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Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted before the onset of the wildfires in Los Angeles. The artist has since addressed the situation, telling GRAMMY.com, “My thoughts are with all those in Los Angeles affected by this heartbreaking and devastating tragedy. My heart goes out deeply to the working class communities impacted by these fires.”
In June 2021, RAYE made a declaration to herself and the world: “I’m done being a polite pop star. I want to make my album now.”
The message — one of several emotional, end-of-her-rope tweets the South London native shared on Twitter (now X) — was the result of years filled with heartbreak and compromise in her career as a singer/songwriter. Fortuitously, her sentiments of pent-up frustration went viral, giving her exactly the type of crucial (and public) leverage she needed to get out of her major-label recording contract, go independent, and make the album she was dying to make.
The result, 2023’s My 21st Century Blues, wasn’t just the debut album RAYE (born Rachel Keen) had always envisioned; it’s also the album that shot her to stardom, and helped earn the artist her first GRAMMY nominations in the process. RAYE’s GRAMMY nods — for Best New Artist, Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (for her contribution to Lucky Daye‘s Algorithm) — are just the latest in a long list of accomplishments and accolades she’s added to her resume in the last two years.
Just weeks before the album’s release, her woozy, snarling single with 070 Shake, “Escapism.,” exploded in popularity on TikTok and pioneered the trend of sped-up audio that soon proliferated on the platform; the track landed the songstress both her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and a No. 1 hit in her native U.K. Cut to almost exactly one year later, and she’d become the most-awarded artist in a single night at the 2024 BRITs, winning British Artist of the Year, British Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best R&B Act, and Songwriter of the Year.
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Long before she rocketed to fame as an artist, RAYE had spent the better part of a decade establishing herself as one of the most ferociously hard-working and in-demand songwriters in the industry. Now 27, she actually started working as a professional songwriter at just 14 years old, signing her first publishing deal at 16.
In the decade that followed, the British star racked up songwriting credits for Beyoncé, Little Mix, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, Quavo, Anitta, Hailee Steinfeld, John Legend, Mabel and several other big-name artists. She had also signed a four-album deal with Polydor Records at 17, but while her career as a songwriter blossomed, her goal to be a solo artist in her own right was met by obstacle after obstacle.
Upon entering the industry, RAYE had envisioned herself as an R&B artist in the vein of “The Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR mixed with Jill Scott“; instead, label executives pushed her toward the dance-centric sound dominating radio at the time. She ultimately released three EPs as part of her contract — 2016’s Second, 2018’s Side Tape and 2020’s Euphoric Sad Songs — but none of those projects were musically or creatively in line with the full-length album she was being held back from making.
“I had zero creative control,” RAYE recalls. “I blinked, and I’d turned into something I didn’t recognize. I was honestly really heartbroken and had gone against everything I said I’d never compromise. I just felt like a puppet, and I was for a long time.”
Only by breaking free of her contract was RAYE able to cut the puppet strings, rediscover her voice and make the music she’d held inside for so many years.
My 21st Century Blues unfurls RAYE’s story with unflinching honesty, as evidenced on visceral album cut “Hard Out Here.”: “After years and fears and smiling through my tears/ All I ask of you is open your ears/ ‘Cause the truth ain’t pretty, my dear.” She combines R&B melodies, hip-hop beats and pop balladry with shades of dancehall and retro jazz, crafting a sound that’s uniquely hers — and delivered entirely on her own terms.
Ahead of the 2025 GRAMMYs, RAYE chatted with GRAMMY.com about her long-awaited solo success, writing songs with superstars like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, why she’s rooting for longtime pal Charli XCX to win, and more.
What do you remember feeling when you found out you were a GRAMMY nominee?
On that particular day, I was just really in my head and worried about the future. I was speaking to my mum on the phone, like, “Mum, like, what if this is it?” You know, I was just going through it. [Laughs.] And then someone on my team was like, “We should put the GRAMMY nominations on the telly!” And I was like, “Please, not today. I’ll just check Twitter when they come out.”
I had zero expectations. The first one they announced was Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical, they said my name! And then I lost it. Started screaming, started crying. I was shocked. My mind was blown. And then they [announced] Best New Artist and I nearly threw up. It was just, like, “What the f— is happening right now?” It was just the most ridiculously overwhelming and beautiful surprise.
Now that you’ve had some time to process, what do your GRAMMY nominations mean to you?
When you first reckon with the idea of dedicating your life to being a musician, one of the first things you picture is that beautiful golden gramophone with your name engraved in gold on the front. I think for all of us musicians, that’s the dream — a very huge, wild, massive dream. Even being recognized and nominated is the most overwhelming sense of feeling seen as a musician by fellow creatives, fellow writers, it’s a real affirmation. It makes me emotional. It’s just it.
