RAYE on Tour
Rising UK artist RAYE is not a polite pop star. If it happened, she'll write a song about it, and nothing's off limits. Her music is fun and dance-worthy, but cathartic in its subject matter. She deftly blends blues, R&B, trip-hop and pop sounds with lyrics written straight from the heart and experience.
RAYE has written songs for artists like Beyoncé, John Legend, Little Mix and David Guetta, but gained notoriety as a performer after being featured on several UK Top 20 hits, including "By Your Side" with Jonas Blue, "You Don't Know Me" with Jax Jones, "Secrets" by Regard, and "Bed" with Joel Corry and David Guetta. In 2017, "Decline," featuring Mr. Eazi, was her first UK Top 20 hit.
In 2019, she was honored with BMI's Impact Award for her creativity and impact on the music industry. In 2020 she released the EP Euphoric Sad Songs featuring the UK Top Ten single "Secrets."
On her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, RAYE offers brutal honesty on songs like "Ice Cream Man," which details a personal tale of sexual abuse. She also addresses an eating disorder in the song "Body Dysmorphia," and addiction in the song "Mary Jane." My 21st Century Blues garnered widespread critical acclaim, and peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
RAYE played her first major live shows in Europe and North America in 2022, and embarked on her first headlining tour in 2023. She has also opened for acts like Lewis Capaldi, Halsey, Khalid and Years & Years.
RAYE Live in Concert
Rachel Agatha Keen, known professionally as RAYE, was born on October 24, 1997. She was born and raised in the Tooting section of London before moving to Croydon. She started her music career young, guided by her father, who was the musical director at a church. She enrolled in the prestigious BRIT School in 2012, and while she dropped out after a few years, she continued to work on her music and released her debut EP Welcome to the Winter in 2014.
A standout from the EP titled "Hotbox" got attention, and a meeting was arranged with Polydor Records. RAYE parted ways with Polydor in 2021, citing frustrations with the label over their refusal to release her debut album. In 2023, the singer-songwriter made her U.S. network TV debut with a performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and began touring for the first time as a headlining act.
