Raye facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raye
Raye performing in 2023
Born	Rachel Agatha Keen (1997-10-24) 24 October 1997 (age 27) Tooting, London, England
Occupation	Singer-songwriter record producer
Years active	2014–present
Works	Discography
Relatives	Abby-Lynn Keen (sister)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop jazz soul dance
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Polydor Human Re Sources

Rachel Agatha Keen (born on October 24, 1997), known as Raye, is a British singer and songwriter. She became well-known after signing with Polydor Records. She released many dance songs and EPs (Extended Plays) during that time. Raye later gained attention when she decided to leave her record label. She said they would not release her first album.

Raye then released her first album, My 21st Century Blues (2023), on her own. Critics really liked the album. A song from the album, "Escapism", became very popular online. It was her first song to reach number one on the UK singles chart. It also entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. At the Brit Awards 2024, Raye won six awards. This was a new record for the most awards won by an artist in one night. The BBC also included Raye on their 100 Women list in 2024. In 2023, Forbes magazine chose her for their famous Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Europe.

Raye's music often mixes different styles like jazz, R&B, pop, and soul. Her songs often talk about her own experiences and important topics. Besides her own music, Raye has helped write songs for other famous artists. These include Beyoncé, Charli XCX, John Legend, and Little Mix.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Raye was born Rachel Agatha Keen in Tooting, London, on October 24, 1997. Her mother is from Ghana and Switzerland and works in mental health. Her father is English and was a music director at their church. Raye has three younger sisters. Her sister Abby-Lynn is also a songwriter. Raye and her family later moved to Croydon, South London, where she grew up.

Raye was always around music. She became interested in being a singer at age eight. When she was in Year 6 (around age 10-11), she wrote her first song. She performed it at Southwark Cathedral after her father taught her piano. At 14, Raye was accepted into the BRIT School, a famous arts school. She studied there for two years but then left. She felt that the school limited her creativity. During her teenage years, she spent weekends learning to write songs professionally in music studios.

Raye's Music Career

Starting Out: 2014–2018

In November 2014, when Raye was 17, she released her first EP called Welcome to the Winter. She put it on SoundCloud herself. She wrote, recorded, and helped produce all seven songs on it. Olly Alexander, who was the lead singer of the band Years & Years, found her song "Hotbox". He sent it to his record label, Polydor Records. Raye then signed a contract with them. In 2015, she released the song "Alien" and also sang a cover of the Years & Years song "Shine". She even opened for Years & Years at their show.

Raye's next EP, Second, came out in August 2016 through Polydor. She co-wrote the song "I, U, Us" with singers Noonie Bao and Charli XCX. Charli XCX also directed the music video for the song. In the same year, Raye was featured on two popular songs: "By Your Side" by Jonas Blue and "You Don't Know Me" by Jax Jones. These songs reached numbers 15 and 3 on the UK singles chart. "By Your Side" was her first song to enter the charts. A few months later, she opened for singer Jess Glynne on her concert tour.

In February 2017, Raye performed in London and received great reviews. She also worked on Charli XCX's song "After the Afterparty". Raye was in the music video for Stormzy's song "Big For Your Boots". She also featured on the song "Dreamer" from Charli XCX's project Number 1 Angel (2017). The songs "The Line" and "Decline" (featuring Mr Eazi) were also released in 2017. Her third EP, Side Tape, came out in 2018. It included the song "Cigarette" with Mabel and Stefflon Don. Raye also helped write songs for Little Mix and John Legend. In June, she performed at the Summertime Ball in London. Later in 2018, she released a song for her friends. She also supported Rita Ora and Halsey on their tours. Raye went on her first own tour at the end of the year.

Euphoric Sad Songs and Going Independent: 2019–2021

In 2019, Raye was featured on the song "Tipsy" by Odunsi the Engine and "Stay (Don't Go Away)" by David Guetta. "Stay (Don't Go Away)" became her first number-one song on Billboard's US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in July 2019. She also supported Khalid on his tour. Raye helped write the song "Bigger" for Beyoncé's album The Lion King: The Gift in July 2019. BBC News called this her biggest songwriting success at the time. Between August and November 2019, Raye released her own song "Love Me Again". She also released "Make It to Heaven" with David Guetta and Morten.

In early 2020, Raye released "Tequila" with Jax Jones and Martin Solveig. She also released "Secrets" with Regard. "Secrets" reached number six in the UK and was certified platinum. In July 2020, Raye released "Natalie Don't". This song came before her project Euphoric Sad Songs, which was released in November. The project included songs she had already released, plus new ones like "Love of Your Life" and "Regardless" (with Rudimental). The project was about the different feelings people have when they are sad.

Raye, Joel Corry, and David Guetta released "Bed" in February 2021. This song reached number three on the UK singles chart. It was Raye's highest-charting song as a main artist at that time. It also topped the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. She helped write and produce the song "Let Them Know" by Mabel. In June 2021, Raye released "Call On Me". This song was written for her sister. It was meant to be the first song from her first album. Later that month, Raye shared that Polydor Records had not released her first album for several years. Other artists like Charli XCX, MNEK, and Rina Sawayama supported her. After this, Raye took a break. She later announced that she had left Polydor and would work as an independent artist. Raye ended the year with her Euphoric Sad Show tour in the UK and Ireland.

