British singer and songwriter RAYE stands out as a commanding presence in contemporary pop, rising swiftly to prominence both through her own headline performances and through frequent high-profile partnerships. Her fluid vocal delivery and songs rich in catchy hooks gained notice after guest appearances alongside Jonas Blue and Jax Jones, at which point the 2020 mini-album Euphoric Sad Songs yielded the Top Ten single "Secrets." By then RAYE had already contributed to projects by dozens of artists across pop, R&B, rap, and dance, among them Charli xcx, Ellie Goulding, David Guetta, and Beyoncé, establishing her own stature ahead of the 2023 release of her debut album My 21st Century Blues, which featured the number one U.K. hit "Escapism." Following her Artist of the Year win at the 2024 BRIT Awards, RAYE introduced the elaborate single "Genesis."
A native of South London, RAYE (Rachel Keen) grew up in Tooting and relocated to Croydon during her teenage years. She began performing at age ten under the guidance of her father and her guitar teacher, progressing from small charity appearances to regular singing at her neighborhood church. In 2012 she entered the BRIT School to refine her skills, yet departed after two years in 2014, seeking greater freedom from conventional instruction. Late that year she issued her self-released, R&B-oriented debut EP Welcome to the Winter. Its lead track "Hotbox" drew the attention of Olly Alexander, known as Years & Years, who connected with RAYE and facilitated an introduction to Polydor’s A&R team.
Under Polydor’s major-label support, RAYE maintained a steady pace throughout 2016, co-writing the single "I, U, US" with Charli xcx, appearing on Jonas Blue’s "By Your Side" and Jax Jones’ "You Don’t Know Me"—both of which reached the U.K. Top 20—and putting out her own second EP. She rejoined Charli xcx in 2017 for the tracks "Girls" and "Dreamer." That same year RAYE achieved her first U.K. pop-chart entries as lead artist with "The Line," which peaked at number 65, and "Decline," a collaboration with Mr. Eazi that reached number 15. "Decline" and the follow-up number 41 single "Cigarette," featuring Mabel and Stefflon Don, anchored the 2018 EP Side Tape. Around the same period she appeared on Kojo Funds’ Top 40 hit "Check."
RAYE’s profile continued to climb in subsequent years. In 2019 she joined David Guetta on "Stay (Don’t Go Away)" and "Make It to Heaven," the latter also featuring Morten, while serving as co-writer on tracks for other artists that included Beyoncé’s "Bigger" from The Lion King: The Gift and Ellie Goulding’s Top 40 U.K. single "Sixteen." November 2020 brought the mini-album Euphoric Sad Songs, which spawned the number six U.K. hit "Secrets" featuring Regard and the number 37 single "Regardless" with Rudimental. She returned to the U.K. Top Ten in 2021 via the number three single "Bed," another Guetta collaboration, and helped D-Block Europe reach number 14 with "Ferrari Horses."
Throughout 2021, RAYE’s growing dissatisfaction with Polydor—stemming from creative constraints and the label’s reluctance to release her first proper full-length—resulted in her exit from the four-album contract signed seven years earlier. She then secured a licensing and distribution arrangement with Human Re Sources, granting her full artistic autonomy. Initial singles from her debut album appeared the following year. After "Hard Out Here" and "Mascara," she attained her first number one U.K. hit with the candid 070 Shake collaboration "Escapism." This success preceded the February 2023 arrival of My 21st Century Blues. RAYE co-wrote every track, working primarily with Mike Sabath. The album achieved global chart placement, reaching number two in the U.K. and number 58 in the United States. Her extensive touring encompassed a televised BBC special recorded at Royal Albert Hall, where RAYE performed with a 50-person orchestra and gospel choir; that concert later appeared as the live album My 21st Century Symphony. That August she topped the U.K. dance chart with "Prada," Cassö’s hit remix of the D-Block Europe track "Ferrari Horses" that featured RAYE’s vocals. At the 2024 BRIT Awards she made history with six trophies, among them Artist of the Year. She also previewed portions of the elaborate single "Genesis," whose complete seven-minute version arrived in June and peaked at number 22 on the singles chart. By year’s end she had received her first Grammy nominations, including for Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical.