I still can’t really believe that we’ve even made it this far. Just, like, this is nuts. This is f—ing real. It’s a whole mind game, as well, to wrap your head around that being a reality. It really is insane.
You’ve obviously gained so many new fans throughout this process. If there was one song on My 21st Century Blues that you could point new listeners to, what would it be?
Hmm…obviously it depends on taste, ’cause there’s a lot of different styles on there. Like, songs like “Body Dysmorphia.” and “Environmental Anxiety.” are quite heavy topics. You know, it gives me anxiety listening to “Environmental Anxiety.,” so… [Laughs.]
“Body Dysmorphia.” is a little bit more simple and a little bit more relaxed — not in terms of the lyricism, but musically. I feel like maybe there’s some people out there who would really relate to those songs. Oh, and “The Thrill Is Gone.” I’ve sang that everywhere. I open the show with “Thrill Is Gone.” I’m like, “You WILL listen to this song!”
Your ability to reinterpret your songs and create different versions of them from what’s on the album — whether it’s for your live album My 21st Century Symphony. at Royal Albert Hall, “Saturday Night Live,” or any given award show — is so impressive. Is that process something that you have in mind when you’re writing and recording in the studio?
It’s really important to me as a performer; I want it to be fresh and exciting. And also ’cause we live in a world where everything’s documented and filmed, if you do something one way, people will know it. And I love that element of change and surprise. Even in the writing process, I would take a song and be like, “Let’s try it in four different genres and see which one feels the best.”
It’s an exciting thing when you’re creating a live show to be like, “Let’s reimagine this in this way now.” Because why not? There’s no rules and it’s fun. And sometimes you can think, What if people just want to hear it how the record is? But then you go and listen to the album to hear it how the record is!
I remember going to a Jill Scott concert at the Apollo where she played every single song entirely differently. I was so blown away and completely didn’t expect it. I really took a leaf from that. I was really inspired and so moved.
In my head there are moments where you want to hear something similarly [to the studio version], but that can be bent here and it can move there, and we can extend this intro and we can do this. It also, as a musician, keeps me stimulated and excited. You don’t wanna be doing the same thing over and over — you’ve got to reinvent it and push the wheel and give something new. Anytime any of my hardcore supporters [come to a show], I want them to be like, “Oh s—! There’s a different version, this is so exciting!”
You’re the first artist in GRAMMY history to be nominated simultaneously for Best New Artist and Songwriter Of The Year, Non Classical. What does it mean to you to be recognized for your songwriting alongside your artistry?
That one really hit deep. I mean, I identified first as a songwriter. Before I was ever an artist, that was always who I was even when I didn’t have any cuts. It was the first goal and the first dream. And I also dedicated so much heart and so much of my life to wanting to be one — to learn how to be a better one, to soak in more, to study the greats. I’m so passionate about the craft.
It’s like crack cocaine to me, even though I don’t know what crack cocaine feels like. But I imagine it’s pretty amazing. And that’s what it feels like to me, you know, that combination of the correct melody or that lyric that just cuts you, that evokes those emotions, is completely an art form I’m obsessed with.
So to be recognized by my peers and my fellow songwriters is just such a ridiculous honor and something that young RAYE would be like, “Holy f—ing s—. LOOK! You’ve actually gone and made waves as a songwriter!”
I remember being 16 and being like, “I’m gonna do this until I’m respected in this craft.” And what an absolute pinnacle, physical example of that, in that nomination, for me.
One thing that really stands out in your songwriting catalog is how incredibly dextrous you are at writing across genres and moods and personalities and inspirations. Is there a guiding principle that you follow to write for all these different artists and styles of music?
That’s a good question. I think because of how seriously devoted I was to the craft of songwriting at such a young age, that I realized it was so important for me to want to learn all the different skills. I spent a lot of time in Sweden as a kid and these guys are some of the best in the world at writing pop songs. We all know Max Martin and his camp, and there are so many ridiculously incredible songwriters [there] who continue to hit the mark again and again across spans of tens and twenties of years.
Learning from those guys was invaluable to understanding what makes a hook, what makes something stick, what makes a really great pop song. So that’s a craft that never came natural to me, but something that I studied.
And then the other aspect of it: I grew up in a church environment where it was all very free-flowing gospel — it’s a form of freestyle, worship. So it’s this element of just embracing melody and letting it just come out.
Then between those two worlds, when I was 14, I went on a road trip around America with my dad and my uncle. Before that trip, I didn’t understand country music. I was never exposed to it, you know?