My 21st Century Blues and Global Success: 2022–Present

Raye performing at First Avenue in 2023

In mid-2022, Raye signed with a company called Human Re Sources. This meant she now owned her own music recordings. On June 30, she released her first independent song, "Hard Out Here". It came with a music video showing what it's like for an artist starting out. The second song, "Black Mascara", came out in August 2022. In October, she released two songs together: "Escapism" (featuring 070 Shake) and "The Thrill is Gone". All these songs were part of Raye's first album, My 21st Century Blues, which was released in February 2023. The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. Music critics praised it. To support her album, Raye went on a small tour called The Story So Far. These were her first shows in Europe and North America. This was followed by the My 21st Century Blues Tour, which ran from February 2023 to February 2024.

"Escapism" became very popular on social media. It became Raye's first number-one song in the UK, three months after it was released. It also helped her appear on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time. By the end of 2023, My 21st Century Blues had sold over 60,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Throughout 2023, Raye opened for other artists on their tours. She opened for Lewis Capaldi in the UK, Kali Uchis in North America, and SZA in Europe. Raye also sang songs from My 21st Century Blues on American TV shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She also performed at the Glastonbury Festival 2023. The song "Prada" (2023), a song with Cassö and D-Block Europe, reached number two on the UK singles chart. It was number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart for 31 weeks.

In October 2023, Raye released My 21st Century Symphony (Live at the Royal Albert Hall). This was a live version of songs from her album, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall with an orchestra.

Raye performed a mix of her songs at the Brit Awards 2024. She was one of the songwriters for the song "Riiverdance" on Beyoncé's album Cowboy Carter (2024). On April 6, 2024, Raye was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. She sang "Escapism" and "Worth It". She also showed a new song, which was later released as "Genesis" on June 7. On May 25, 2024, Raye performed her first festival headline show at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Luton. She opened for Taylor Swift's the Eras Tour at the final Wembley Stadium show in August 2024. Raye also worked with rapper Central Cee on the song "Moi". On September 13, she released her second live album, Live at Montreux Jazz Festival. It included a cover of the James Brown song "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".

In February 2025, Raye sang "Oscar Winning Tears" at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. She was part of a performance by artists nominated for the Best New Artist award. She was featured on "Born Again" by Lisa and Doja Cat, released on February 6, 2025. At the 97th Academy Awards, Raye performed Adele's "Skyfall" (2012) as part of a tribute to the James Bond movies. Raye and British musician Mark Ronson released the song "Suzanne" in June 2025. She also performed two new songs at the Glastonbury Festival 2025.

Raye's Musical Style

Music experts describe Raye as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for making music that includes many different styles. These styles often include R&B, pop, jazz, soul, and dance. Raye has said that jazz is one of her favorite types of music. She first discovered it through artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Growing up, Raye listened to artists such as Jill Scott, James Brown, Nina Simone, and Alicia Keys. She also enjoyed the music of Stevie Wonder and Wet Wet Wet, which her father liked. She has also said she admires Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera.

On her EP Welcome to the Winter, Raye explored R&B and electronic music. One song, "Hotbox", was influenced by progressive R&B artists. Raye has mentioned that her previous record label encouraged her to make "chart-friendly dance tracks." This made her feel unsure about her own musical identity. On My 21st Century Blues, Raye tried out elements of soul, blues, rap, R&B, hip-hop, pop, gospel, and doo-wop. In one part of her song "Genesis", she mixed these styles with a big band sound.

Raye's song lyrics often talk about personal feelings and important issues. My 21st Century Blues includes themes like self-doubt. On "Ice Cream Man", Raye sings about a difficult experience she had as a teenager. On "Body Dysmorphia", she describes her feelings about her body image. The song "Genesis" is inspired by a quote from Nina Simone, saying an artist should reflect the times. In this song, Raye talks about social media and global issues.

Awards and Achievements

Raye has won many awards during her career. She has won seven Brit Awards, four Global Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, and two MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2019, she received a BMI London Award for her amazing artistry and influence on music. She was also one of the first artists to receive the Brits Billion Award. Raye has also won a South Bank Sky Arts Award and a MOBO Award.

Raye was included on the Sound of 2017 list and the 100 Women 2024 list by the BBC. She was also named Musician of the Year at Harper's Bazaar's Woman of the Year 2024 event.

In 2023, My 21st Century Blues was considered for a Mercury Prize. At the Brit Awards 2024, Raye set a new record. She won the most awards by an artist in a single ceremony. She won British Artist of the Year, Best New Artist, Songwriter of the Year (the first woman to win this), Best R&B Act, British Album of the Year (for My 21st Century Blues), and Song of the Year (for "Escapism"). She was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 67th ceremony. These included Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical.

Discography

• My 21st Century Blues (2023)

Tours

Headlining Tours

• Raye Live 2018 Tour (2018)
• Euphoric Sad Show Tour (2021)
• The Story So Far... Tour (2022)
• My 21st Century Blues Tour (2023–2025)

Supporting Tours

• Years & Years – Communion Tour (2015)
• Jess Glynne – Take Me Home Tour (2016)
• Rita Ora – The Girls Tour (2018)
• Halsey – Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Tour (2018)
• Khalid – Free Spirit World Tour (2019)
• Lewis Capaldi – Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent Tour (2023)
• Kali Uchis – Red Moon in Venus Tour (2023)
• SZA – SOS Tour (2023)
• Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour (2024)

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Raye para niños