British singer-songwriter Raye is steadily conquering her competition, one award at a time. Not many new names in music bring the same caliber of performance, vocal, and songwriting talent as RAYE does, especially for only having one studio album.
Rachel Agatha Keen, better known as “Raye” (stylized in all caps), was born on October 24th, 1997, and possesses a diverse array of talents. Unconfined to any single facet of music, the 26-year-old has earned several awards and records.
Growing up singing in a gospel choir, Raye quickly picked up and excelled at singing, drawing inspiration from her father who served as the choir director. At the age of 14, Raye attended the BRIT school, but dropped out after two years due to “feeling confined.” Despite this, Raye continued to pursue music throughout her late teens and attended studio sessions on weekends. From 2014 to 2018, Raye released several singles and EPS, making her mark by charting in the top 41 on Britain’s Hot 100 list. Raye also ventured into writing lyrics for other artists. Her work has been featured by powerhouse artists such as Beyonce, Rhianna, and John Legend.
Her latest release, her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues released to major commercial success with powerhouse hits Escapism which peaked within the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, and Oscar Winning Tears which peaked at number 97 on the Crown Hot 100 chart. Before the album’s full release, Escapism charted not only on Billboard’s Hot 100 but also on Tik Tok where it amassed millions of uses through the viral power of the opening lines, “A little context if you care to listen,” which it became a viral sensation with millions of users participating in a trend using its opening lines to prank their significant others.
While Raye is a relatively new artist with only one album, Raye has already garnered immense popularity, accumulating over 5.2 billion streams on Spotify, according to Kworb.net. In addition to Spotify stats, Raye has amassed over 650 thousand followers on YouTube Music and has been featured in more than1400 playlists, indicative of her rising popularity
While Raw stats offer insight into an artist’s global reach, awards serve as a tangible testament to their talent. With just one full album under her belt, Raye has been nominated for 45 awards, winning 19 of them. The most notable awards Raye has won have been her recent Brit Awards sweep where she was nominated for 8 awards and won 6 of them, setting a new record for most Brit awards won in a single night by any single artist. In an interview with The Times, she shared the struggles of her career she faced just 18 months prior, expressing that she’s, “just happy to be here, 18 months ago my career had gone to s**t.” She continued, sharing about how her manager set up a tiny tour, captivating that “…It was a hundred tickets per venue; I sat at the piano for two hours, talking the audience through my story so far.”
Raye is truly one of the most talented new musicians of our time, showcasing exceptional vocals, compelling songwriting, and a captivating stage presence. This recent Brit sweep is truly only the tip of the iceberg for Raye, exciting many fans like me.