I was sat in the car for hours, listening and soaking it in and understanding how beautiful and powerful country music was. It had this down-to-earth, poetic, beautiful [quality of] “I’m gonna tell you a story: She was in a blue dress. The sky was gray. He sipped his whiskey on a cold winter’s day.” So my mind was opened.
Then we went to New Orleans — that was my favorite place. It was all jazz. And we went to a place called The Conservation Jazz Hall and I sat on the floor, ’cause the room was full, and I was directly under the trombone, And it was spit blowing in my face and everything, and I loved it! I was like, “This is incredible!”
So I think it comes from a deep-rooted love of music — wanting to understand what each genre consists of, feels like, what instruments are going into it. How are these guys writing this? Why is it like that? Why are the lyrics still like this?
When I go into a room and someone’s like, “Let’s do a rock ballad,” I’m like, “OK, let’s dig into this.” So I’ll go away, I’ll do my research, I’ll listen to things in that genre, I’ll try to understand what that took, studying the greats and then being like, “OK, let’s get into this.” I could talk passionately about this for hours because this s— absolutely turns me on, to be honest.
Speaking of country music, what can you tell me about writing “RIIVERDANCE” with Beyoncé for COWBOY CARTER?
Probably not much! [Laughs.] But I can say, what an honor. The way the song originally started was very different to how it turned out. So it was a whole evolution.
Look, I had one cut with Miss Queen Bey before [“Bigger” from 2019’s The Lion King: The Gift], and I was like, “Holy f—ing s—,” you know what I mean? And then this time, you’re like, “F—ing hell.” There’s only curse words I can really say to express how that feels.
A lot of fans may not realize that you actually worked with Charli XCX years ago on what was supposed to be XCX World in 2016 and then again on Number 1 Angel in 2017. Given your history together, what’s it been like seeing her blow up alongside you this past year with brat?
Listen, I am so proud of that woman. I met Charli when I was maybe 18. And before I met her, the experience and the environment that I was in was around a lot of men who were, on a daily basis, telling me that I needed to be threatened by all these other women [in the industry]. And that, as a kid, can really do something to you and really skew and confuse you.
And Charli completely broke that lie. She actually directed a video for me called “I, U, Us.” It was a really long time ago, but the video was great — it was on an ice rink. And I got to share creative space with her writing on many different occasions as a young writer, and she’s just absolutely brilliant. She is a true artist. She is a true songwriter.
She’s actually one of the artists who inspired me to be a writer as well as an artist; it was examples like Charli and Emeli Sandé when I was in those pivotal early years, that I was like, “I can really do this, ’cause they’re doing it.” Which is crazy, ’cause Charli literally looks the same age as me, if not younger. My girl!
Anyway, it was just really, really invaluable what she poured into me. And then I had one of my first really big cuts with her, which was [2016’s] “After The Afterparty,” so she was a really beautiful part of my early career.
On top of that, we always related to each other. Because it was a hardship for her as well. Like, my girl went through it. And we would always talk and have real, down-to-earth, deep conversations about the struggles and the things we’d be going through. So it is just so beautiful to see her get her just. I couldn’t speak higher of her. I’m so happy for her, bursting with pride. And I hope she cleans up!
You’ve also written with lots of other amazing women this year like Jennifer Lopez, Halle Bailey, Kylie Minogue and Rita Ora. Do you have favorite memories from any of those sessions?
Working with Halle was an absolute dream. That girl — first of all, we giggled like little frickin’ children. We had a great time, we clicked instantly. And we made some beautiful songs I’m really excited for the world to hear. She’s such a rare, beautiful soul. Such an incredible voice, such a brilliant talent. So I have some really dear and beautiful memories writing with her.
And J.Lo, it’s like, “F—ing hell, it’s J.Lo!” So I was just telling myself, Just write! Just make something great!
It’s always quite funny being in spaces with people you’ve grown up watching on telly, do you know I mean? So I try to play it cool — I’m pretty good at playing it cool, I think. But then after the moment, you’re like, “Umm…holy s—.” [Laughs.]
Needless to say, it’s been such a huge year for you. What’s next?
Well, I want to write another album. So I want to begin that. I think it’s important that I go into writing mode. I’m so all or nothing, so if I’m on the road, I’m on the road doing shows, and I’m all over the live arrangements. My head is in what we’re doing, I can’t pull out to write. So there has to be designated time for that.
I have a couple exciting other things that I’m part of musically, that I can’t really digress much into. It’s a year of creation. And hopefully it won’t take me… well, it might take loads of time. I don’t know how long it’s gonna take to write some good music, do you know what I mean? It’s been a minute since I’ve been in the lab, so we’ll see how it goes.
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