Almost three years ago, RAYE tweeted that her label situation didn't “want her to get out of bed and feel so alone.” Polydor, who she signed to in 2014, had prevented her from releasing any music unless her singles reached a certain level of commercial success. Last week (March 2), the 'Escapism' singer woke up, rolled out of bed and picked up six of a record-breaking seven nominations at the 2024 Brit Awards – and she did it all on her own.
It's now the Monday after the Brit Awards and RAYE is “recovering from a two-day hangover,” she says. Advertising sign via Google Meet. The acclaimed singer-songwriter spent the weekend celebrating her six wins, including Best New Artist, Best R&B Act, Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year (“Escapism,” featuring 070 Shake), Female Artist of the Year and of the album of the year (My 21stSt Century Blues), which she cites as the win that meant the most to her. “I cried like a child!” she narrates.
J. Erving, founder of Human Re Sources, the distribution company that helped launch RAYE into the current era of global pop stardom, reclines in a giant teddy bear chair behind her. It's the most graphic setting for a Google Meets window. This teddy bear – and it's real giant – was a gift from DJ Cuppy, a Nigerian DJ and producer, who sent it to RAYE after her split from Polydor. “When we were finishing the vocals and stuff [for the album], I was in that teddy bear!” says RAYE.
The album in question is, of course, My 21st Century Blues, an evocative tour de force of fearless songwriting and bombastic vocal performances. Over an expansive sonic palette that includes big band jazz, boom bap, gospel, dance and R&B, RAYE works through the trauma of sexual assault, body dysmorphia, drug abuse, the journey of faith and general existentialism. It's a truly kaleidoscopic record that stands as the stark contrast to the messages RAYE received from her old label – and to other labels that tried to rob her of her idiosyncratic artistic vision.
After parting ways with Polydor in July 2021, RAYE signed with Human Re Sources, a subsidiary of The Orchard, a music and entertainment company with a focus on distribution. From there the “most supportive, beautiful group” properly launched a campaign for their debut LP that led to their historic night at the Brits. At the ceremony, RAYE performed an exciting medley of songs, including an instrumental cover of 'Prada' (a Cassö-produced viral reprise of her 2021 D-Block Europe collaboration 'Ferrari Horses'), UK chart topper 'Escapism' and the terrifying 'Ice Cream Man', a track detailing her sexual assault at the hands of a music producer;
A full-circle triumphant moment, this mix was something of a nirvana moment for RAYE — rather than a truncated rehearsal period, given that she had just finished a tour just days before the ceremony. “As soon as I sat down at that piano, it was the first time all night that I was really quiet,” she says. “I'm so at home on stage … I just feel like this is where I'm meant to be.”
To feel at home on the Brit Awards stage, however, RAYE first had to find a home in a new partner on her journey as a new independent artist. “RAYE was the captain of the ship,” Erving explains. “The first time I heard this album was exactly the album that came out. Our job was to get out of RAYE's way and be as supportive as we could. We can be very nimble and move quickly when something catches a spark, but there's no blueprint for what RAYE is doing right now.”
This artist approach to building not only a successful album era, but also a dedicated fan base and solid career, is what allowed RAYE to sustain the momentum of “Escapism” for an entire calendar year. After gaining traction on TikTok in late 2022, “Escapism” became the first UK No.1 song for both her and 070 Shake the following January. My 21st Century Blues it reached its entirety the following month (3 February 2023), peaking at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart. It's only fitting that 'Escapism' has been the driving force behind RAYE's incredible growth over the past few years. the nocturnal electro-pop/hip-hop hybrid thrilled audiences with its indescribable look at escaping reality and breaking the heart through meaningless sex, partying and drugs – exactly the kind of RAYE record that mainstream labels were cautious.
“Literally no other place we went and played the music was okay with the songs the way they were,” explains RAYE. “The consensus was, 'Oh, we like RAYE, but she should go again.' There was all this talk of “we want to decide, we want to control, we want to A&R”, and now I've come to a place where I'm finally independent and I don't have to hand it all over again. . That's not happening.”
At Human Re Sources, Erving helped assemble a team and strategy for RAYE and My 21st Century Blues this was as reactionary as it was laissez-faire. “This is soul food: It takes a little longer to cook and it's a lot more filling than microwaved food,” Erving says. “[These are] revelations that keep happening everyday where people understand that RAYE is bigger than any particular song. The amount of shows and support shows and intimate rooms he's done, building a real audience and a real fan base. All that matters is [drawing in] people who listen and listen right.”
Rather than trying to plan or predict which songs would be the right ones to drop behind their full propulsive power, RAYE and her team simply let the music connect with listeners and responded to what they responded to. For example, after performing 'Prada' on the piano while playing some shows in the US, RAYE released an official audio version of the song on streaming platforms, which, in turn, spawned its own TikTok trend. “Prada” eventually reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 5 Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart.
Other key promotional moves to maintain RAYE's momentum included a near-constant stream of eye-popping music videos and exciting live performance clips, as well as a year full of shows, including a groundbreaking trek in support of Blues and opening slots on tours by SZA, Kali Uchis and Lewis Capaldi. More recently, RAYE was released My 21st Century Symphony (26 September 2023), a live concert filmed at London's Royal Albert Hall alongside the Heritage Orchestra and the Flames Collective (which aired on the BBC and spawned an accompanying live album).
“The only thing we could design or control was the art,” says RAYE of her approach to promotion. “We're in a strange, beautiful time that you can't plan for [what’s] will be “the big one”. I did shows, support gigs, promos, social stuff. At the end of the day, give art the best possible chance to reach the most ears.”
In Human Re Sources, RAYE found a like-minded partner in Erving. Having founded a company that helped launch stalwart indie artists like Brent Faiyaz and Pink Sweat$, Erving has managed to create more than just a distribution company.
“When we met with J, the one thing that was different from everyone else was that he really liked music. He said, 'I believe in you,'” RAYE recalled. “[Human Re Sources] it's the only option that makes sense. This is the one place where I don't have to worry about someone else trying to lead me or direct me or tell me what to do.”
In addition to feeling heard and respected as an individual, artist and visionary at Human Re Sources, RAYE also secured herself a deal from which she could see legitimate financial returns from hit records – something that unfairly privileged the more artists instead of one right. With an increasing number of artists deciding to sell the rights to their music, RAYE's success with its partnership with Human Re Sources marks a different way forward for artists. According to Erving, RAYE now has a catalog that it will own and continue to monetize in perpetuity. It's a material addition to the legacy she presented to Britons when she brought her grandmother, Agatha Dawson-Amoah, with her on stage to collect her awards.
“Earn real money from your records! Do you know how cool that is?' exclaims RAYE. “We make money from our songs, not just publishing or writing, real hard selling. It was so satisfying to see because that's how it should be.”
With six Brits to her name now, RAYE has her sights set on the next phase of her career as an independent artist taking the world by storm. He took the next two weeks off to “take some time to process everything we've been working hard on” and prepare to start writing again and “get into [her] producer bag.” He has a few shows coming up, including Saturday night live (April 6), Coachella (April 13 and 20) and Leeds Festival (August 25), so “it's going to keep going” because, after all, it's all about momentum.
But if there's one legacy RAYE hopes her historic Brit Awards night will leave, it's that she – and all artists – should put pride in their craft above any outward achievements.
“I'm an artist who is obsessed with her music and her art,” she says. “If I was lucky enough to have a night like I did at the Brits, but I didn't feel the way I felt about my art, then why do I do it? Whether I had a night like this at the Brits both years we did or not, I would feel the same way about my Music. That matters.”
