularity in social media and became her first song to top the UK singles chart and enter the US Billboard Hot 100. At the Brit Awards 2024, Raye won six categories including British Artist of the Year, breaking the record for the artist with the most awards received in a single ceremony of the organization. BBC included Raye on their 100 Women 2024 list. She received three nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards including Best New Artist.
Lyrically focusing on her own struggles and contemporary issues, the majority of Raye's genre-blending music is influenced by jazz, while also incorporating R&B, Pop music, and Soul music. Outside of Raye discography, Raye has co-written songs for other musicians, such as Beyoncé, Charli XCX, John Legend, and Little Mix.
Surrounded by music, Raye first showed interest in becoming a recording artist at the age of eight. She wrote her first song for a concert in Year 6 and performed it at the Southwark Cathedral, after her father taught her how to play the piano. At age 14, Raye was chosen to enter the BRIT School, where she studied for two years before dropping out due to feeling "confined". She spent most of her teenage years learning how to write songs professionally in studio sessions at the weekends.
Raye's following EP, Second, was released in August 2016 through Polydor. She co-wrote its single "I, U, Us" with the singers Noonie Bao and Charli XCX; the latter also directed the song's music video. The same year, Raye featured on Jonas Blue's "By Your Side" and Jax Jones's "You Don't Know Me", which respectively reached numbers 15 and 3 on the UK singles chart. "By Your Side" became her first song to enter the chart. Months later, she served as an opening act for a concert tour by the singer Jess Glynne.
Raye performed at the club XOYO in London in February 2017, receiving positive reviews from publications; The Line of Best Fit described her as "a pop powerhouse worth keeping an eye on". She worked on Charli XCX's "After the Afterparty", and appeared on the "VIP" remix to the song with the singer Rita Ora and the rapper Stefflon Don. Raye starred on the music video for the Stormzy song "Big For Your Boots" in the same month, and featured on the track "Dreamer" from Charli XCX's collaborative project Number 1 Angel (2017). The singles "The Line" and "Decline" were also released in 2017; the latter featured the singer Mr Eazi. Her third EP, Side Tape, premiered in 2018, following the release of the single "Cigarette", in collaboration with the singer Mabel and Don. In parallel, Raye received writing credits on songs by the girl group Little Mix and the singer John Legend. In June, Raye performed at the Summertime Ball in London, held by the radio network Capital. Later in 2018, she released a stand-alone single dedicated to her friends and supported Ora and the singer-songwriter Halsey on their respective concert tours. Raye embarked on her first headlining tour at the end of the year.
In early 2020, Raye released "Tequila" in collaboration with Jax Jones and the DJ Martin Solveig, and "Secrets" with the DJ Regard. "Secrets" peaked at number six in the United Kingdom and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In July 2020, Raye released "Natalie Don't", which preceded her project Euphoric Sad Songs, released in November. It included previously released songs alongside the singles "Love of Your Life" and "Regardless", the latter in collaboration with Rudimental. The project centred on the stages of grief. The critic Rachel Aroesti from The Guardian gave it a mixed review; she opined it lives up to its title but lacks personality.
Raye, the DJ Joel Corry, and Guetta released the collaborative single "Bed" in February 2021. The song peaked at number three on the UK singles chart, becoming Raye's highest charting single as a lead artist on the chart at the time. Additionally, it topped the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay. She co-wrote and co-produced the song "Let Them Know" by Mabel. In June 2021, Raye released "Call On Me", a song written for her sister and intended to serve as the lead single for her debut studio album. Later that month, she revealed that Polydor Records had been withholding her debut album for several years. The statement received support from fellow artists including Charli XCX, MNEK, and Rina Sawayama. Following this, Raye went on a hiatus, and later announced that she had parted ways with the label to work as an independent artist. Raye closed the year performing her Euphoric Sad Show headline UK and Ireland tour.
Throughout 2023, Raye opened for Lewis Capaldi's Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent Tour in the UK, Kali Uchis's Red Moon in Venus Tour in North America, and SZA's SOS Tour in Europe. In American television, Raye sang tracks from My 21st Century Blues at programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She also performed at the Glastonbury Festival 2023. "Prada" (2023), a collaboration with Cassö and D-Block Europe, reached number two on the UK singles chart and peaked atop the UK Dance Singles Chart for 31 weeks, later receiving a double platinum certification from the BPI. In October 2023, Raye released My 21st Century Symphony (Live at the Royal Albert Hall), a live interpretation of songs from the album recorded at the Royal Albert Hall alongside the Heritage Orchestra and the Flames Collective.
Raye performed a medley of some of her songs at the Brit Awards 2024. She was one of the songwriters on the song "Riiverdance" from Beyoncé's country music-inspired album Cowboy Carter (2024). On 6 April 2024, Raye appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, alongside host Kristen Wiig; she performed "Escapism" and "Worth It", while also previewing an unreleased song, which was tentatively titled "Let There Be Light" by media publications, before being eventually released as the three-act single "Genesis" on 7 June. On 25 May 2024, Raye performed her first festival headline slot at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Luton. She served as an opening act for Taylor Swift's the Eras Tour at the final Wembley Stadium show in August 2024. Raye collaborated with the rapper Central Cee on the track "Moi", on which both artists sing and rap in English and French. On 13 September, she Surprise album her second live album, Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, featuring seven tracks recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, including a cover version of the James Brown song "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (1966). Months later, Raye revealed that her car was stolen along with finished lyrics for tracks from her upcoming second album.
Raye sang "Oscar Winning Tears" at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on 2 February 2025, as part of a medley performed by nominees for the Best New Artist category. She featured on "Born Again" by the Thai rapper and singer Lisa, along with the American rapper Doja Cat; the single was released on 6 February 2025. At the 97th Academy Awards, Raye performed Adele's "Skyfall" (2012) as part of a medley in honour to the James Bond franchise.
Raye explored R&B and electronic music on her EP Welcome to the Winter. "Hotbox", one of its songs, was influenced by progressive R&B artists, including Jhené Aiko and Frank Ocean. According to Raye, Polydor pressured her to release "chart-friendly Dance music tracks". She then struggled with her own identity, saying that she "didn't know who she was" musically, retrospectively believing that her music was not consistent. On My 21st Century Blues, Raye experimented with elements of soul, blues, rap, R&B, hip-hop, pop, Gospel music, and doo-wop. In one of the three parts of "Genesis", she blended the album's genres while also adding a big band instrumental.
Raye has explored personal and contemporary issues in her music's lyrics. Her first song "Hotbox" describes her first use of marijuana, and she has written about similar encounters in the subsequent years, including on her debut album. My 21st Century Blues contains recurrent themes such as , self-insecurities, and sexual assault. On "Ice Cream Man", Raye sings about her experience being abused by a record producer as a teenager, while on "Body Dysmorphia" she describes her relationship with disordered eating. On "Genesis"—influenced by the Nina Simone quote "It is an artist's duty to reflect the times"—Raye deals with social media and global issues.
In 2023, My 21st Century Blues was shortlisted for a Mercury Prize. At the 2024 edition of the Brit Awards, Raye broke the record for the artist with the most wins at a single ceremony, receiving British Artist of the Year, Best New Artist, Songwriter of the Year—becoming the first female recipient—Best R&B Act, British Album of the Year (for My 21st Century Blues), and Song of the Year (for "Escapism"). She was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 67th ceremony including Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical.
Supporting
| +Television performances ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
| 2024 ! scope="row" | Saturday Night Live | Herself | Musical guest (season 49, episode 16) |
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