Delta Rae

Delta Rae, a close-knit alt-pop group rooted in earthy sounds, artfully blend country-rock infused with gospel elements, sultry blue-eyed soul, and harmony-rich Americana to craft a catchy, broadcast-friendly style positioned between the approach of Nickel Creek and Adele. The North Carolina outfit originated in 2009 as a quartet centered on siblings Ian, Eric, and Brittany Hölljes together with Elizabeth Hopkins, then grew into a six-piece the next year after Mike McKee and Grant Emerson joined. In 2011 they secured a contract with Sire/Warner Bros. following a striking office audition that left Seymour Stein deeply impressed by the commanding vocals of Hopkins and the Hölljes siblings. Their first major-label effort, Carry the Fire, surfaced in 2012 and climbed to number 11 on the U.S. Heatseekers chart while reaching 13 on the folk chart. The band delivered their sophomore album, After It All, during spring 2015. After moving operations to Nashville they joined Big Machine in 2017, swiftly putting out the EPs A Long and Happy Life and The Blackbird Sessions. A cluster of fresh singles appeared early in 2019, yet that July Delta Rae declared their exit from Big Machine amid a major corporate acquisition. Opting for independence, the group mounted a highly successful crowdfunding drive to finance their forthcoming project, the two-part double album The Light & the Dark, whose opening installment, The Light, emerged in March 2020.