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Following Q1 albums by Harry Styles, BTS and Gorillaz, the latest big release has arrived in the form of <\/span>Raye\u2019s This Music May Contain Hope<\/span><\/a> (Human Re Sources\/The Orchard).<\/span><\/p>\n With critics remarking on the 17-track record\u2019s epic nature, Raye\u2019s sophomore album is set to make a global impact. The Grammy-nominated South London star continues to operate as an independent artist with US distributor and services company Human Re Sources in partnership with <\/span>The Orchard<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy hope is simply that the album receives the attention it deserves,\u201d said <\/span>J Erving, founder & CEO of Human Re Sources<\/span><\/a>. \u201cRaye has poured an incredible amount of time, care, and intention into perfecting this body of work. As long as she\u2019s proud of it, I\u2019m proud of it, the rest is in God\u2019s hands. Raye does the heavy lifting, and her managers are amazing, which is paramount for an independent artist. They will see to it that this classic album gets the proper light.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ahead of the album release, Raye has already played a run of well-received arena shows including at The O2<\/a>. The dates continue in North American on a sold-out run, with performances at Radio City Music Hall (April 15 & 16) and Greek Theatre (May 12 & 13). She will also join Bruno Mars as a special guest on The Romantic Tour this summer, appearing on 26 stadium dates across North America.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRaye herself is the driving force behind building on the success of the debut album,\u201d said Erving. \u201cLive performance has always been her super power, it\u2019s where she truly separates herself. What she does on stage is what connected people so deeply to [debut album] <\/span>My 21st Century Blues<\/span><\/a>, and that same energy and authenticity continues to win over new audiences on this current tour. Ultimately, the growth comes from organic discovery as well as people experiencing just how special she is!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Raye has poured an incredible amount of time, care, and intention into perfecting this body of work<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n J Erving<\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Peaking at No.2 in the UK, My 21st Century Blues (262,939 UK units \u2013\u00a0Official Charts Company) has since amassed strong sales and streaming numbers, particularly for triple platinum No.1 single Escapism feat. 070 Shake (2,375,335 UK units).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Following a series of recent hit singles and a second <\/span>UK No.1 with the million-selling Where Is My Husband!<\/span><\/a> (1,113,202 UK units), there are now big expectations for the new album at physical retail.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRaye\u2019s clearly stepping into a different league with this campaign,\u201d said <\/span>Rough Trade MD Lawrence Montgomery<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe scale of the live shows and the sustained success of the singles has built a much broader and more engaged audience than we saw on the debut, and that\u2019s translating into genuine anticipation for the album as a physical release.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Rough Trade has embraced the new generation of <\/span>vinyl customers<\/span><\/a> who are buying music by artists including Raye.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re definitely seeing a continued shift where pop customers are valuing vinyl in a way that would have felt unlikely even a few years ago,\u201d said Montgomery. \u201cWith an artist like Raye, who has both critical credibility and mainstream reach, that crossover into vinyl feels particularly strong for this campaign.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Raye\u2019s clearly stepping into a different league with this campaign<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Lawrence Montgomery<\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cFrom our perspective, demand for the physical release is there and growing, especially off the back of the arena dates,\u201d added Montgomery. \u201cIf anything, it highlights an ongoing challenge around the availability and depth of vinyl variants \u2013 an area where we\u2019d expect the opportunity to match the level of fan engagement more closely.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOverall, we see this as a really positive moment, both for Raye as an artist and for the continued expansion of vinyl within a mainstream pop audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n From a streaming perspective, Raye is one of the UK\u2019s biggest musical exports. As This Music May Contain Hope drops, she has already amassed 10 billion streams across her catalogue.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe album is already supported by a very strong lead single, Where Is My Husband!, which has been performing exceptionally well since its release in September, and we featured it editorially from the very beginning on Deezer,\u201d said Nina Boulet-Gigliesi, music & culture specialist, <\/span>Deezer<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe momentum of the single naturally sets high expectations for the album\u2019s streaming performance.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBeyond that, we expect the project to resonate with a very broad audience. Raye has shown an ability to connect with both younger listeners \u2013 in particular through widespread sharing on social media, especially on TikTok \u2013 and older audiences, which is not always easy to achieve. She has also demonstrated a real musical versatility, for example with collaborations such as the one with <\/span>Hans Zimmer<\/span><\/a>. \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n Boulet-Gigliesi said the current tour underlines Raye\u2019s increasing global reach.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s clearly positioning herself as an international artist with the ability to engage audiences across multiple markets,\u201d said the Deezer executive. \u201cAt the same time, she doesn\u2019t seem interested in limiting herself to purely mainstream pop. The artistic diversity she embraces can sometimes be a risk when aiming for the widest possible audience, but it\u2019s also what makes her stand out as an <\/span>authentic and fully developed artist<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Where Is My Husband! showcased the freshness and sense of fun Raye brings into the pop ecosystem<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Nina Boulet-Gigliesi<\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n With the album\u2019s release following a long build-up, Deezer is \u201cconfident it will translate into strong streaming success\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n