RAYE Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

RAYE has said she would love to form a rock supergroup with Charli XCX, Rina Sawayama and Ivorian Doll.The artist was speaking to POPSUGAR when she was asked who would be in her dream band. “Rina Sawayama, Charli XCX, and Ivorian Doll.

My 21st Century Blues (★★★★☆).Her first full-length album is an impressive debut that not only shows off the strengths we already knew she possessed, but shows what she’s capable of when she has free rein.The first indication that Raye was really onto something came with “Escapism,” Raye’s first single to chart internationally. The song’s trip-hoppy beat clips along at a brisk, tense pace, underscoring the feeling of running away toward better things.The rest of the album is just as meticulously crafted and has a sense of timelessness about it, helped along by the way she bookends the album with a cabaret-like intro and outro.Raye’s songwriting is as edgy and fresh as any R&B-inflected pop, but its instrumentation and production is deeply indebted to the best of British jazz and soul.

RAYE has covered Kate Bush‘s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ as part of this year’s Live Lounge Month – check out the video below.The singer visited BBC Radio 1 yesterday (September 7) to record two live tracks, beginning with her recent single ‘Black Mascara’.RAYE then took on Bush’s classic 1985 single, which has seen a huge spike in popularity of late owing to its appearance in Stranger Things 4.For her version, the London artist removed the galloping beat and synths that feature in the original song in favour of piano and stings.“I didn’t feel it was the right thing to change much. We’re bringing it down – no drums, kind of like [a] ballad,” RAYE explained of her moody, stripped-back take on ‘Running Up That Hill’.“[Bush] 100 per cent wrote this record, 100 per cent produced it… she’s like one of my idols.

RAYE has returned with a new single called ‘Black Mascara’ – watch the official video for the dancefloor smash here.The singer has been teasing her debut album across 2022, and describes the new track as “the only upbeat dance track on the album.”RAYE said: “This song is about another story that has contributed to my ‘blues’. I used the juxtaposition of an upbeat dance track to tell this awful story of being misled by someone I really loved and trusted.

RAYE has spoken out about the challenges facing young songwriters, and what needs to change with major labels in the shifting musical landscape.The singer made headlines when she parted ways with Polydor Records last year after claiming that the label had refused to release her debut album, despite signing a four-album deal in 2014.Speaking on the red carpet at last week’s Ivor Novellos – where she was nominated for Songwriter Of The Year among the likes of Adele, Dave and Coldplay – the singer told NME that she had “found peace” with her former label, but that many more changes were still needed in the music industry to make songwriters feel valued and financially stable.“Songwriting is a craft that people don’t see, because it’s done in the darkness in studios and behind closed doors,” said RAYE. “I don’t think people realise how essential songwriters are in an industry based on songs.“Things need to be put in place to protect our future songwriters – to nurture them and make them feel special and important.”The singer told NME that the shortlist for her category at the Ivors proved that there was “an openness that there hasn’t been before in styles, flavours, genres and different types of expression” in modern music, and how the major label model needed to respond to this.“For the first time, we’re seeing that the ‘we need a hit’ model is fading,” she said.

Disclosure have teamed up with RAYE for their new garage driven single ‘Waterfall’ – you can listen to the track below.The song follows the dance duo’s previous single ‘You’ve Got To Let Go If You Want To Be Free’ and is RAYE’s first music of 2022.“RAYE is such a dream to work with in the studio. Best way to describe her is as a hook machine! You get the beat rolling and vibes going and she gives you like five chorus melody options straight away… she makes writing the way we do so easy & enjoyable,” Disclosure said.“We all knew within five minutes we were gonna make a UKG summer sunshine banger and that’s exactly what we ended up with.

RAYE has reflected on leaving Polydor in the summer after a public label dispute in her first interview since becoming an independent artist.The singer parted ways with Polydor Records earlier this year, after recently claiming that the label had refused to release her debut despite signing a four-album deal in 2014.“I have been on a 4 ALBUM RECORD DEAL since 2014 !!! And haven’t been allowed to put out one album,” she wrote on Twitter at the time. “ALL I CARE ABOUT is the music.

RAYE has announced details of a UK and Irish headline tour, set to take place later this year – see the list of dates below.The new shows come off the back of recent single ‘Call On Me’ and a series of high-profile label disputes that followed.Kicking off in Belfast at Limelight 2 on November 6, the tour will travel through the UK and Ireland for the first half of November, ending in Leeds at the Beckett Student Union on November 16.See RAYE’s upcoming UK and Irish tour dates below.

Laura Mvula has voiced her support for RAYE, after the singer left her record label following claims that she was being prevented from releasing her debut album.The singer parted ways with Polydor Records earlier this week, after recently claiming that the label had refused to release her debut despite signing a four-album deal in 2014.Mvula is no stranger to label conflicts herself, previously revealing that Sony Records unceremoniously sent her a seven-line email to reveal she was being

RAYE has announced that she’s now an independent artist after exiting her record deal with Polydor.The singer, who last month alleged that the label had refused to let her release her debut record despite having signed a four-album deal in 2014, wrote today (July 19) that an agreement was reached for her to leave.“Polydor and I have spoken and we have agreed to part ways,” she began her note on Twitter.“I want to say a big genuine thank you to the Polydor team, and all the individuals who have

Raye is taking a break from social media, days after revealing claims that her label won’t let her release her debut album.The singer has been signed on a four-album deal with Polydor since 2014 but has yet to release a full-length record.Writing on Twitter earlier today (July 4), Raye (whose real name is Rachel Keen) announced she would be stepping back from social media for the time being.

RAYE has played songs from her would-be debut album to fans on her Instagram after she claimed that her label hasn’t allowed her to release a record.The London singer-songwriter, who was shortlisted for the BBC Sound Of…2017 award, played snippets of several unheard songs that are intended for a debut release.As The Line Of Best Fit notes, one “banger” called ‘Fantastic’ was played to fans during RAYE’s Instagram Live before a piano-led track written with the singer’s best friend was shared,

RAYE has expressed her frustration that she’s yet to release her debut album, despite having been signed on a major label deal with Polydor for many years.The musician said on Twitter that she is “sick of being slept on,” and that she’s eager to put out her first full length LP.“Hey my dears, so for the last 7 days I have woken up crying my eyes out, not wanting to get out of bed and feeling so alone.

RAYE has shared a brand new song and video – watch and listen to ‘Call On Me’ below.The track, which the singer says she wrote for her sister in a difficult time, comes ahead of her widely-anticipated debut album.“I wrote this song on a day when my sister was going through something pretty intense, and I was so heartbroken for her,” RAYE says of ‘Call On Me’.

RAYE has discussed her plans for her upcoming debut solo studio album, which she says she’s getting “ready to drop” this year.